Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by debilitating obsessions and/or compulsions. These differ in that obsessions are unwanted and persistent thoughts; whereas, compulsions usually involve repetitive, illogical behaviors such as washing hands for hours. Nancy D. Wiseman, author of "Could It Be Autism?," lists repetitive movements with objects as one early indicator of the disorder, as many children with autism demonstrate some of the behaviors associated with OCD. Treatment approaches include sensory, biochemical and behavioral interventions.
Sensory Based Interventions
According to social worker Bruce M. Hyman, Ph.D. and Cherry Pedrick, R.N. authors of "Obsessive compulsive Disorder," children with OCD may have abnormalities in the parts of the brain that process and sort sensory information and aid in focusing. Sensory-based therapies, such as sensory integration or hippotherapy, strive to use active, child-centered sensory-based activities to stimulate the brain and improve sensory processing. Dr. A. Jean Ayres, the occupational therapist who first hypothesized sensory integration theory, explains in her book, "Sensory Integration and the Child," that because children with autism don't register and respond to sensations normally, they lack the ability to engage in constructive play and may end up lining up or whirling objects for long periods of time. Sensory integration therapy provides stimulation to the inner ears---the vestibular sensory system, as well as to the muscles, joints and skin, with specific activities that help children to respond to sensations, and engage in purposeful activities. Hippotherapy is another treatment approach that utilizes the sensory aspects of riding a horse in combination with the powerful emotional animal-child bond to promote functional skills such as ordering the horse to "go," or pulling the reins to stop.
Biochemical Treatment
A biochemical approach may include medications, chelation therapy to remove metal toxins, specialized diets, vitamins and other supplements---all aimed at changing brain chemistry in order to increase social interactions, focus and learning. According to Hyman and Pedrick, medications from the family of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) are highly effective in treating OCD. These include the popular medication fluoxetine (Prozac), as well as sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil) and citalopram (Celexa). These medications act by increasing the availability of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. The Mayo Clinic reports that there is no scientific evidence that chelation treatment can help children with autism. This treatment supposedly removes mercury from the body. However, the link between mercury exposure and autism is controversial, highly anecdotal and inconclusive. Anecdotal reports have also suggested that a casein and wheat free diet may improve attention, behaviors and learning in autistic children. As with many disorders, theories that vitamin deficiencies play a role are common. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, children with vitamin D deficient rickets demonstrated autistic markers that appeared to disappear with vitamin D treatment. In addition, the National Autism Association reports that research indicates that many children with autism have vitamin and mineral deficiencies, possibly due to their limited diets. Treatment may involve supplements to correct their biochemical imbalances.
Behavioral Approaches
Behavioral approaches including the popular "applied behavioral analysis" (ABA) program focus on teaching specific skills using a highly structured system of rewards and repetition. According to author Nancy D. Wiseman, the idea is to reinforce positive purposeful behaviors, while reducing or eliminating the nonproductive behaviors that get in the way of learning. Some children with autism engage in repetitive, non-communicative sounds. A variation of the ABA program called "verbal behavior" (VB) focuses on rewarding meaningful sounds such as a syllable in the child's name. This treatment, along with using sign language and pictorial communication systems, is designed to replace obsessive compulsive meaningless sounds with functional communication.
References
- National Autism Association: Vitamins and Supplements
- National Institutes of Health: Autism and Vitamin D
- Gluten-Free Diet and Children with Autism
- Mayo Clinic: Autism
- "Could It Be Autism?"; Nancy D. Wiseman; 2006
