OCD Symptoms in 3.5 year old?

I'm trying to figure out if the symptoms my 3.5 year old son exhibits are OCD related or just "normal" for a 3-4 year old. I understand that all 3-4 year olds have tantrums and want things to be "just right." But our son seems to do this to an extreme. As an example, he won't go up or down our stairs without counting at each step. And in the morning our entire family has to walk down the stairs at the same time. When someone is leaving the house, they have to honk 3 times. If these things don't happen, it is a ~30+ minute meltdown. Are these just normal for a child his age? Or worth digging deeper?

On a side note, my wife has similar symptoms, mainly dealing with cleanliness and germs/dirt. She will freak out over any dirt in the house, dirty feet getting into bed, is worried about germs everywhere, has a really tough time in hotels, etc. Whenever we travel she gets migraines, and I'm 95% positive this comes from stress/anxiety from travel. If we fly, she's worried about germs on planes. Even if we drive somewhere, there is always some added stress that leads to a migraine. She isn't concerned about him and thinks it is normal for him. I'm a little worried that her perception of "normal" is skewed a little. As an example, to try to get around his counting issue going up stairs, she now has him counting in his head instead of out loud. I'm worried that we are reinforcing the behavior and encouraging him to do more rituals like counting internally.

Thoughts?

hello MBB.

i am not sure if it's OCD but they clearly have anxiety issues. my symptoms of OCD occurred when i was 6 years old but just the symptoms. hoarding, and counting like your son did. but i think i have the 'real' one when i was older, which is started when i was 13.

so i think it'd be the best if you share your concerns to an expert. i think it's definitely worth seeing one. it sounds like a lot to be dealing with this on your own. because both your wife and son think it's normal.

keep us posted on how they're doing. good luck.

MBeachBum wrote:I'm trying to figure out if the symptoms my 3.5 year old son exhibits are OCD related or just "normal" for a 3-4 year old. I understand that all 3-4 year olds have tantrums and want things to be "just right." But our son seems to do this to an extreme. As an example, he won't go up or down our stairs without counting at each step. And in the morning our entire family has to walk down the stairs at the same time. When someone is leaving the house, they have to honk 3 times. If these things don't happen, it is a ~30+ minute meltdown. Are these just normal for a child his age? Or worth digging deeper?

Hi there MBeachBum!

In my opinion, there are a few ways to determine if your 3.5 year old son is suffering from OCD. When he has the need to do these compulsions, does he feel anxiety or fear to compel him to do these actions? Because if these are compulsions, they aren't acted on alone by fear. They are done for a reason to neutralize bad thoughts. Further, if these thoughts cause anxiety are they repetitive? If both are yes, then he may have OCD.

Of course, I agree with what Torrent said that regardless you need to take him to an OCD specialist to determine whether or not he has OCD.

MBeachBum wrote:On a side note, my wife has similar symptoms, mainly dealing with cleanliness and germs/dirt. She will freak out over any dirt in the house, dirty feet getting into bed, is worried about germs everywhere, has a really tough time in hotels, etc.

Because OCD is related to anxiety, it is said that the condition is hereditary. On both sides of my family, I've an uncle and grandmother who suffer from anxiety and to an extent my father and mother as well.

It's a good thing you're looking into this! OCD is a terrible disorder that drives one insane but with treatment things get better!

Good luck!