? do I just leave it alone...Or address it...

[Onslow]

It sounds like everything's working out/coming together for you, Cole, and the teacher.   Whew!   I think it's wonderful that you got a "thank-you" card for the teacher!  As a parent, you'll catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.  Good job, Darlene!!!!!

Does Cole have a bonafide medical diagnosis of OCD?  You can PM me if you don't want to discuss this publicly.  I was just wondering if his information was on the medic alert list and if he was taking any medications to control it.  His classroom teacher should be made aware of it.  I have an OCD student who's always playing with things (the chain around his neck, velcro, etc.), but it's okay because it helps him control the disorder; if I didn't know about it, the poor kid would probably be in time-out!

[cadillactaste]

It sounds like everything's working out/coming together for you, Cole, and the teacher.   Whew!   I think it's wonderful that you got a "thank-you" card for the teacher!  As a parent, you'll catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar.  Good job, Darlene!!!!!

Does Cole have a bonafide medical diagnosis of OCD?  You can PM me if you don't want to discuss this publicly.  I was just wondering if his information was on the medic alert list and if he was taking any medications to control it.  His classroom teacher should be made aware of it.  I have an OCD student who's always playing with things (the chain around his neck, velcro, etc.), but it's okay because it helps him control the disorder; if I didn't know about it, the poor kid would probably be in time-out!

No he's not that severe...The school's psychologist never mentioned his need to be medicated. And other than when he was small and would have 4 hour fits...The doctor did suggest medicine at that time. And I told her that I would prefer to work through it and see if I could get him to control himself when he was angry. For when he was an adult I didn't wish for him to have to deal with such an anger issues then. So...She medicated me... ...Which didn't last for a long period...Just got me over the hurdle of helping him cope with his anger. He no longer has long periods where he's upset any more...(It was also started when his brother almost died...Is when it started...He was small...Stayed with my brother for 8 days) I think being such a mommy's boy...And my just NOT being there really threw him for a loop...After we got back and settled in...He would start to throw his fits if he didn't get his way...He wasn't very verbal...Once he was verbal...It got easier...And stopped until the broken funyun incident... at the age 4 yrs. old...

The school psychologist said that she felt that he was OCD...Due to his having issues with broken food and such...He used to refuse to eat a Reese's cup if the chocolate stuck to the paper. Due to it being broken...We also had a 2 hour behavior issue over a bag of broken funyuns from a vending machine... (He still won't suck a sucker if there is an air bubble in it)...The OCD typically doesn't effect his school work. He can easily do a math page...Or anything that doesn't consist of covering up the details in the picture he is to do. I also notice him taking a black crayon and filling in any "blank" areas that may have a glitch in them and didn't quite print...That's the only thing that I can think of that causes him to actually effect his school work. It's not "really" bad. Thus he's not on any medications...It's just quirks of his...His food can't touch...(Which is a common one with children) His underware MUST match his clothes he's wearing for the day...Stuff like that...His OCD doesn't totally control his daily activities...But certain things will cause it to flare...Attention to detail I guess is his issue...He does like to daydream...And the teacher is great about catching him staring off in space and getting him refocused...When I asked him what he daydreams about...His responce is..."I just think about you being at home and if I were there what we would be doing together"... He is such a mommy's boy...And "misses" me while at school...

He coped with Kindergarten without meds...The teacher listened when he explained why he "couldn't" do it her way...And she was great and would come up with something he was able to do and feel comfortable with...He's used to that...This teacher wouldn't budge on the fruit loop thing...She is a great teacher though...She just wants him to follow directions. He could have glued cereal on to a plain sheet of paper and been OK with that... But to have him glue cereal on a separate  plain sheet of paper would have drawn attention to himself... I don't wish for kids to think of him as a freak either... ...And he did eventually glue the cereal on...So maybe a teacher willing to butt heads will "break" him of his habit...Like in preschool? Where now he will eat food that may have came from the wrapper broke. (Ex. poptarts, stick crackers, Reece's cup ) So I am on a teeter totter...As to if I wish for her to continue to show him "it's OK" to glue them on the turkey...The world doesn't end...Like the preschool teachers would make certain every other day the snack was broken at snack time for every child at the table...Helped him deal with that OCD issue of his...OK...So now I have talked myself into letting it go and seeing just what happens... Let him see the world doesn't end...That is how they dealt with preschool issues...But maybe I can speak with the school's psychologist and have her draw something up...So the teacher won't take it personally when he does butt heads with her...

[Onslow]

Talking to the psychologist and also the teacher sounds like a good starting point.  I'm glad Cole's OCD isn't severe.  I have an adult acquaintance who's severe OCD (unmedicated) and he has to start all the engines in the garage on the FIRST of the month (lawnmower, snowblower, cars, etc.), has all the food in his pantry arranged both in alphabetical order and from tallest to shortest ( ), has to have his clothes organized a certain way in the closet, etc.  It's a real obvious problem that his wife has to live with everyday.  Anyway, it's good that you're working with Cole   Sometimes "we" teachers need to do things to help students get over themselves, and I think it's good that Cole's teacher showed him that the world didn't stop turning because of the fruit loops incident.

[cadillactaste]

Talking to the psychologist and also the teacher sounds like a good starting point.  I'm glad Cole's OCD isn't severe.  I have an adult acquaintance who's severe OCD (unmedicated) and he has to start all the engines in the garage on the FIRST of the month (lawnmower, snowblower, cars, etc.), has all the food in his pantry arranged both in alphabetical order and from tallest to shortest ( ), has to have his clothes organized a certain way in the closet, etc.  It's a real obvious problem that his wife has to live with everyday.  Anyway, it's good that you're working with Cole   Sometimes "we" teachers need to do things to help students get over themselves, and I think it's good that Cole's teacher showed him that the world didn't stop turning because of the fruit loops incident.

I guess I hadn't realised that OCD could get to that extreme... ...No wonder Cole was never told he needed medication. And...We learned from his experiance in preschool. That he could learn to overcome the food issue he had. So...Maybe with luck the issue with covering lines will also work it's way out so he'll know the world won't come to an end...I may just leave it alone...Unless we have another HUGE blow up with the teacher being frustrated. Then I'll speek with the school's psyccologist...Or do you think I need to bring the cereal issue to her attention and tell her I wish not to do anything with it currently but just to watch and see if we have any other issues?

That he overcame the broken food issue...And it's not severe OCD...Maybe he can learn to over come this other obstacle as well...It does give me hope when I recall how he's now breaking pop tarts in half to eat them...(It may seem small to others but it's BIG to me)He even will eat a Reece's cup with chocolate stuck to the wrapper...Just can't get over the air bubbles in suckers... But we're still making progress...

[tamifide]

A friend of a friend has pretty bad OCD. He can't touch his food. A lot of times he'll eat with plastic gloves on. We were all out to dinner, and we ordered nachos as an appetizer. He doesn't wear the gloves out in public, so he put the nachos on his plate, and then held the plate up to his face to eat. Poor guy's hands are raw from washing them so much in scalding water.

Glad you're finding ways to work with this teacher. Nice of you to get her a thank you card!

[Onslow]

 Darlene, I think I'd let the frootloop incident go (aside from possibly doing some extra credit work to pull up the stupid S-).   IF there's another incident, then I'd share more with the teacher about Cole's OCD idiosyncracies.  Speaking as a teacher, I'm sure she doesn't realize the extent of his need to "darken the lines" and "refuse to eat pops with air bubbles."  If she knew that, I feel certain she would work around him and try to help him overcome as much as possible (maybe with input from the psychologist).

Yeah, my "friend's" OCD is even worse than what I described.  He's a musician and has to practice a different instrument each day of the week religiously: clarinet on Mondays, flute on Tuesdays, oboe on Wednesdays, recorder on Thursdays, E-flat clarinet on Fridays, etc.  Also, he has to have cereal for breakfast ONLY on Sunday mornings.  He sets out his cereal bowl, piece of fruit, and church collection envelope the night before and can't deviate from that routine.  Leftovers in his refrigerator are on special shelves (like the desserts are never on the same shelf as the entrees) and get rotated from the back of the fridge to the front depending on how new or old they are...  I know he cleans the house the same day every week and uses the same routine to do it: vacuum, dust, empty garbage, clean the cat box, change sheets, etc.  BUT, this same guy won't learn to use a computer and doesn't know how to sign his credit card receipts; I have to do it for him EVERY TIME we're out in a restaurant.  Maddening!!!!