I wonder if we are starting to see some of this in Jayden......here's your sign
He lines up his toys
He has to have the lid closed on the toilet, anything open must be closed ...doors, drawers, dishwasher even if I'm not done loading yet
throw pillows must be off the couch ...I know there is more but can't think of them off hand .....I was hoping he would get to the line it up stage but he is there full blown....everything get lined up:sad5:

How would you find out? And what could be done to help him?

Sometimes I am so obsessed with things. I know I am. I always try to be so perfect. I didn't realize I was like this until a few years ago. Gregory was very neat and cleaned up, but it would drive me crazy if he sprinkled salt and it was on the counter KWIM? weird....I know...I would not b*tch...I would just wipe it off...but wow did it ever annoy me.

Usually when I go to Roni's I have to iron Shae's clothes and put them in order in the closet (by color or size or style something)....weird huh...I am trying very hard to let go of that (I actually did not do that this trip YEAH for me). In my own closet...I used all white hangers and used all the green hangers in Greg's closet.

They call me anal at work....

Is this a bad thing to be like this?

Debbie ... I found this list from Dr. Greene. He says these are the top five obsessions for children (preschool to pre-puberty):

1. Concern with dirt, germs, or environmental toxins
2. Concern that something terrible will happen such as fire, death (http://www.drgreene.com/21_201.html), or illness
3. Symmetry, order, or exactness
4. Scrupulosity (religious obsessions)
5. Lucky/unlucky numbers
5. Concern or disgust with bodily wastes or secretions (tied for 5th with lucky/unlucky numbers)

Catherine lines up everything, she closes doors, she is surgically precise in everything she does, she wants to wash her hands way more than she needs to, she counts everything, etc. I call her OCD, but I don't think she clinically is as these behaviors do not prevent her from engaging in other activities. They are part of her other activities.

They call me anal at work....

Is this a bad thing to be like this?

LOL ... if it is, I'm as bad as they come!

Sebastian does many of the same things. He has always been very particular about things, but he seems to be getting worse as the gets older. We reefer to them as his OCD behaviors, but I do not think he is anywhere near a clinical case of OCD.

I have only worked directly with one kid who was diagnosed with childhood OCD, so I am by no means an expert, but in her case it was much more about the anxiety end of it. She would worry about EVERYTHING. She was 8 years old at the time and would panic if her parents were 1 min late to pick her up. She thought they were in and accident an died. She would even worry about things like the family finances and things that most kids would not even think about.

Her parents sought help when she started pulling out her hair to cope with all of her anxiety. As time went on she started developing more compulsions to alleviate her anxiety.

I really think with Sebastian it is tied into his sensory issues. He will get VERY upset if you mess with his system, but as long as he has things the way he likes them he is fine. It is not like he is feeling anxious and then has to do something to relieve it, KWIM?

It is something we are kind of watching out for though. When Jim (dh) was a kid he may have had OCD. He used to have to count all the posters on his wall three times every time to came into, or left, his room. And he would spend hours organizing his sock drawer to get them just right. He had a lot of anxiety, but he grew with very little structure or control, so I think it was his way of creating control in an out of control situation. But still we worry a little when we see Sebastian developing more and more quirks.

Lining things up is very common with autism. I am not saying that means that Jayden has autism, just that I think it is more of a sensory thing. I think it is certainly something you should keep an eye on and discus with his ped and therapists.