One of the most common questions I get asked is, “How do I know if I have OCD?” This question comes from parents, and it even comes from kids directly.
People don’t get OCD, so there is major confusion when trying to figure out if you have OCD or not. Parents often waste valuable time because they don’t recognize the signs of OCD.
For OCD Awareness Week, I sat down with Chris Baier, the Producer of Unstuck: An OCD Kids Movie and asked him the most common questions I get from parents raising kids with OCD.
OCD is a confusing disorder and parenting a child with OCD can be a struggle. Here are three things I want you to know about childhood OCD.
In honor of OCD Awareness Week I am making this week’s podcast about the three most important things I want you to know about childhood OCD.
Don’t forget to spread your own experience and knowledge about living with OCD this week. Share your story and use the hashtag #RealOCD. The more we share, the more we educate.
Is your child a “saver.” Do they have drawers and buckets full of “treasures?” Do they have a huge meltdown if they have to get rid of anything? If you have a child who won’t throw anything away – it might be good to start addressing the issue early.
OCD Symptoms in children is fairly misunderstood in general, but there are some symptoms that no one wants to talk about. These are symptoms that can be grossly misdiagnosed causing kids years if not decades of poor treatment and not an ounce of help. In this week’s AT Parenting Survival Podcast, I go over what these symptoms are and how to spot them in your kids.
If your child has anxiety or OCD the brain loves to tune into the worry channel. These thoughts can consume a young brain and make it almost impossible to focus on anything else. In this week’s Kids Youtube video I teach kids how to take back their mind with this ninja tip.
Your child is refusing to move. Your child is thrashing about. Your child has been screaming for over an hour. Welcome to the world of kids with anxiety or OCD. A world where kids have a hard time coping, self-regulating and “rolling with the punches.”
This is my world and I know that for many of you – it is your world too. A world that leaves you wondering how to handle difficult behaviors that pop up all the time.
One of my favorite people to talk to about behavior is Dayna over at Lemon Lime adventures. Her upbeat, empowering perspective often gives me new insight into how to approach my own kids.
This past week I have enjoyed diving into her Calm the Chaos Workshop and have implemented so many of the a-ha moments into my family.
When you have anxiety or OCD – one of the biggest struggles is battling your thoughts. Constant thoughts. Nagging thoughts. Crippling, scary, overwhelming thoughts. They never stop. Teaching kids how to use mindfulness to cope with this relentless barrage of worries can be incredibly helpful. Mindfulness can help anxiety and OCD in many ways.
Finding things that help kids with anxiety or OCD can be a challenge. Kids don’t always like to use the tools they are given and sometimes it can feel like nothing is helping.
One unexpected thing I have found to work incredibly well is…pets! Furry ones, wet ones, ones that tweet and ones that bark. Any and all pets can help kids with anxiety or OCD.
Exposure Response Prevention, most commonly referred to as ERP, is without a doubt the most effective treatment approach to combating OCD. The tricky part… Getting kids to buy into ERP and see why it is beneficial.
There is nothing harder than watching your child struggle. Unfortunately when you are parenting a child with anxiety or OCD you do a lot of that. And I mean a lot!
You made the decision that your child needs therapy. You talked to your partner about the benefits of child therapy and you are finally in agreement. You scoured your area for a good therapist. But now, your kid is refusing to go.
It can be so hard to watch your child struggle with anxiety or OCD. Perhaps you have read all the books and taught your child all the skills, but they are still not empowered to work on their issues. Empowering kids with anxiety or OCD can be an uphill battle.
Do you have a “saver” at your house? A child who finds treasures on street corners and everywhere in between? It is normal for kids to love to collect things like rocks, leaves and small toys – but when does it cross the line? When are you dealing with children hoarders?
This week on the AT Parenting Survival Podcast we are dishing the dirt on how to tell the difference between developmentally appropriate behavior and hoarding behavior. I also talk about some concrete ways to help children hoarders not grow up to be an adult hoarder!
How often does your child partake in negative self-talk? How often do you hear things like:
I will never get that right!
I am so stupid.
You don’t love me.
I am so ugly.
I am such an idiot.
I always make you mad.
No one likes me.
I am so awkward.
I am so annoying.
Even if you aren’t hearing these thought out loud, many kids are constantly berating themselves silently.
