My 6 yr old daughter is primarily having difficulty with clothes. At age 3, she began having resistance to certain shoes, socks, and clothing. Seams, cloth type, and tags were and is her obsession. Somedays it takes 2 hours for the act of getting dressed, constantly changing her mind about what she will wear, becoming angry in the process. She wakes up happy and when it is time to get dressed, she immediately changes her mood, without any precursors. Her routine is maintained daily.
She performs well in 1st grade, performs well socially, and is very outgoing. She presents this to me, a single parent. I have not identified any physical or dermatological issues, her eczema is well controlled. She visits her father once weekly and every other weekend, and does not display this level of behavior with him, although her clothing issues are still spoke of , but not at the degree of when she is with me. During the time of getting dressed in the mornings, she becomes frustrated, angry, and sometimes hollers and cries that it doesn't feel right to her(either to loose or too tight), eventually having clothes on her that are either not appropriate for season, or do not match at all. I allow her to wear what she wishes, so that she is comfortable. My question is it a mental disorder that I should have looked into? In stores, she has a very difficult time picking out clothes and has no interest , and if she does, she changes her mind so often that if bought, and at home, she will likely not wear it or complain severely. I have tried to talk with her. She picks her own clothes out at the store and at home and continues to direct the anger and frustration to me. Recently she has become resistant to combing her hair and brushing her teeth.