I have posted recently about my 3 year old son and his OCD and ADHD tendencies, and the information has been awesome. So, thank you ladies so much. I am taking him to the doctor this afternoon to start the discussion about these things. When I was talking to my mom about it, she said that I should also mention that he rocks alot. Here is what he does...tell me what you guys think. Pretty much anytime he is sitting down watching TV, he rocks forward and back...it is especially bad when he is tired. He also sometimes rocks when he is standing, back and forth. He doesn't do this when he's playing, but if he is doing something where most people are still, he is almost always rocking. He has done this ever since he was able to sit up on his own. I always wondered about it, but never really worried about it. Now I'm starting to wonder if this is another sign of a problem. What do ya'll think?
i know kids with autism rock. but it migh be an unconscious move to self soothe himself since he has OCD. my son has OCD and he constantly smells his finger :).
It sounds like stimming, and it could very well be part of his OCD. I wouldn't worry just yet if he has any other disorders, although since other people brought it up stimming in the form of rocking and other repetitive aka Perseverative Behaviors can accompany Autism. And OCD and ADHD/ADD can sometimes/often go hand in hand with Autism Spectrum Disorders BUT are equally as often mutually exclusive.
I wouldn't worry about Asperger's Disorder or other Autisms just yet. You should ask your pediatrician for a referral to a Pediatric Neurologist that's specializing in Behavioral Disorders and Autisms OR a Child Psychiatrist that specializes in Autisms OR a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician. Any of those specialists can diagnose Behavioral Disorders and Neurological Disorders.
Just as something to reassure you... most people stim in some fashion. Do you ever shake your leg? Tap a pencil? Tap your finger nails across a surface so that they make rapid clicky noises? Twirl your hair absentmindedly? Bite your lips? Doodle on notebook paper? Those are all stimming behaviors. :-)
And don't forget that when our children are babies, what's the number one thing we did to soothe them? We rocked them. Some kids just continue with it on their own.
Google Sensory Integration Disorder, also called Sensory processing Disorder. Our little guy rocks if he's not bouncing. It centers them and causes them to be able to focus. We have him in OT and doing a lot of stuff like wearing a weighted vest, bouncing on an indoor trampoline, rocking in a child size rocking chair, etc...it all works together and makes a huge difference.
I think you've gotten some excellent responses and am happy your are going to speak with your son's physician about the types of behaviors he is exhibiting. Just for a different point of view, I thought I would let you know that both my older brother and sister were rockers. Brother was side to side and my sister, back & forth. She actually still rocks whenever she is sitting and comfortable, whether she's in a rocking chair or not :) And my brother still rocks from side to side when he's relaxed. They are now 46 and 45 years old. They are now and have always been syndrome and/or disorder free. Some people are just rockers. Good luck!
Hello,
My oldest son does the same thing. He is three and will be 4 in November. He has done this since about the age of six months. At first, I thought he would do it to scoot the high chair around the kitchen, just as a means of "travel". He still does it, though but it has decreased with him getting older. I read an article on babycenter.com I think it was that said this type of behavior is common in some children. The article said something about kids do this as a means of comfort and that some kids will actually do it up to the age of 4. I was worried about it too, and took my son for every evaluation under the sun and moon, just to make sure he didn't have any neurological problems or other behavioral issues. He passed all the evals and was deemed normal, whatever that means. I am going to just wait until he is 4 an if he keeps doing it, then I'll follow up with his pediatrician at that time. My son also does this weird kicking thing when he is trying to fall asleep. He will lay on his belly and kick his leg up and down slowly until he falls asleep. The doctor also said this, along with the rocking is a comfort thing. Try not to worry much if your child appears to be hitting all other developmental milestones. Did you regularly "rock" your son to sleep when he was a baby? I did this just about every night with my son when he was a baby and had trouble falling asleep on his own, so this may also be a cause of why he is doing it now. Not sure, but just a thought. Either way, if your son seems fine in all other ways, I would try not to worry and if he is still doing it when he is closer to 4, then have him re-evaluated.
I think your best bet is to talk to the pediatrician and get a referral for a developmental pediatrician. Also ask about Early Intervention. He may not have a specific delay but it there is anything going that they could help with you need to do the evaluation before he turns 4. If he is in preschool or daycare ask the teachers what they think.
The rocking behavior is something to check out but it's hard to say without meeting your child what is going on. There are a number of things that may be going on and I would just be guessing. I skimmed your ADHD post. ADHD is hard to diagnose that young. Also that behavior could be cause by something else (food sensitivity, lack of sleep, emotional stress) or part of another disorder.
At 3 I'm hesitant to label a kid with ADHD, but if he displays some of those tendencies (and without reading your other posts I don't want to assume too much) this could go right along with it. It's common for ADHD kids to be constantly moving, even swaying or stomping feet or whatever. Yes, a lot of autistic kids sway, but unless he's showing any other signs of autism I wouldn't really worry that it's related. I'd mention it if you're going to the doctor, but wouldn't be overly worried.
I didn't see your previous posts but it sounds like "stimming" or self stimulation. I would mention this to the doctor when you take him. Do you have an appt with a neurodevelopmental pediatrician? A regular pediatrician can advise you but it sounds serious enough to go to a ndp. Good luck and good for you for noticing things and reaching out for help.
Since I didn't see your first posting, this may have been said already, but try looking at www.feingold.org and give that a try. It may help with everything you mentioned or it could be something more, but Feingold is a great place to start and healthy for everyone too!
H.
This kind of behavior does sound different and should probably looked into further. Remember, the sooner you find out then the sooner you can start working with it in a positive way.
It does sound like he's soothing.
Yes it can mean that there is something going on like Autism, or Aspbergers but it doesn't necessarily mean that either. Some kids just rock as soothers.
This can be common if when he was younger you always rocked him to sleep or swayed when holding him. It becomes second nature to him.
