is this normal, normal/weird, or psych-worthy?

[rookie]

ds8 has me worried. he seems to get stranger by the minute and I do not know if it is normal kid stuff or needs-therapy stuff. he is a very active/hyper boy. he is super smart, sensitive, and loving.

 

i suspect he has some ocd and spd so I have made appointments to have him evaluated this coming month.

 

the new thing is this: he says that he bbelieves that all innanimate objects are alive and he talks to them, makes them promises he has to keep, and apologizes to them if he hurts them (ie, bumping into a wall and kissing the wall and saying sorry to the wall!). this is becoming more and more consuming. at first i thought he was just pretending but when i said something about using his imagination he started bawling and saying it is not his imagination! it is real.

 

now i am starting to worry that he has schizophrenia or some other issue and I am starting to freak out.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Well, my ds7 has some similar behaviors. He has been seeing a thereapist for a few months. He also claims to have relationships with inanimate objects and claims to see numbers in everything. The therapist has said he definitely has some OCD and anxiety disorder, and has some Aspberger tendencies. But, mostly she thinks he has an overactive imagination.

 

Ds was in public school this year, and the school told me ds heard voices and the voices were controlling his actions. They told me exactly what ds said to the guidance counselor. I came home all upset and told everything to dh. Dh said that everything ds told them at school came directly from an episode of Batman the Brave and the Bold! I was relieved and furious at the school at the same time.

[lisabelle]

Schizophrenia doesn't tend to appear to come out until one's early 20's, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

The talking to inanimate objects...probably just a phase. I'm in my early 40's and talk to my plants and the bumblebees when I'm watering. I'm usually apologizing to the bumblebees for getting them wet.

[LauraGB]

Little boys are just weird. However, if you really have a nagging feeling in your gut, before you drag him for an evaluation, I would sit down with him and have serious heart to heart. Ask him a lot of questions, listen hard to his answers and be honest about your concerns and why. Personally, I would try to work it out as a family for a good long while before I involved a professional at this age.

[texasmama]

Since the issues are causing him distress, I think it is good to have them looked into by a professional. Schizophrenia doesn't come to mind, but he does sound anxious (from the limited information you give, anyway...). Kids like this usually respond very well to therapy.

 

(I am a therapist who has practiced primarily with kids/adolescents.:001_smile:)

[LaxMom]

Little boys are just weird. However, if you really have a nagging feeling in your gut, before you drag him for an evaluation, I would sit down with him and have serious heart to heart. Ask him a lot of questions, listen hard to his answers and be honest about your concerns and why. Personally, I would try to work it out as a family for a good long while before I involved a professional at this age.

 

I agree. It sounds like weird kid stuff, not Weird Stuff, to me. There's a pretty broad range of normal behavior in children, before they become socialized to hide their "different" thoughts. Children are abnormal by adult standards. They are unreasonable, prone to emotional outbursts and have fantastical imaginations, you know?

 

I also think it can be a very difficult balancing act to parse that out with a formal evaluation without implying to a child that there is something inherently defective about them. Does that make sense? And, frankly, I think when your focus is abnormal behavior you tend to see it everywhere. That would make me wary, unless I knew and trusted the evaluator, particularly when therapists seem to be fewer and farther between, being replaced with psychopharmacologists.

 

As for schizophrenia, I'm no expert, but if I recall correctly, that doesn't normally emerge until adolescence.

 

All that said, I always think mothers should follow their gut about things and not over think them. :grouphug:

Edited August 1, 2010 by MyCrazyHouse

[kalanamak]

Schizophrenia doesn't tend to appear to come out until one's early 20's.

 

This is "classic" schizophrenia, but children can have major mental disorders, with psychosis.

 

My wonder would be is this behavior interfering with everyday life? Is it all absorbing? Is it dysphoric to the child? Does it seem like a "regression"?

 

My son has very involved stories/worlds with his stuffed cats (we can't have a real one), but he has all along, and the content of these relationships has developed as he has developed. When he was a toddler, he lay down and "nursed" his kittens. Now the cats are involved in complex soup making and a general plot involving the invasion of Normandy. But, it never interferes with "life", and it hasn't crossed my mind to be worried.

[Ottakee]

I would certainly go for the evaluation. The ocd could be driving a lot of this stuff as well. Do you have an appointment with someone VERY well versed in younger kids?

 

I have 2 kids with mental health issues so I have been there, done that. We have bipolar/mood disorders, ADHD, ADD, anxiety and a few others for good measure. Schizophrenia is on the watch as bio mom suffered from that.

 

In preparation for the appointment, I would make notes of what concerns you, when it started, if it is getting more or less intense/frequent, sleep habits, eating habits, social skills---are they improving or is there more issues as he is getting older, discipline issues and how he responds to discipline, any developmental concerns, health issues like strep, etc. Mention any family history of mental illnesses (don't need to give names, just relationship--like dad's father, mom's aunt, etc.)

 

If you need more support, feel free to post on the learning challenges board as quite a few of us there deal with quirky kids. Given he is very bright, you might also post on the gifted forum as some of them have quirky kids as well.

[LNC]

My son is 13yo mildly mentally disabled and autistic. He does this exact thing intensively, and I have been told it is a classic Aspergers sign. Please don't worry about mental illness. I did, and videotaped my son for his pediatrician and neuro and psych. The ped was worried and worried me, but the ped neuro and psych told me he fit autism spectrum. He is just like Aspergergers excepts he is mentally disabled. Pretend play doesn't go along with autism, but does with Aspergers. I would just think normal wierd kid stuff, but the spd and ocd along with really smart with intense pretend play make me think Aspergers. I hope not, but an evaluation does sound like it would be helpful to you all. HTH!

Edited August 1, 2010 by LNC

[Terabith]

When he was a toddler, he lay down and "nursed" his kittens. Now the cats are involved in complex soup making and a general plot involving the invasion of Normandy. But, it never interferes with "life", and it hasn't crossed my mind to be worried.

 

Okay, I'm sorry, this isn't a funny topic, but this is the funniest thing I've heard all day! I LOVE the kittens involved in both soup making and the invasion of Normandy. It seems to explain so much about history.....

[texasmama]

I also think it can be a very difficult balancing act to parse that out with a formal evaluation without implying to a child that there is something inherently defective about them. Does that make sense? And, frankly, I think when your focus is abnormal behavior you tend to see it everywhere.

 

Most kids this age accept being evaluated by a professional easily with a simple explanation. Adolescents are another matter altogether.:tongue_smilie: If I were going to seek a professional opinion from a therapist for a child this age, I would explain to the child that he seems to be upset by/scared about/bothered by some of his thoughts/feelings lately and that sometimes people feel better when they can talk/play with a counselor/therapist.

 

Two of my own kids have been to therapy, and both had a positive experience. I feel good about the fact that going to see a therapist is now normalized for them, not something that is strange or which means that you are defective. I see a therapist, too, and they are aware of this. Generally speaking, if we as a society/individuals in this society can demystify getting mental health support from professionals, more people might seek support and not suffer in silence.

 

Also, a good therapist won't pathologize a child who is not pathological. I've had many an anxious parent bring a child to my office and receive parenting support or reassurance, not a heavy duty diagnosis. Therapy is not just for the chronically or severely mentally ill, adult or child. That is just a general statement, not so much directed towards the op.

[sbgrace]

The level of anxiety, has to apologize, increasingly consuming all make me think this may be a manifestation of OCD. It's hard to describe OCD thoughts and rituals when you're 8. The earlier you can intervene appropriately (cognitive behavioral therapy) with OCD the better outcomes. Can you see someone who does CBT for OCD with children? The OCD foundation has provider lists and I believe you can look for those who work with kids. Who you see is important with OCD.

[Alphabetika]

Schizophrenia doesn't tend to appear to come out until one's early 20's, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

The talking to inanimate objects...probably just a phase. I'm in my early 40's and talk to my plants and the bumblebees when I'm watering. I'm usually apologizing to the bumblebees for getting them wet.

 

:) I love this. I would like to be friends with someone who apologizes to bumblebees.

[Alphabetika]

Okay, I'm sorry, this isn't a funny topic, but this is the funniest thing I've heard all day! I LOVE the kittens involved in both soup making and the invasion of Normandy. It seems to explain so much about history.....

 

 

Well, the invaders have to eat *something.* Good thing they have those cats cooking up soup. ;)