Compulsion

[Notty43]

My DD (8 years)has a compulsion to break down word into syllables (in her head) and it distracts her from what she should be doing. She finds it really annoying - but can't stop. I've tried to teach her distraction techniques, but the compulsion keeps coming back.

Do you think this is OCD behaiour? And how can I help her stop?

It could be an offshoot of reading.. Phonetic methods encourage children to break down words into component parts, for example. Children can have all kinds of peculiar habits and idiosyncracies at various stages and the way to deal with them is really to let them fizzle out naturally rather than draw attention to them which tends to prolongue them.

If I said to you... 'whatever you do don't think about lemons'.... you'll naturally think about lemons. It's the same kind of thing as saying 'don't break words up in your head' or teaching distraction techniques. Regarding OCD, therefore. A 'bad habit' becomes a disorder when it reaches the stage when it physically interferes with someone's ability to lead a normal life. I don't think that's the case from what you describe.

Chil1234: Thanks for the response.

Part of my concern was that I had a similar compulsion as a child (with numbers) and have never grown out of it! The only way I deal with it myself is to ignore the compulsion as it comes on (and sometimes I fail). I'd really like this to be a passing phase for her - I just know from exeperience that this isn't always the case.

Everyone has idiosyncracies/rituals/superstitions of some kind. 'Normal' is recognising them and getting on with life anyway - the way you have done. 'Abnormal' is when life comes to a stop in order to feed the obsession.

Try not to read too much into it or assume that your child will automatically inherit your own weaknesses. Call it a 'bad habit that will pass' rather than 'a compulsion'.

Thanks, that's helpful. I probably do have a tendency to worry about her picking up what I perceive to be my own weaknesses!

Good advice.