One day, I jokingly posted a status on FB asking if a 2-year old can be diagnosed with OCD. Matt was going through some peculiar things at that time. Several mother-friends shared with me things that their children did and while it made me feel better, one comment stopped me in my tracks.
My roommate from college...one of the many...her daughter had been diagnosed at 2 and a half with OCD. I felt horrible and contacted her directly to find out more information. I did this partially because I felt bad for joking about it (she was cool with it, but wanted to let me know it was within the realm of possibility...she felt that educating other people about this was her job in a way...she had felt so alone that she doesn't hesitate to put it out there for others), but I partially did it because I was really really curious.
How do you know? I often have little "feelings" about things. I don't know if this is my psychology background or my teaching experience, but I am on the look-out for things.
I'm not a psycho-Mom or anything, hovering over my child trying to diagnose him with a psychological disease...I just note certain behaviors.
Like these...
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| He set this blanket up on Thursday and all of the elements have remained the same since. He gets really irritated when I have to move his "picnic blanket" or if I take anything...like the magnets that I was afraid of fishing out of his stomach. |
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| His and Hailey's stamps...I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm pretty sure there is an order here. |
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| No less than four trucks...his orange dumper, his garbage trucks, and his "excabator." |
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| His jigsaw puzzle...truth be told, this set came with four puzzles, but his favorite has been the Colors from the beginning. You can't see the colors because they're all facing the same direction...of course. |
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| A library book...about trucks, naturally. |
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| A bridge, but not just any bridge...a broken bridge...over Troubled Waters, perhaps? Oh, and the middle piece was lined up like that on purpose...I'm sure of it. It was that perfect. |
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| Puzzle pieces from another puzzle, but only these...not the other ones. He doesn't "need dem." |
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| Birthday cake decorations from a toy birthday cake, but they have to be in the orange dumper. Only one can be face up. |
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| Hailey asked to play with her stamps, so Matt had to play with his stamps. He lasted much longer than expected, but this is why...once he was done with his "design," he created this "tower." It's pretty awesome, right? I'm sure he would have tried to make it higher, but he ran out of stamps. |
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| Top view...all of the bottom stamps are the same size and lined up precisely so that this tower would "work." |
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| He hates to take pictures lately, but when I asked him to take one with his line of stamps (on the table in from of him), he smiled right away! |
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| This is how he needs his boots and shoes lined up when we get home from an outing...and certainly before I put our movie on. He freaks out if I try to start it while he's still lining up his shoes. |
I am, in no way, hinting to the fact that my son has any mental illness...nor am I poking fun at kids who suffer from mental illness. That breaks my heart.
I am documenting these little nuances of Matt's to see where they go. I am curious to see if he'll continue to line things up, build towers, be obsessed with certain things. It just amazes me to see the dedication that he brings to these tasks...it just amazes me.
If any of these behaviors lasted for a marked period of time, I probably would contact a professional, but they don't. At this point, I'm pretty sure that if I cleaned up his "picnic blanket," he'd ask where it was, but not freak out that it was gone. He comes through these stages...just like he will so many others. Crazy though, right?
18 comments:
Hmmm, I think he's adorable and has some good life skills going (the shoes neat before the movie starts) :)
LOVE those stamps, by the way.
I definitely have a little OCD and I am cool : ) Abby definitely lines things up and seperates. I wonder if she picked it up from seeing me organize. But then there are times where everything is a mess. I love seeing his little shoes : )
Just to lighten the mood I would love it if my kids would line up there shoes...
anyway, I think us moms have to go with our gut. Perhaps he is just particular. The question would be do these things prevent him from learning or enjoying life, right? I've read that kids with OCD are often frequent hand washers, just like adults can be.
Keep a log, then you don't have to remember it all.
He sure is cute:)
Aw, he's a little organizer!
I think all kids have these tendencies...you should see the line of cars my kid makes. Holy cow is that thing intricate!!
PS I didn't know a 2 year old could be diagnosed with OCD!!
If he is crazy.... I am too! :) I like to have everything just right too! Nothing wrong with that right?!?! ;-)
I had no idea that a child that young could be diagnose! Not that I am saying anything about it....I just didn't know.
Luke does pretty much the same thing. Not with his shoes, but totally wish he would! Anything he plays with he puts it a perticular way. I think boys love to know the how's and why's! I can literally see the gears through Luke's eyes turning. It is crazy! curious to see the other responses. Have a great week!
My guess would be it's just a phase. My almost-4-year-old has done several things that made me wonder the same thing, but no longer does some of them.
Once he took all of my shoes out of my closet and had them in a long line snaking down the hallway. He frequently would line up all the magnetic letters on the refrigerator. He will still do that with his Matchbox cars. We went through a (difficult) time where if something wasn't done in a specific order, he pitched a fit until we retraced our steps and 'started over' and did everything how he wanted it. (He had to pick up on put on his backpack himself, then open the door at preschool and we couldn't walk out into the hallway until he had done this. We also had to go out one door and he used the other one.) Thankfully that has stopped now or I might have lost my mind already!
I do wish he had the shoe thing though. His come off shortly after we get in the house and I have to hunt for them the next day. He does like things sorted though (much like his mommy) so it's easy to get him to help pick up his room each night and put thing back in the correct baskets.
It is something to think about isn't it?
I have a first born son, who is very particular with things. I don't think he has OCD, but I do think it is a first born thing, he is just like his dad who incidentally is a first born.
Go with your mom intuition, it is always right.
Oh that SMILE!!!!! While it may seem idiosyncratic now, dare I say it may ease as he gets bigger?
Our She-Twin was VERY particular with "arrangements" etc., and is not so much so now. (Actually, I wish SOME of it would come back! :) )
Try not to be overly concerned...ask your docs if you are genuinely worried, but I DO believe we love so ardently, we tend to over-project our "fears" a smidge...I know I do!
Enjoy those smiles!
I think it is amazing that he has so much dedication to lining things up. I have a social work background, but not really with kids. I would agree with the others that said that this is most likely a phase, maybe the whole independence "I'm going to do it my way". My kids certainly don't have any nice indiosyncratic behavior like lining up their shoes so nicely, but they do hae their own little quirks. I think these things are adorable and like you said amazing!
I think it's the age. Developmental milestone.
Ethan has a train set and since we got about 4 different sets he has about 75 wooden construction men. He stacks them and stacks them as high as they can go.
When it comes to all his trucks he lines them up perfectly. From smallest to biggest or biggest to smallest. Blocks he'll stack in a tower as well from biggest to smallest on the top.
When it comes to changing or doing anything there HAS to be a routine. He has to be changed on the couch, with a towel laid down. He will have a fit if anything is done out of order. If its done out of order you have to go back and redo it the right way, "his way."
I always joke he's neurotic but I think it's just a phase, they're learning how things work and I feel as if in Ethan's case its the only thing he can control. He can't control the things at his mom's house because there is absolutely no attention there or consistency so when he's here he wants things done just so because that is something he has control over.
I may have to start documenting it as well. See if it gets worse or if he grows out of it. I'm especially curious since your little guy is about the same age.
I just noticed you have the exact same train table so you probably know what construction men i'm talking about!
I swear my kids have their moments and obsessions, too! Some nights, one of them (esp Sarah or lil Adam) will go to bed asking for something or mad b/c we told them they had to wait for the next day for something and I swear - their eyes won't even be open the next morning when they ask for it already - like I seriously wonder did you think of this ALL. night. Long!?
Sarah has a TON of sensory issues. Jacob has dealt with quite a few physical/motor delays/challenges. Adam (aside from his eczema) is probably my most 'normal' kid - whatever that is!
I think his awareness of groupings indicates he is brilliant. Have you ever seen an IQ test for young children? You worry when a kid DOESN'T see order on test questions. You have a very bright kid on your hands. And yes, there is high merit to the Bell Curve. It's DATA driven, not subjective touchy-feely BS. Oh, wait! Having faith in the Bell Curve indicates I like order and patterns, right? H-m-m-m ... I just created a nice circle of logic. Wait! That shows order too! Am I just square? Oh, no. I did it again! Logic, order, patterns ... EVERYWHERE. You just have to be observant enough to notice it, and your Matthew is. CELEBRATE!
What did I get out of this post? That we need to get some rubber stamps! I have a feeling my girls will love them. : )
I think the fascination with order is pretty typical, but how cute is it that he lines his shoes up just right? My nephew was diagnosed with OCD at a relatively young age. His issues mostly revolve around food and he goes to food therapy for that. I also work with a man who is OCD. His thing is germs...we have GALLONS of hand sanitizer just for him. Gotta love him though!
most organized two year old evah!
i do the same thing as you though, i observe a lot of *wierd* things that G does for future reference.
2 out of my 3 have their tendencies (and I know they get it from me).
E has been very particular about putting his cars on top of his blanket ontop of the ottoman (and the blanket cannot have a single wrinkle in it).
A eats her m&m's in color order.
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