Hi again 3beansforme,
I wish I could help more regarding the food issues and vitamins, but I don't have too many suggestions as it's still something I struggle with here with my own son. He'll eat the same thing for weeks and then switch to something else and weeks later will switch to something else etc.. He really likes routine and thrives best with routine, but I always worried myself sick that he wasn't getting enough nutrients in his diet. He's much better these days then he used to be on all sensory levels and his diet has been much improved in the past 5 years especially. (he's 19 now). He can tolerate foods he never could before. He isn't just being a picky eater, it's been much more extreme than that, so disguising certain foods in meals hasn't always been too much help.

When he was really little we tried different vitamin regimes but it was really a waste of money at the time, because he just couldn't swallow the number of pills that was suggested. He would even gag at the actual sight of certain foods let alone the smell of them or the taste and texture of them.

These days there are other ways of getting some nutients that he might be lacking, like in eggs and other foods that are reinforced with different vits. and minerals now. We were able to find one multivitamin that was chewable and tolerable for him. I'm sure it wasn't much help, but to me it was better than nothing.

The OC issues sound as if they have anxiety involved. My son has different types of OC behaviours. Those where anxiety is involved and those where it is not. He _is_ on the autism spectrum and I have read a lot of literature talking about the differences in obsessive interests often seen in autism compared with obsessive compulsive behaviours, where the OC behaviours have the obsessive thought followed through by an action or compulsion. His obsessive lining up of toys, and books and numbers and some other things does not involve anxiety. His *just right* feelings often do.

OK, I'm rattling on a bit now I'm sorry.

I think you're looking into all the right things by the sound of it. I must add that often Asperger's Syndrome can be somewhat difficult to diagnose in some young children and they often can fall through the gaps _because_ they are clever and appear to be maintaining very well. My son wasn't diagnosed ASD until he was around 14. He'd really slipped through the gaps especially in school where until he hit pre-puberty and puberty, he just tended to fit in OK and all medical attention was focused mistakenly on some physical aspects because he also has motor and vocal/phonic tics. Anyway, by the time he was about 11/12 yrs, the gap widened between himself and his peers very noticably. Autism Spectrum is just that, a spectrum. There have been times in my son's life when he's appeared to function very well and would be considered at one end of spectrum, but in other areas he's sort of in the middle.

Just curious if your nephew has any out of the ordinary motor movements or makes sounds at all?

I don't mean to harp on about the autism spectrum part, but just also curious if you know why his doctor thought autism spectrum/asperger's was very slight consideration? Just wondered if he gave reasons.

As I said, it sounds as if he's in good care medically and I sure hope they can help him. As much as I dislike labels, it can sometimes be really important figuring out why a child or person is doing something that's causing them distress because then the right sort of help can be given if it's necessary. Adding a couple of sites on the bottom here regarding OCD in children. In light of what you've written in your last post and considering the anxiety that your nephew seems to be experiencing with some of these issues, I'd be talking with a psychologist who is knowlegeable about OCD in childhood.

All the best, please let us know how he's doing. My heart goes out to him, it truly does seem so much for our little ones to deal with. *tear
Sorry about writing such a long post.
Lara.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2006/12/...sive-disorder/

Amy Wilensky
[she also wrote an amazing book for adults which I highly recommend.
"Passing for Normal: A Memoir of Compulsion" ~ by Amy S. Wilensky.]

Good website regarding anxiety and OCD in children.
http://www.worrywisekids.org/index.html
[from The Children's Center for OCD and Anxiety, founded and directed in part by Tamar Chansky PhD who is also the author of an excellent book called "Freeing Your Child from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder", and also of "Freeing your child from anxiety"... second one I've not read.