AIBU to want DS to be able to walk without crippling anxiety/OCD

[LittleRoom]

I had no replies on the SEN board so posting here for traffic.

DS is almost 13. Has ASD, ADHD, ODD, crippling anxiety and low self esteem. Lots going on with him currently that we're gradually trying to unpick, but there's one thing we're absolutely stumped on.
He has several rituals he has to follow when walking, such as not stepping on cracks, having to put a foot down level with a tyre if a car passes, taking even number of steps when passing houses... There are several of these and they frequently contradict each other, which causes him a lot of stress.

He always walks with his head down because he's concentrating on exactly where his feet land, and he's also scared that if he doesn't he will trip over (I don't think he's tripped since he was a toddler so I think it's more that the habit of looking at his feet is so ingrained that he's scared not to).

Recently he's become embarrassed and self conscious about people noticing him walking 'weirdly' and looking down. He's also started to become aware of the harm caused by bad posture.
Listening to headphones isn't an option - he's the first to admit he will forget where he is and step into the road or something.

He usually walks to and from school with a friend and while they're chatting he doesn't follow any of his rituals, but he doesn't want to walk anywhere on his own or with us.

Does this sound like OCD? I don't know how to help him with this. CAMHS are no help, he just gets a quarterly ADHD meds review and that's it.

I’m really sorry your ds is going through this.. take it from someone that knows he doesn’t want this, and it’s crippling for him, as your aware. He probably thinks he’s saving your life or similar.
I had/have ocd, it’s better now, sometimes I used to walk home from school and walk back to school Incase I stepped on a crack.

The GPor school may be able to help but depends on the area. If not can you borrow money for private care?

ADHD and OCD are often linked.. there are instragram pages that will help you fee less alone

Yes it is OCD and most people I know with it are prescribed Sertraline or similar, to deal with the symptoms

You could check out this American psychologist who runs very reasonably priced courses for parents of kids with OCD. https://atparentingsurvivalschool.com/p/ocd-class-for-kids

She has lots of videos on YouTube as well.

Have you look at the Speakmans on You tube about OCD and anxiety.

Yes OCD and not particularly unusual - I don’t say that to try and minimise the impact on him and on you (because I realise it has a significant impact), but knowing it’s not unusual is good news because it means there are treatment options, namely CBT and Exposure Response Prevention. You might find the resources at OCD UK helpful. The book Break free from OCD is useful. Your GP in conjunction with CAMHS used to be able to refer here (see below) and some other specialist services elsewhere in the UK but I don’t know the current situation or if processes have changed. https://slam.nhs.uk/service-detail/service/child-and-adolescent-obsessive-compulsive-disorder-service-101/

Sorry @Iloveeverycatbut the Speakmans are not legitimate. It would be far wiser to seek out a source like Prof Paul Salkovkis or Prof David Veale who have online resources. There are an awful lot of people, often well meaning, offering to treat things like OCD who actually end up compounding the problem.

He usually walks to and from school with a friend and while they're chatting he doesn't follow any of his rituals this was a small ray of hope. Really hope your DS gets some good help.

Thanks so much for the replies, I really appreciate you all taking the time to offer suggestions. I'll have a proper look at everything in the morning.

A combination of CBT and low dose sertraline really helped DD2 manage her OCD.

My DD is still on Camhs wait list 2 years after referral, so if you can, I'd go private therapy route. Do you claim DLA?

We tried CBT with a very gradual exposure response therapy. Our psychologist was an OCD specialist and she was amazing. There was a huge improvement in 10 weeks.

DD stopped going because she started college and the timings didn't work (it was nearly an hour journey each way) and really she needs more sessions as there were multiple obsessions and only one got tackled (to be fair, the one causing her to be unable to leave the house). But I wanted to reassure you that therapeutic treatment can work. DD wasn't medicated at that time - it was recommended, and we got a private prescription but she wouldn't take it.

Could you give me the details of the psychologist who specialises in ocd treatment please. I’m looking for one for myself. TIA