Aspies For Freedom

Hi
My amazing son will be three next month and has just been diagnosed with ASD.  He also has hydracephalus (excess fluid on the brain) which he diagnosed and trated for 6 months.  We had premature twins when my son was 14 months and we started to see some behaviourial issues then but put them down to everything changing in his life.  Then one of the prem twins lost his sight as a result of being early and we spent about 6 months around the country trying to sort that out and just thought my son's worsening behaviour was a combination of his hydracephalus and his changing homelife.  

Then about a year ago, I started asking more questions and raising concerns.  Eventually in July this year, the diagnosis of autism was confirmed.  However, by this point, due to his diagnosis of hydracephalus, we already had an observation and assessment place set up for him starting in September, portage were already visiting as were speech and language therapists.  So, I suppose in some ways, we were lucky.

However (!!!), I suppose the diagnosis is only the start. We are starting PECS, etc.  But it is his behaviour that I really want some advice on.  

His obsession is anything circular - that includes car wheels, especially on moving cars - oh joy!  But he also enjoys tipping a box of ball pool balls over his head and letting them fall onto himself and then the floor, then he just walks away leaving a path of destruction behind him.  

He is doing this for the sensation, I know but we cannot get him to only do this with certain items or to put things back.  This is now progressing to toy bricks, toy cars and larger toys too - anything in a box.  I need him to stop this (or I need to control it in someway) as he is tipping things over his younger blind brother.  His other sibling, our twin daughter sees this coming and does a runner but obviously my other son can't.  

Any tips on how I can control this behaviour would be really welcome.  

I am trying so hard right now to cope with two very different special needs for my children and to be honest, some days are better than others.  Then again, I currently have three children under three so I probably have my own special needs right now!!  Sleep, please!!  

Any advice - especially from people who have been there, done that and got the t-shirt would be much much appreciated.

Debs x

Hi, and welcome to the forums!

I'm thinking along lines of replacement. I assume he'd go ballistic if he wasn't allowed to empty boxes over himself but since it is for the sensation of things falling down on his head, maybe you could try and set up something in the ceiling that hangs low enough for him to stand under (broom straw tickles the scalp). You could also set up a round board on the wall that he could spin (painted in different colors so he can see them "disappear" when it spins, and then reappear).

I like circles too. Have a large collection of plastic screw corks + a lot of other round things. An interest that has been developed over the past 6 to 7 years and now I'm 42.


Tomas

I am not a parent, but it sounds like a playpen and or toddler gate might be useful to keep them seperated, for safety sake.

Hi Debs, I've spent a lot of time mining information from parents with special needs kids trying to get perspective on our own issues.  Here's one thing that's certain -- all the kids are different.  And all the parenting styles are different.  And all the t-shirts are unique, except for the drool and paint and food splatters.  Finding a way to get a good night's rest at least once a week is going to help a lot.  

As for the boxes, is there a reason that these items must be in individual boxes?  The previous poster is correct that substitute stimulations will be devised. Do not make a point of taking the boxes away so that he sees you personally remove them, but if the boxes slowly go away and the toys gradually move to one large box that cannot be picked up, he should adapt as surely as we adjust to the weather turning warmer in the spring and colder in the fall. Or not. Every child is different.

Gotta think on this one, but one thing that came to mind is the little bucket with holes that the water pours through as a positive use for it.  He can play in tub and get washed up in not time.

I'll ask my SI OT and see what her thoughts are.  Mom

The first thing I would do is try to keep everybody safe.  Immediately go around your  house with a big box and pick up things like billiard balls, heavy toys, sharp-edged toys, etc.  Put them in the attic.  The kids aren't ready for these right now.  

Replace them with foam rubber toys, soft toys, fabric toys, plushies, etc.  Can you make him some soft round pillows?  Ping pong balls are round but won't hurt anybody.  Can you blow bubbles for him to look at?  What about round food like spaghetti-os?  Cooked carrot coins?

I think he's just trying to learn all about circles right now and finds them to be pleasing.  At some point, he'll probably move on to the next fixation.

Actually, I think the circle thing is kind of cute

  Usually, the only way I can get our son to put things back is to make a game or activity out of it. Like, who can put more balls back in the box. It does not always work. We never really enforced the put things back rule though because we had bigger fish to fry (like him not hitting us when angry).
   The visual that came to me is a large playpen or very large box filled with soft balls where he can go have a blast without hurting anyone.
I think I have seen something like that before for kids on the spectrum.
I agree about moving the hard balls out of access.