Teenager with Autism and OCD

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Hi everyone,

I am looking for shared experiences, advice, and tips because I am wondering how to best help my son. He is a teenager, was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD early on, and developed OCD around the age of 12. It can be difficult to distinguish autism from OCD.

My son benefits from SSRIs. Without these, he can engage in hours of ritualistic behaviors and become very distressed by this. On an SSRI, the OCD is much more manageable. The problem is that he does habituate frequently and then we have to up the dose or switch.

Also, even with the SSRI, he still has all these 'rules' about what he can and cannot do, and I wish better for him. His psychiatrist has brought up adding a low dose of an antipsychotic. I am on the fence about this due to the side effects. My son also receives weekly therapy, but his insight is limited, which makes it a slow-moving process. At his specialized private school, he is provided with support and accommodations where needed, but still struggling.

I am ALWAYS wondering if I'm doing enough to help him and if we're seeing the right providers because the OCD seems so impairing.

Does anybody recognize this? I welcome any input, feedback, and advice you may have. Thank you for reading thus far.

There are some actions people take to give them a sense of control. OCD, self harm, even eating disorders such as anorexia can be pursued in an attempt to alleviate anxiety by generating a compensating feeling of control.

It might be helpful to help your son navigate these waters intentionally such as analyzing the effectiveness of various routines to provide relief. Slowly you might also guide him into recognizing sources of anxiety that might be controlled more directly. If he can se pathways to take more direct control, he may lessen in his need to fabricate indirect control.