Special Needs
meghans30
member
Options
How to help with this behavior?
meghans30
member
Trevor has a tendency to focus on animals when we go places. Special interest? For example, today we went to the playground and there was a smal dog running freely. Trevor focused on the dog. He would play for a few minuted, but eventually, he ended up near the dog. I have tried explaining to him that this was not appropriate because this was not our dog, but I know this will happen again.
He has done this with other things also. For example we went to a friends house who had a large popcorn machine. He fixated on that machine and had to keep going back and exploring it. How do I handle these behaviors?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How to help with this behavior?
When you say fixated, what do you mean exactly?
At first, I think "well, if he doesn't have a dog or a popcorn machine than they are indeed very interesting objects needing to be discovered".
Maybe he really wants to play with the dog and understand how the popcorn machine works...can't really deny the curiosity there right?
That's why I ask about what you mean exactly by fixated because it seems more a natural childhood curiosity than a behavior....
Maybe it is? We do not have a dog or a popcorn machine, I just think he goes a bit overboard. Another example - pencil sharpeners. He likes to sharpen pencils. His teacher thinks it is a great idea to give him this classroom job because he likes it so much. I got him a crank pencil sharpener for home so he could "get it out of his system," but he doesn't do this at home. I wonder if it is a coping mechanism for him? He's not sure how to really interact with the kids, so lets find something else to do? It isn't as if he just focuses on just dogs, he picks something in his environment and will focus on it.
He has a PDD-NOS dx. I just don't know if this is typical behavior or ASD related. Maybe it is just curiosity.
While I think Auntie's response is spot on, I also think there is a very fine line between picking this apart for the sake of your son's development and just letting this particular issue(s) be. Only because the things you wrote seem really normal to me.
For perspective, when my DS got his class picture we were looking at it together and he pointed out one boy as "the pencil sharpener" and "pencil collector". As far as I know, he's NT. He just likes pencils I guess and that's ok.
The family who own the popcoen machine are a quircky bunch lol Their son also has PDD
I just think Trevor's fixation on things such as animals goes beyond what is typical. My younger son by 2.5 years in comparison to Trevor also wanted to pet and play with the puppy, but once he was able to do so moved on and played. Trevor kept having to go back; even was trying to hide so as not to get caught. I know the kids around him thought his behavior was strange. He has done this same thing at a cousin's house with a kitten. Fixated on it, followed it around the house even after being repeatedly told that the kitten needed a break. I do need to have this discussion before going to such places so he knows who our expectations are. This is going to take some time and work.
If his peers think the behavior is strange, and this happened on more than one occassion, than I do think that is the sign you have a bigger problem.
One night of obession with a popcorn machine by a kid who loves popcorn, no biggie. But when something happens each time you are in a group, that is a big red flag.