Aspies For Freedom

First thing I noticed was that a couple lines in the article repeated... which I thought at first was literary license to prove some point - but it must just be an error.

In any case, my son exhibits a bit of the 'freak out' when things change, but not that extreme, and thankfully he's never been violent.  In fact I think it may only seem bad at times because his younger brother is much more easy-going.  Part of it is that my older son is not as easy to distract away from what he wants and how he wants it. He has intense focus and an excellent memory.  If I said something once, he'll remember it months and sometimes years later and bring it up. While my younger son can easily shift moods from the world is ending to 'Oh, something shiny!" It's quite remarkable. And once when I brought it to his attention he quickly shifted back to a pout, and then I laughed and he broke into laughter too.

Back to the article. Perhaps this 'sameness' isn't merely some genetic need for sameness, but a part of the intense focus and memory trait? I really don't know...

I'm usually pretty good at preparing my son for change and making him comfortable by repeating what we're going to be doing and if there's a change I let him know when we're going to do what we originally planned. It seems like he's either not having such a need for control or sameness or maybe he's just learning to have much better control of himself.  Another possibility is just that he's learning to trust me more...

In any case, I'm curious for the results of the study... and how they do it, of course. (which unfortunately they rarely show)

am a lot like that,staff have am routine mapped out on the office wall at home so that nothing gets changed as it causes usually 'severe' meltdowns,am also get pizza [deep pan,tomato paste,chicken,mushroom] every week to,but on mondays and from pizza hut.

I do like routine & sameness, but I think that almost everyone does to a certain degree, whether NT or AS, it is the degree which is problematic to some / most

Some years ago when we moved, we lived in a mobile home, whilst building the house, I didn't have a job & knew hardly anyone to speak to.
I started becoming very ritualistic regarding meals & times & things having to be in certain places.
I think that it was a subconscious attempt to gain some control over an abnormal situation.

For me it depends on the change. Some I can cope with. If it makes sense to make the change, then OK - unless it threatens my control over a situation. I guess it depends on whether or not the change is seen by one as interference. If it's seen as interference - then a meltdown is on the way. Almost guarenteed. I can see a meltdown coming usually and I take action to prevent it and get things back under control if I can.

I'm very much like that, although I don't hit or bite or anything like that. I just get upset or cry. I mostly have this with stuff I put in a certain place, and then my mom or someone else moves it. The weird thing is, when I make the change myself I don't have that at all. I think it is because then I still am in control of the change.

It's pretty clear that the sense of personal control has a great deal to do with how we cope with change.