New here -- Intro

[Guest guest]

Hi. I'm relatively new here. I've been reading up on posts and

trying to catch up. We don't have an OCD diagnosis for my 7-year-

old daughter, but we have been looking for a proper diagnosis.

You'll have to forgive me if this post goes long, but I'm hoping to

gain any advice or insight.

We have already faced many challenges with my dd. She was born with

a heart defect that thankfully has not yet required surgery. At 4-

months-old she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, an autoimmune

disorder of the digestive tract. Then as she got older we were

surprised to find that dd is also profoundly gifted. She was

reading before she turned 3-years-old, and at 4 we decided to have

her tested for admittance to a gifted school and a private support

program. She has taken several tests and her IQ has been estimated

at over 200.

Although her giftedness is certainly a blessing it has come with

many challenges. She is, understandably, a " quirky " kid, and we

often wonder what is " normal " for a kid like her. Looking back

there are many behaviors I excused as gifted quirks but I now wonder

if they could have been OCD related. They seemed minor at the time,

like saving every scrap for a future project or counting the food on

her plate to make sure it was a multiple of her age.

Around this time last year things got very bad. Dd began having

panic attacks before school every day. This was way beyond the

usual separation anxiety that we were used to. She would grip the

front door to avoid being taken to school. If she managed to make

it to the school she would stand outside the classroom either frozen

with fear or screaming at the top of her lungs. It was a small

private school with no counselor, and they had no idea how to help

us. We soon sought the help of a therapist who diagnosed her

with " school phobia " and worked with us to get her back into class.

Within a month dd was declared cured and released from therapy. Dd

was attending class with incentives, but she was miserable and

developed some vocal tics (throat clearing and grunting).

We assumed that the problem was an inappropriate academic fit and

pulled her out of school to start homeschooling. Spending all day

with dd made me realize that she had also developed an odd habit of

licking. It started with licking her fingers, but quickly grew to

licking just about anything -- toys, the walls, and even me! The

pediatrician recognized this as a compulsive behavior and we found a

new therapist. The therapist helped us modify the behavior to

tapping things, but diagnosed dd with Asperger's. With that

diagnosis the goal in therapy changed to socialization issues, and

the repetitive behaviors were treated as an expected part of

Asperger's. The more I research the more I am convinced that this

is a misdiagnosis. Instead, I think dd may have OCD and probably

selective mutism (particularly with doctors - which no doubt

contributed to her diagnosis.)

We haven't returned to the therapist since June. Dd has been happy,

and I'm reluctant to " stir the pot. " Still, she has compulsive

behaviors. Primarily she has issues of balance and symmetry. For

example, if I kiss her on the cheek she'll touch the other cheek for

balance. If her arm brushes against something she brushes the other

arm against it too. Sometimes she has to repeat this several times

until it feels right. She also continues to tap things. Just like

her previous licking, the tapping seems tied in with her senses --

i.e. if something smells good, tastes good, looks pretty, feels

soft, etc. She also taps when she feels great love so her dad and I

get tapped frequently. The tapping is in even numbers and

symmetrical (right and left fingers get equal tap time). Some days

I don't notice her doing it much, but other days are filled with

tapping and rubbing.

I guess I'm hoping that someone can relate to what I've shared. My

daughter's compulsions don't seem to interfere significantly with

her life, and are subtle enough that they go unnoticed by people

outside of our family so she's not embarrassed. I'm not even sure

that she recognizes that her behavior is odd. I'm wondering if

therapy is necessary at this point. Do we go now while things

aren't too frenzied or out of control, or do we wait until there's a

fire to put out (like we have in the past)? Also, does anyone have

a good dr. recommendation for Houston, TX?

Thanks for reading, and thanks for your help.

Becky