obsessive compulsive behaviors and tantrums

[snapdragon928]

My son is twenty three and autistic. He is very OCD also. His latest compulsion, although its been there awhile, is pulling his underwear so hard that he rips the tops off. He pulls on them twenty four seven if not redirected and then still does it when being redirected. We've tried no underwear, he pulls on his pants, different underwear of all kinds. Belts. Belts help a little. Well yesterday he attacked his caregiver because she redirected him on the underwear thing. He is non verbal by the way. He attacked her twice. She said she would come back so I am glad of that. I told her to take herself some place safe when it happens. He does this off and on again, but its getting more frequent that he is having behaviors of aggression and the OCD stuff. We have noticed that health problems has been a culprit before but being nonverbal it's a guessing game trying to figure it out. He has chronic constipation which we are treating. He has stomach problems and takes prevacid for that. Has anyone tried any natural aproaches for the OCD stuff? He is non dairy due to the constipation issues. He also has been hitting people at school and yesterday he got aggressive on the bus screaming into a students face, so I had to get him off the bus and keep him home. Well, no workers during the day, so my husband had to watch him, he wasn't too happy. Anyone else have a noisy child, with lots of yelling and squealing? have you found anything to quiet them? Thats an ongoing problem that gets worse when he is going through this phase.

[peglem]

We have noticed that health problems has been a culprit before but being nonverbal it's a guessing game trying to figure it out. He has chronic constipation which we are treating. He has stomach problems and takes prevacid for that.

My daughter has chronic strep which causes similar behaviors, and as a result of antibiotics for that, chronic yeast problems as well, which leads to gut problems. Its a vicious cycle. OCD has been associated with strep- so you might want to check that, but I wonder if the pulling on the undies is a way to relieve a yeast itch? We've been trying to work with Allie for her to "get safe" if she feels a bout of aggression or self abuse coming on. She's not there yet, but is getting better. I wonder if your son's episode on the bus was because he knew it would get him off the bus, and into a less overwhelming environment. Allie will bang her head on the front picture window at home, because she knows it will bring someone to immediately restrain her, which she fights, but knows she needs to stay safe. Its a conundrum, she wants us to restrain her, so she doesn't hurt herself, but fights against being restrained when we help her.

[lisa6wks]

It sounds like your son may have some sensory issues besides problems with communication. Has he seen an OT and does he have a sensory diet that can be used before he goes into stressful situations? If you can figure out what sensory need is fufilled by pulling the underwear, maybe you can give it to him in a less destructive way. If its the pulling he needs maybe you can give him a theraband and let him play "tug of war" with you.

How does your son communicate?

Lisa

[mcewen]

When my boys are over stimulated / bored / tired they get very loud and because there's two of them it can be hard to work out who is doing what and why. Depending upon whether I need to wind them up or down I use a variety of different strategies that work for a while but lose their effectiveness if I over do it. Sometimes I just have to let them 'go at it a while' and get it out of their systems - ear plugs for mum!
Best wishes
http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com

[snapdragon928]

He is on a sensory diet, the careworker does the programs with him after school. I could try some deep pressure before school, since school seems to stress him a bit. He won't cooperate with them at school for sensory stuff in OT so they stopped offering it to him. He points and guestures and uses vocal tones, occasionally a word will pop out. He has a button for radio and eat and drink but you have to still guide him to use them but he is getting better. He was on antibiotics a few months ago for suspected intestinal infection.

[snapdragon928]

she wouldn't test for strep or couldn't But he has an ear infection. So that can cause his problems. No wonder he was acting up. He had a small temp on friday. She didn't call in a script yet, I didn't go with, and my ex is fixated that he needs to get his stomache cat scanned again. She said no more because he could get sick from the xrays. WShe said he won't accept that he is just constipated, I guess he has chronic constipation which we learned about about three months ago. Anyone else deal with this? We have been giving him a powder for it but she said the body will just build up a resistance to it and then he won't get any relief so she wants us to stop the powder i guess. And start him on two boxes of raisons a day and fiber.

[peglem]

Awww, the poor guy! Will he eat 2 boxes of raisins? What do you think? Is he just constipated, or do you think he has an impaction? Medical care is so difficult for our kids. Probably the dr. felt that since he had an ear infection anyway, which she would treat w/ antibiotics, the throat culture was a moot point. Because of Allie's chronic strep status, I always get her checked (even if she feels well) when we're at the doctor, because I want to document the correlation between strep and her streppy behaviors or the absense of strep and good behaviors.

I always give Allie probiotics, but when she is on antibiotics, I give them at least 2 hours before and after her antibiotic dose. She still developed yeast infections and I think constipation as a result. She was prescribed Glycolax, which we use when she seems to be having trouble in that department. (toe-walking, crabbiness) But, if I didn't have any evidence of BM ( I don't know how closely you can monitor that sort of thing at his age.) for 5 days...I'd be pushing for some kind of checking out what's going on. Can they do an ultrasound? Constipation can be so painful and contribute hugely to behaviors.

[Isabelle]

Snapdragon928, has he been tested for parasites? There is an English doctor that describes behaviours/ symptoms you have mention as consequence of parasites. Everything you are saying it matches a possible parasitic infestation.
He goes even to associate autism, OCD, ADHD behaviours and seizures to parasites.

Is it Dr. Williams? I have to look it up