Please help, obsessive behaviour in 6 year old

[lifesteeth]

My son is a handful, everyone knows he is... he's a lovable little lad sometimes and he can have people in stitches with laughter at times but other times he's rude, cheeky, naughty...way beyond that of a normal 6 year old, he is well known amongst the teachers (and parents!) at the school.

What worries me more however is his obsessive behaviour, for instance when he was 4 or 5 he started kicking up a huge fuss everynight in bed saying he needed his neck warm, this basically meant the covers being pulled up to just the right spot on his neck. Now he needs his covers straight...perfectly straight quilt which lies over him before he will let you out of the room. He's a nightmare with his shoes, they're velcro and have to be pulled to a certain tightness over his foot before he will walk, same with his cap, it has to be a certain tightness before he will "accept" it.

He's obsessed with drinking, if I buy cartons of fruit juice (the big ones) you can guarantee it won't see anymore than one breakfast as he's continuously drinking...if there is no fruit juice it's milk, if theres not enough milk it's water...as long as he's drinking. They take a water bottle to school with them and his is completely gone BEFORE he gets to school.

There are lots of examples, he'll continuously take off his shoes saying that something is in them or they're not tight enough and if his 'conditions' are not met he kicks up a huge fuss, shouts and screams, throws things and turns violent.

Just a spoilt kid testing his authority or something more?

have u been to the doctors about this??

Irrespective of anything else, the high drinking volume would worry me a little. Isn't extreme thirst a sign of diabetes sometimes?

I think a degree of obsessiveness is common in many children, so I'd be less worried about this to be honest?

Not been to the doctors but I talked to the school nurse, I have had autism suggested to me, ADHD etc as well as being told it's probably his food (he doesnt eat many sweets and we cook food from scratch). Sometimes he's just like an average 6 year old kid but then you see him kick off over the slightest thing, its like walking on egg shells with him. Today for instance we'd gone for a lovely walk to the park, everyone (including him) were happy until he got some woodchip kicked at it and he went nuts kicking woodchip at everyone and shouting etc

Firsly, with regards to drinking - get it checked by GP for peace of mind.
Regarding obsessiveness - My DS - now 7.6 was like this with obsessive behaviour at around that age. He had a ritual for going to bed, had to touch things on the way, open then close his window, put toys in cetain positions, touch the curtains and make sure they were straight. He even started doing it at school - arranging piles of books, excessive use of pencil sharpener,rubber, etc. He still has to have his shoes,socks,clothes,etc. on at a level of comfort,check for fluff,sand! and will eat his food with certain cutlery.

He is by no means autistic - just a sensitive child. We all have rituals, me included, I like the the things on the draining board in a certain place, curtains opened to a particular spot,washing hung a certain way. if i go shopping i will park in the same place. They are things you feel comfortable with and you and you alone can control - i would say your son is showing what i would consider to be normal behaviour - i just ignore,accept - it saves a lot of stress and will probably lessen.

lifesteeth - is everything else at home/school very stable or have there been some upsetting events? Rituals and obsessive behaviour can be a way fro a child to maintain control in an ou of control situation.

If it were my child I would speak to my GP/HV about this situation, if only for reassurance.

it could be asd. it could be him testing his boundaries. he could be being a brat. he could have a particularly picky personality (a picture straightener!). he could be feeling anxious and be using rigid routines to give himself some security. there are so very many possibilities. whatever the cause, the behaviour is having an effect on your family - can't be nice for your son really to feel this way. so for that reason, i would suggest noting down several examples of his typical behaviours and asking for him to be referred to someone. they can assess him and can also give you some advice on how to deal with his outbursts.

re the continual drinking, i would ask the gp to test for diabetes. also, does he breath through his mouth, or pant or something that would make his throat dry? could that be it?