Daughter picking up on uncle's "quirks" (Asperger's & OCD related)

[Croc-O-Dile]

I live at home still and my 10 year old brother has Asperger's. We were told OCD is very common in people with Asperger's, but it's getting really bad lately. The problem I'm having is my daughter is starting to pick up on his "quirks" (He's very sensitive about what we call them, he says "they're quirks, and everybody has quirks." So I'm not trying to be rude, that's just what he calls them)

He washes his hands constantly. He thinks everything has germs and will refuse to touch something if he thinks it's contaminated. He wipes down everything, even his xbox controllers. And he get really upset if you wreck his creations. (By wreck, I mean if he's left legos in the same spot for days, and you finally pick them up, you better be damn sure you didn't take anything apart, not even one lego.)

My daughter loves to play with the boys, but I've noticed she's copying him now. Like she asks to wash her hands all the time now, or if she finds water (even toilet water ) she'll wash her hands in it. Everything is "Ew, dirty, yuck" and she'll bring me the xbox controller before she plays and ask me to clean it. (Okay, she doesn't actually play xbox, but they have a wireless controller that doesn't work so they let her have it. She'll stand in front of the tv and "play" whatever is on )
There's a lot of things she's doing lately (more than what I listed) that I know she's picking up from him.

Is this a normal part of child behavior or is this something I should worry about? I mean obviously you can't catch Asperger's or anything, so that's not what I mean. It's more of the OCD she's picking up on that's bothering me. Both myself and her father have OCD. I have it really bad in the form of sounds and numbers, but he has it kind of like my brother. Since she's got it from both sides, is it something she could develop? And is normal copy-cat behavior going to bring it out?

Sorry if I sound a bit daft, but it's kind of hard to explain.

 

[JASMAK]

I don't know...I think I would be concerned about it...can you ask her doctor about it?

 

[Croc-O-Dile]

I was thinking about doing that, but a lot of doctors won't investigate OCD until a child is older. I was 13 before I could be diagnosed with OCD, even though we all knew I had it from the time I was about 2. I would make this god awful hacking noise and scrape my teeth against my lip if I heard a "soft" sound. I would cry hysterically if my mom put me in long sleeves because they hurt, I would have a full on meltdown if I counted something and it ended on an odd number, etc. When my mom brought it up to my doctor he was a real ass about it, apparently.

 

[JASMAK]

Wow...what an ass. Well, I suppose there is always that risk. I hate going to the doctor, even about my kid's earache etc...because he can be a right asshole. Shouldn't be that way!

 

[Croc-O-Dile]

I know, it really shouldn't. I think I'm still a little shaken up from the last time I took her. I noticed she was developing a rash after her baths and since I've got aquagenic urticaria, I thought the worst. I brought her in asking my doctor if it was hereditary, like a crying mess because I thought I passed it down to her. He thought I was absolutely insane and acted like I was wasting him time because turns out, she just was having a reaction to the soap I was using.

Think I'm going to look for a new doctor, maybe one that deals with OCD children a lot, and try there. At least then I won't feel like an idiot bringing her in.

 

[JASMAK]

That's a good idea. I wish I could get a new doctor too...I don't hate the one I have, but he always says "well, it's probably nothing, come back if it doesn't get better". It's like, NO...I have three kids...if I have made it to the doctor's...it's serious! I have gotten angry with him before. LOL

 

[OmiOmen]

I was thinking about doing that, but a lot of doctors won't investigate OCD until a child is older.

There is a very good reason for this; if a child is diagnosed with OCD it can exacerbate the situation. If people do not make a huge deal out of it the child may 'grow out' of it.

All my life I was called 'strange' and I have recently started to see that I may have asperger's syndrome. I had OCD growing up, I washed my hands and brushed my teeth obsessively and also had an obsession with even numbers (eating food in even numbers, saying things twice, ect.). For the most part I started to grow out of it by my late teens. I now have what I like to call 'quirks' but not anything I would class as OCD, others may disagree but as far as I am concerned I have gone through it and know the difference in the feeling behind it and the extent things rule my life.

Basically what I am saying is that trying to do too much may actually make it worse. Also, kids copy all sorts of things and more oftern than not it is a very short lived phase. Of course, if it is still a problem into mid-late teens then seeking CBT would be helpful.