It's always something

In my constant quest to figure out what exactly is going on in my beautiful little girl's brain, I've considered ADHD, SPD, ODD, and the tried and not true friendly input from so-called "experts" : "It's just Down syndrome."  Well if the way she presents (not all the time, thank heavens!) is "just Down syndrome," then why oh why don't all kids with the same diagnosis act that way?   I know quite a few kids with Down syndrome that might have a few little "quirks" here and there, but they don't necessarily exhibit signs of sensory processing, attention deficit, or potential anxiety disorders. 

I try to consider all the options when starting down a path to figuring her out.  One disorder I hadn't considered before is OCD.  A dear friend called me just as I was getting ready to go have coffee with another dear friend this morning. We were chatting about this and that and I mentioned Marisa's tendency to repeat phrases that seem to have caused her some anxiety at a previous time.  Oftentimes if she gets reprimanded for something or is asked to stop doing something, she retreats into a dialogue that goes like this : "Stop coppa (copying) me!  I no like it no more.  She copied me two times!"  Or : "Stop coppa my feet, my hands, my teeth," etc., etc. ad infinitum.  Another thing she has been saying a lot lately is "Stop following me!"  I don't  know if another child said that to her at recess at school, or if' it's something she said to someone.  Her verbal skills are great, it's the context or intent that is sometimes hard to decipher.  My friend is a nurse and she has a very good working knowledge of various disorders.  When I told her what Marisa has been doing, and that it's not always just straightforward echolalia, but seems like reflecting on anxiety producing events, she said "That sounds like OCD."   Guess what?  The proverbial light bulb went off in my head!  She may have just answered a question I've been stressing over for a very long time.  Now I have more questions to ask the "expert" I am looking for who can open a window into Miss Roo's brain, and hopefully provide the appropriate treatment to help her cope.

I always tell people that I do not willingly go in search of additional diagnoses with either of my children, but am so very thankful when certain questions finally get answered.   We'll just have to see where this goes....