Wondering if dgd has ocd

Any concern that you both have should be investigated. A friend's 7 year old has just been diagnosed with Tourette's, but now it seems she has PANDAS, which I had never heard of, but seems to be an autoimmune reaction to a strep sore throat, and causes similar OCD type symptoms. Might be worth getting a blood test done?

Your GD does sound a bit anxious. The behaviours at the table, rearranging objects etc does have OCD characteristics but she is very young for this to be starting. I would give her a lot of reassurance about all she is doing right/well. Telling children they must not get dirty is not a good message. She’ll worry about keeping clean to please dad rather than enjoying what she’s doing.

As she is in school what has school noticed? Would be good to get their opinion, also how is she when visiting other houses, is it the same or different.

If it continues or gets worse you may think about speaking to your GP but she may outgrow it , don’t make a big thing of it and wait and see. Do you think she is generally anxious, some children are as part of their personality, some are not

Sorry, here is a link about it

www.healthline.com/health/pandas-syndrome#symptoms

She sounds rather like my daughter when she was a child. Her bedroom was organised in a particular way. If I moved things when I was dusting, they had to be put back to their exact positions.
She couldn't abide her hands being dirty or sticky, even from very young she would come to me saying "hands,hands", to have them washed.
She grew up, went to university, married and has four children. Just recently she had herself assessed, and diagnosed with high functioning autism.
I'm not saying your granddaughter is autistic, but there are some sensory processing traits in your post.
Time will tell, she is very young and may well grow out of her behaviours as she grows up.

Yes I agree with twiceasnice your granddaughter does sound anxious but may just be a phase. Try not to let her see your concerns and be relaxed around her. If her parents continue to be worried about this behaviour then talk it over with GP or Health Visitor. Don't consult
Dr Google.

Advise your daughter to discuss it with the school; six sounds young for a diagnosis, and it depends on whether her behaviours are pervasive; if they occur at school, and are a cause for concern. then they can be observed and recorded and possibly investigated.
Don't attempt to label on the basis of an internet diagnosis; the Telegraph today has an article: 'Over-diagnosis could mean we are all being classed as being autistic.' reporting on research which suggests that the bar for diagnosing autism is 'trivialising the condition.' I know you are concerned about OCD, but the same concerns apply. She sounds as though she is imitating the behaviour of her father.

I would suggest your dil keeps a diary record of her daughters traits as although they may appear fairly trivial and might change over time, it would be helpful should it be necessary to seek advice in the future.

It is also worth speaking to the school to see how she acts there and how she interacts with the other children.

Although she is still young, sometimes early interventions are important for future development and as both you and her parents have concerns, I certainly think you all need to observant.

My eldest Grandson used to display those sorts of characteristics. From a very young age he would lay out all his toys in a perfectly straight line and in order of size. His bicycle would have to be parked in a certain place in the garage -always reversed into its space. He also used to get upset when his clothes were dirty and took them off immediately. He would get frantic if his hands were dirty and would be very upset until we washed his hands.
We put it down to the fact that his father was away for months at a time (in HM forces) and they had gone through several house moves. At the age of two they emigrated to Canada and after several more house moves his parents split up and his Dad suffered a breakdown.
This was all before my DGS was 6 years old!
A year after the breakdown and no more house moves he is much more settled and doesn't seem to display the OCD behaviours any more.

One of my DGSs went through a phase like this - change of any sort caused him great problems; and he had habits like licking his lips till they became sore. He also had dreadful separation anxiety when parting from parents. He is 10 now and it all seems to have subsided.

He is a very intellectually gifted boy and I suspect that some bright children are able to imagine disaster in an advanced way but do not have the experience of life to get their worries in proportion. Eventually the two catch up with each other as seems to have happened with him.

I think we are all at some point on the autistic scale and labelling does not seem very helpful unless the problems are seriously spoiling a child's life and interventions are needed.

She does sound rather anxious and to be told not to get dirty by her daddy won't be helping.
One of my DC was extremely tidy at that age, liked everything lined up in order. If she was reading to me and made a mistake with a word, she would then insist on going right back to the beginning of the page to start again!
She grew into an extremely untidy teenager and a fairly relaxed adult.

Perhaps your DIL could have a chat to your DS and they could agree that him taking a relaxed attitude could help.
I would not make too much of it at the moment, but keep an eye on it especially when she returns to school in case that could be causing some anxiety.

It's a stage in understanding the ordering of the world and children seem to grow out of it once they understand what can be changed, what should be changed and what cannot be changed and just accepted / worked around.

My gd had many of the symptoms you described. A few years ago she had a spell when she washed her hands constantly and if we were out she constantly carried and used a small bottle of hand sanitiser. Her hands became raw and cracked and we all just tried to treat it as normal. She too cleared her throat constantly and had other ‘habits’. Eventually she went for therapy as it was affecting her life and was accepted by CAMHS for ongoing treatment. At present she is on medication and is happy to talk about her anxieties with family, friends and school staff as well as therapist. She is only 12 but getting help has helped tremendously.

She sounds similar to my GD, she has Aspergers, and is also gluten intolerant. The intolerance means her joints ache and she gets terrible stomach cramps.

A child I know has similar characteristics. Parents waited and he is fine. Not outgrown, but not a problem either, He's clever, good at maths, puzzles, and computing. He clears his throat too, which is something that runs in the family. Does a particular food bring it on as it does for him? I think it's regular cows milk, so he has almond, or something like that. (Not soy)

He doesn't like getting his hands sticky or dirty either. Perhaps it is just uncomfortable.

But yes, see a doctor if you are really worried. The art of parenting is not easy, is it.

Sorry I have no advice but My GS of a similar age is a bit like this. Very bright,usually delightful doing very well at school with lots of good friends but also can be anxious, he has to wear certain clothes, finds change hard, worries about following the rules. Needs to change his clothes if he gets dirty and can have tantrums if things are not going his way. I sometimes wonder if he is on the autistic spectrum but at other times I think it is just part of growing up and he is simply asserting himself. And stories from others about children outgrowing these sorts of behaviours does reassure me
I haven't said anything to his parents about my thoughts. It's very hard to know what to do for the best.

It sounds like some of this behaviour ( being upset when dirty) has been caused by your son telling her off for just being a child and doing childish things. Tell him to lighten up. Maybe he's the one needing the assessment.

Good advice above. I can only say, if ever you have concerns about a child, see the Doctor. Keeping a diary of the problems you notice is a good idea but not essential. There could be many reasons why your DGD is behaving this way and she could very easily grow out of it. But if you have worries, try and have her checked out by the Doctor. Looking things up can be helpful, but there are so many conditions and symptoms that you can easily frighten yourself and become confused. At least she appears to be eating well and growing healthily. There may be nothing to worry about, but it doesn't help to live in fear.
Just persuade her mother to take her to the Doctor.

Most of the behaviours you describe apply to me! I like everything lined up and in its place, but I don't care if there is a thick layer of dust! I even count the bathroom tiles and garden steps dozens of times a day, but I don't have OCD. It would surprise me if your DGD did.

Thanks for all your replies. It is comforting to know others have experiences like this.
I can talk to ds and dil easily about this, as they have both asked me what I think about dgds behaviour. Dil knows about gransnetters as I have asked your valuable advice before. .
I will suggest they ask her teacher to see if she notices anything.It is interesting about food intolerances Jaquie as dil has gluten intolerance
Hicas46 can you tell me what is CAMHS?
MiniMoon can you tell me what sensory processing traits are?
TeacherAnne and others, a diary is a good idea.
I will talk to ds. He does take ages washing his hands and both dgds have said “Daddy is slow at everything”!
He recognizes it in himself. Still, I will try not to let him think it is his fault.
I will stay off the googling and play down the autism, I think it will worry her parents.
There is an American book for children called Up and Dowm
the Worry Hill but not in print here.
Does anyone know of any books for young children about worrying. I can’t see any on Amazon.
Thanks again for all of your replies..

OCD is one of the most horrible things to have. She sounds a sensitive little girl and they are the ones who can suffer. You are doing the right thing in encouraging her in dirty play. Good on you.

Whatever happens, don't let anyone mention germs to her, or give any indication that things like toilets, or tables in cafes, etc. might be harmful. You, and her parents, need to protect her against this condition if you possibly can.

Don't worry about the thumb sucking. My 14 year old GS has been known to be caught with his thumb back in his mouth!

All the very best to her.

I think, to say that we are all at some point on the autistic scale is nonsense.
I'm not, neither was/is my ex nor OH, AC or GC.

It does sound as though her dad might have it to a degree. He mustn't pass it on to her.

Gabriella I think there should be something called Weird Personality Disorder. My son has it. Bless.

Sorry for multiple posting, but I don't think you should worry about not letting her dad know it could be his fault. He mustn't let her see any examples of the condition that he has. In fact, I think he should be (gently) told. It's the child who is important now.