Some obsessions and compulsions are frequent in children with ADHD without always meeting the full diagnostic criteria. Whilst the obsessions and compulsions in some children can be quite incapacitating, frequently exacerbating an already difficult situation, in other children they may not necessarily be severe. There is a spectrum of symptoms.
For example, children who show excessive obsessive symptoms may need to have their bedrooms organised in a fastidious way with their toys being “just so.” They may have obsessional eating habits, needing specific cutlery and crockery, or demand that items around the house are positioned in specific places. They may also like and need routines, or indulge in compulsive hand washing or other cleansing activities. Breaking the significant defiance, tantrums and behavioural upsets. This can be mistaken for purely Oppositional Defiant Disorder behaviour, without the underlying obsessions being recognised.
Useful Links: