My neighbor's 7 year old daughter comes over a lot to play with my daughter. I have noticed that every time she is over, she washes her hands at least every half hour or so, sometimes every 15 minutes depending on what she is doing. I asked her mother about this and she said that she does this all the time, and that it's really not a big deal. I am not so sure about this. Couldn't this be a possible sign of OCD disorder ? Is there a certain age when OCD can be diagnosed ?

It's normal for little kids to have some odd traits, just branding a kid as OCD is just rude, and will probably earn you a slap if you say she might have OCD. Besides, kids don't have carefully defined rules for things. She probably thinks that you need to wash them a lot to stay clean, and you know how a little kids logic works.

Still, don't go passing labels around when people have a single trait that's a bit off, I once smacked someone across the jaw for saying I was crazy for having "Unusual interests", because labeling someone is considered a dire insult in this day and age.

Aries wrote
It's normal for little kids to have some odd traits, just branding a kid as OCD is just rude, and will probably earn you a slap if you say she might have OCD. Besides, kids don't have carefully defined rules for things. She probably thinks that you need to wash them a lot to stay clean, and you know how a little kids logic works.

Still, don't go passing labels around when people have a single trait that's a bit off, I once smacked someone across the jaw for saying I was crazy for having "Unusual interests", because labeling someone is considered a dire insult in this day and age.

Trust me, I brought it up as casually as possible, saying it's great that her kid has such great manners and always makes sure to wash her hands. It was her mother that said she washes her hands constantly, to the point where the skin on her hands are cracked, and she thought nothing of it. I didn't say it to her, that's why I asked in here , to see what others thought.

While I do agree that young kids don't have carefully defined rules yet, I also think it is ignorant to rule things out as well if there are potential signs there. Children with OCD caught early, I have just learned, have a much better chance of controlling it as adults as opposed to if it is ignored or covered up. I hope the neighbor's kid is just going through a phase, but if it were my child, I would want to know the warning signs of anything that could potentially be an anxiety disorder or anything else that they may need help with.

Years and years ago, no one ever explained to us or taught us autism is. For years we couldn't figure out what was wrong with my youngest brother. The doctors we saw amazingly did not bring up autism, and they just summed it up to him being very shy and an extremely slow learner. Then a friend of a friend started babysitting him and explained to us that he exhibited signs of what may be autism, as she has had a few family members herself that were diagnosed with autism. She referred us to a specialist and sure enough that is what the problem was. If not for her who knows how long we would have waited in the dark. My parents never thought about it being autism. So at the risk of getting slapped, I say if anyone thinks they see something that may be of concern, go ahead and speak up about it. It is definitely better safe than sorry.

My cousin was like that when we were kids. He would wash his hands after everything, like every 10 minutes and he even developed a rash from it. I never thought that was possible but he did, after the rash he stopped and now he's normal, and washes his hands only when needed. He still has the habit of smelling them though.

I don't think the thread-starter was rushing to judgement or unfairly labeling someone's child by observing that girl's behavior and asking about it here.  Maybe the kid doesn't have OCD, granted, but I think the original writer was asking a very valid question in a very restrained manner.

My cousin used to be very adiment about staying very clean.  His mom, my aunt, is a nurse and she would explain to him the importance of staying clean because of germs... so he took it a little bit overboard too.  But, sometimes kids can take a minor thing to the next level because in their mind, it just seems like the right thing to do..

Aries said: It's normal for little kids to have some odd traits, just branding a kid as OCD is just rude, and will probably earn you a slap if you say she might have OCD. Besides, kids don't have carefully defined rules for things. She probably thinks that you need to wash them a lot to stay clean, and you know how a little kids logic works.

Still, don't go passing labels around when people have a single trait that's a bit off, I once smacked someone across the jaw for saying I was crazy for having "Unusual interests", because labeling someone is considered a dire insult in this day and age.

I think that this SHOULD be brought up, but done in a tactful type way. Maybe there really is a problem that the parents do not realize. I don't think that would be considered labeling anyone anything, but just asking in a concerned tone.

I was like this when I was younger. Id sit smell my hands and if they dont smell like soap I'd go wash. And I was picky about the type of soap it was. It had to have a scent and a scent that I liked. But i washed so much that my hands startd getting really ashy and crusty. then I started putting lotion and washing but after I while I just gave it al up and now I wash normal amount.