Are you on the Autistic spectrum and do you also have OCD? 
I had been diagnosed with OCD years before my autism diagnosis but it remains unclear which symptoms are OCD and which are autism. During an intense group of sessions at a specialist centre for OCD I found myself asking the psychologist if I have to count a certain amount of times because of my OCD or autism. He did not know and always asked me what I thought.
Likewise what does it mean when I have to keep checking to see if I have closed a door or checked to see if I have put a letter in the envelop. I have to wash my hands if I have touched an object that reminds me of something I don’t like. Sometimes I have to keep touching a surface such as a wall or a table with both hands in a symmetrical way over and over again until it feels right.
The list goes on…
I am someone that needs to know why. I always want it spelt out clearly by an expert. But It turns out that the experts didn’t know. I came away feeling very frustrated and with more questions than answers. I needed to know for sure which symptoms were OCD and which were autism.
In my work as a tutor to autistic people, I would say that practically everyone of my students have symptoms that look a lot like OCD but according to their notes none of them have it. Their OCD type behaviour has been classed purely as autistic traits.
So I am confused. Do most autistic people have a degree of OCD. I realise that OCD is an anxiety disorder and people with autism are prone to heightened states of anxiety which often make these OCD type symptoms worse. Such as repeating tasks, speech, touching and counting. I know this is also the case with me.
It would seem to me that someone could have either of these conditions separately, but in my experience many autistic people also have a degree of OCD and anxiety.
I will be writing a more in depth post on autism and OCD in the near future.
Thanks for reading.
Steve
I have oc d and the window sounds rather good!
Hi Steve
Sorry I am late coming to the conversation.
Two questions to ask yourself may be: 1. if you could not do the ‘rituals’ would you feel very anxious & be worried something bad might happen and, 2. is doing ‘rituals’ distressing for you?
In ‘pure’ OCD people tend to find it distressing completing rituals but feel a need to do them to neutralise or prevent some feared event or action occurring.
In ASD behaviours could be more spontaneous and found to be pleasant. They may be about making things similar over time and feeling safe inside.
Of course, there can also be overlap.
I agree, I was just reading about this and the article I was on said something very similar. I think some of my rituals are a mix of the two as well, because I enjoy doing them, but I will feel weird if I don’t do them or if I do them incorrectly.
My daughter has autism and obsessions go hand in had , as a small child she had terrible obsessions. They where mild ! But as she reached adolescents things changed and became compulsive in a manic way that would have drove her mad, and now are turning into verbal repetitive thoughts cause her to be off some where else spaced out . If only these behaviours didnt over take her mind so much !! There are mild obsessions then there are compulsions which become out of control OCD and other conditions seem to all follow they are all linked together there is a fine line between them all .
Hi
I am sorry to hear your daughter is having a hard time at the moment. I find that anxiety is the thing that often makes compulsions and repetitive behaviour more intense. Some of the autistic adults I work with have gained some benefit by taking a small amount of medication for their anxiety.
We were concerned about one of our patients who’s compulsions and repetitive behaviour was getting out of hand. We did our best to work out the cause of his anxiety and over the course of a few months his obsessions decreased. He always has some compulsions and repetitive behaviour. But they definitely increase/ decrease depending on his level of anxiety.
Has anything changed in your daughters life that could be causing increased anxiety?
Steve
Hi Steve. Many thanks for sharing your experience and the insights you’ve gained. I was diagnosed by a clinical psychologist (at age 42) as OCD/GAD, yet feel the autistic spectrum relates to me in many ways, where the above diagnosis did not. It seems to me that my needing to touch the wall, a certain fabric, my head etc etc, is not always ocd. It seems more visceral to me. Almost like it calms me down to have the contact itself rather than the importance of how many times I touch/hold something. Saying that I do tend to do things in threes but not always. When I’m super stressed the numbers are not as important as the physical feeling the action gives, as at those times I seems to just keep doing it until I feel better. It seems to anchor the anxieties for me and give me a sense of grounding. I hope this makes sense.
An educational psychologist suggested I may have Autism/Aspergers when I was also diagnosed with Dyslexia/Dyspraxia a couple of years ago. I am waiting for an assessment for Autism (now 45 yrs old) and will let you know what happens. Best Wishes. Nicci.
Hi Nicci
Hopefully lots of things will become clearer if it turns out you have Autistic spectrum disorder. At least you will get some reasons why things have been difficult for you over the years. But I found that after diagnosis we still have to put a lot of work in to understanding the symptoms. I wrote an article called Autism diagnosis and after. Here is the link. https://adultswithautism.org.uk/autism-diagnosis-and-after/
Hope you find it helpful.
Best wishes Steve
I can understand why, there seems to be a myriad of possibilities to unfold/ing. Many thanks for the link/info. I will have a look.
Best Wishes
Nicci
Hi Nikki
I came across a blog that deals with Females with Aspergers and Fybramyalgia, Hope it helps
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/117309447875410096476/108502084640552272254/posts