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Getting a child to engage with help for repetitive behaviours

Raitch

Hi all - I’m new here and hoping for some ideas. Our daughter is nearly 13 and was diagnosed in August. For nearly a year now she’s been developing ritualistic behaviours like tapping in 3s and switching devices on and off over again. Lately we can barely get in a room behind her because she’s tapping the door handle for ages on both sides.

CAMHS mental health finally got back to us with an appointment for her but we don’t know how to broach it with her, because it feels like the rituals are a lifeline to her. How can we bring up this appointment when she’s so nervous about talking to professionals and doesn’t seem to see this as an issue? She’s very shouty at the moment when she feels defensive.

All ideas gratefully received - thank you!

Parents

  • The behaviour you describe sounds more like OCD rituals than autistic repetitive behaviour. OCD and autism often co-occur, but, unlike autism OCD can be amenable to talking therapies.  The rituals are defensive in origin, apotropaic, but they can assume such magnitude that they seriously affect everyday life. It can be improved but in order to improve, you will need to get your daughter to see that the rituals are a problem and get her onside about getting therapeutic help.

    Perhaps getting her to read, or look at YouTube podcasts, about other people who have had the same problem and have been successfully treated, might help.

Reply

  • The behaviour you describe sounds more like OCD rituals than autistic repetitive behaviour. OCD and autism often co-occur, but, unlike autism OCD can be amenable to talking therapies.  The rituals are defensive in origin, apotropaic, but they can assume such magnitude that they seriously affect everyday life. It can be improved but in order to improve, you will need to get your daughter to see that the rituals are a problem and get her onside about getting therapeutic help.

    Perhaps getting her to read, or look at YouTube podcasts, about other people who have had the same problem and have been successfully treated, might help.

Children
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