Dealing with Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Dealing with Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

It's not uncommon for parents to wonder whether their child has not one but two disorders - autism and obsessive compulsive disorder.

OCD is a neurological disorder that causes obsessive thoughts and behaviors and can significantly disrupt a person's life. Obsessive-compulsive disorder consists of two main elements: thoughts or obsessions and compulsions or behaviors.

The obsessions are experienced as thoughts, images or impulses and can be persistent. Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that the affected person feels compelled to perform, whether they want to or not. Performing the repetitive behaviors is usually done to reduce stress or stop a particular event.

It is common for people with autism spectrum disorder to also exhibit repetitive behaviors and have repetitive thoughts, similar to those suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a disorder in which sufferers generally feel uncomfortable with their symptoms and wish they could get rid of them. On the other hand, children with autism are usually not interested in their various obsessions or behaviors and may even find them calming, increasing their frequency as a calming mechanism in stressful situations.

There are two possible treatments for autism and OCD: behavioral therapy and medication. These two forms of therapy are often prescribed together.

The most common type of medication prescribed to treat OCD in autistic individuals are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs are antidepressants that have also been shown to be helpful in reducing OCD behaviors. However, they can have some serious side effects, including an increased risk of suicide. Parents whose children are on SSRIs should monitor behavior closely and report anything unusual to a doctor.

Behavioral therapy can be another way to reduce repetitive behaviors. However, there is no single treatment that has been proven to be consistently effective in all cases of autism. This is because no two cases of autism are exactly the same.

Therefore, an IQ test and / or a functional cognitive level test is usually carried out before choosing behavioral therapy to deal with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) works well for lower functioning or younger children, and cognitive behavioral therapy may show good results for higher functioning and more verbal children with autism.

For optimal results, it is often recommended to combine behavioral treatments and medication. The medication is usually prescribed to help the child become more open to behavioral therapy. Because behavioral therapy can be challenging - especially since most children do not view their OCD behavior as undesirable - medication can make the difference by encouraging children to be open to the proposed changes.

While autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder can occur in the same person, children with autism are much more likely to exhibit behaviors that are similar to those of obsessive-compulsive disorder but are actually part of their autism symptoms and not a separate case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder-based repetitive thoughts and behaviors are thought to be quite similar in the early stages of development, but differ over time as they often serve different functions within the two disorders.

Early management of autism and OCD should be prioritized to ensure regular childhood and life experiences such as early childhood education run more smoothly. In general, the fewer obsessive-compulsive symptoms a child with autism has, the more positive their educational and life experiences will be.

If you think your child has OCD, contact your doctor to discuss diagnosis and treatment options.

Inspired by Rachel Evans