Obsessive (thought) Compulsive (action) Disorder can be a common comorbid condition with autism. Sean was not officially diagnosed with OCD but it was evident that he had behaviors that looked like it. Sean's obsessive compulsive behaviors changed every few months. As the obsessions progressed, I began to wish for the replacement to reveal itself. I thought maybe I would be able to cope with it better.
~be careful what you wish for ~
We had a good number of video cassette tapes in our house and one day, you-know-who, discovered them. He began lining them up, end to end, starting in the living room and moving toward the hall. We were used to objects in chosen places like the Sit and Spin that had to be in the center of the room (for about two months). I used to mess with Sean and move it a few feet toward the wall. He would notice it upon entering the room and quickly move it back.
As the days wore on, the line remained. Sean would squat down, squint one eye and look all the way down it to make sure the line was straight. If anyone of us even slightly bumped it with our foot, Sean came running from the other room in a bit of a panic to correct it. By this time we were tip toeing over it.
The door that entered the garage from the house was also an object of obsession. Sean wanted the door open at all times if he was inside. If he was in the garage, he was fine with having it closed.
He built the video cassette line almost all the way to the door leading to the garage. When the door was opened, it made the tapes shift. This sent Sean into a wild man fit. He screamed and franticly began putting them back together. He then tried to open the door again; therefore, shifting the tapes - again. We had to keep the door closed because of the heat but he needed it open. We had one little frustrated boy on our hands.
We were all asleep one night when Sean came to my bedside. He never came to my bedside. He woke me up and said, "door?", "door?" I said, "No no, Baby, let's go back to bed."
The next morning I managed to get the kids to school. I went to my part time job in the same office as my husband's. I couldn't get Sean's desperation out of my mind. I couldn't shake it. I began to cry at work so my boss gave me permission to go home. He knew of our hardships with Sean. My husband picked the children up from school so I could have some alone time at home. My heart ached for my son. He was stuck - again.
When my husband came home we made the decision to pick up all the tapes. As we were doing it, Sean was crying as he hung onto his dad's leg. He gave him the most desperate look I'd ever seen and pleaded with him to leave the line alone. "No Daddy, No!!"
We had to follow through. Sean was forced to move onto something else so we gave him - some - bathroom tiles to make patterns with in the hallway. Through this heartbreaking experience we realized the importance of recognizing when a new obsession was beginning, setting limits and using redirection as much as possible so that Sean could never ever paint himself into a corner - ever again.
He built the video cassette line almost all the way to the door leading to the garage. When the door was opened, it made the tapes shift. This sent Sean into a wild man fit. He screamed and franticly began putting them back together. He then tried to open the door again; therefore, shifting the tapes - again. We had to keep the door closed because of the heat but he needed it open. We had one little frustrated boy on our hands.
We were all asleep one night when Sean came to my bedside. He never came to my bedside. He woke me up and said, "door?", "door?" I said, "No no, Baby, let's go back to bed."
The next morning I managed to get the kids to school. I went to my part time job in the same office as my husband's. I couldn't get Sean's desperation out of my mind. I couldn't shake it. I began to cry at work so my boss gave me permission to go home. He knew of our hardships with Sean. My husband picked the children up from school so I could have some alone time at home. My heart ached for my son. He was stuck - again.
When my husband came home we made the decision to pick up all the tapes. As we were doing it, Sean was crying as he hung onto his dad's leg. He gave him the most desperate look I'd ever seen and pleaded with him to leave the line alone. "No Daddy, No!!"
We had to follow through. Sean was forced to move onto something else so we gave him - some - bathroom tiles to make patterns with in the hallway. Through this heartbreaking experience we realized the importance of recognizing when a new obsession was beginning, setting limits and using redirection as much as possible so that Sean could never ever paint himself into a corner - ever again.
