Early Years Obsession & Inflexibility

“Jordan tells the other children off whenever they do something wrong. He can be quite rude about it.”

Why does this happen?

• Children with autism have a strong need to control their environment. They rely on rules and routines to give their life structure and make it predictable.
• This can be an advantage, as rules can be used in a positive way to promote good behaviour. However, a child with autism may not understand that it is inappropriate to tell an adult every time someone does something wrong.
• Sometimes, the child with autism may develop their own set of rules or firmly-held beliefs. They may become very upset when other children do not play or act according to their rules.
• Deficits in language skills can result in the child with autism mimicking the language of adults. The child may even copy the adult’s tone of voice and speech patterns. A lack of social awareness means the child with autism may tell others off much like an adult would scold a child.

What you can do

• If the child is constantly ‘telling on’ other children, he needs to be taught when it is appropriate to seek adult help. For example, you might tell him he can call an adult if another child is hurt or in physical danger, but not for name-calling.
• Alternately, place a limit on the number of times the child can tell an adult about rule infringements, say 5 times per session. Draw ticks on a wall chart so that the child can see when he has reached his limit.
• Social stories about rules, why others break the rules and telling on people may be useful. Social stories can be tailored to the individual child’s situation.

“Every morning when Dylan arrives, he goes straight to the blocks. He insists on making three trains before he’ll do any other activity. Nothing that we say or do changes this behaviour.”

Why does this happen?

• Children with autism have a very strong need for routine. This may be caused by their difficulty in predicting future events and anxiety about ‘what happens next’.
  Some children may insist on things happening in a certain order. Order gives them a sense of comfort and makes them feel secure. Any changes in routine threaten this sense of security and may cause anxiety.
• Some children with autism have a very strong desire to complete a task that they have started. The behaviour may be compulsive. They may stubbornly insist on completing the task, refusing to do anything else. Requests for the child to move on to something else may make the child very upset and anxious, and even less likely to co-operate.
• Children with autism can become very anxious or upset when transitioning from one activity to the next if they are in the middle of a preferred activity, this can lead to behaviours of concern or tantrum like behaviour.
• Children with autism have difficulty with sequencing of events. They may be reluctant to try new activities, especially if they do not understand what is expected of them.
• Many children with autism are perfectionists. They may carefully repeat a task over and over until they are satisfied with the result.

What you can do

• Firstly, decide whether it is necessary to change the child’s routine behaviour. If the routine doesn’t interfere with your daily program or harm anybody else it may best to wait and see if it disappears over time.
• If it is necessary to change the behaviour, you will first need to change the environment. This may mean taking the blocks away temporarily or changing the sequence of events, ie. start the program with outdoor activities or a song.
• A gentler approach may be to gradually introduce small changes into the child’s routine. Use a kitchen timer to show the child how much time is remaining until new the task is completed.
• Give the child a transition cue to warn them a new task or activity is coming and some time to finish what they are doing and move to the next task, “finish blocks now, outside time next”. Some children with autism may need the sign for finish or a picture cue.
• The child may be more willing to leave the task if he is reassured that he can return to it later.
  It may help to show the child a visual timetable so that he knows when he is able to return to the activity.
• If the routine is comprised of a number of steps, encourage the child to skip some of these steps. It is a good idea to introduce slight variations to activities to help the child become more tolerant of change.
• Redirect the interest in trains (or whatever the obsession may be) into other activities. Encourage the child to draw or paint a train, or look at books about trains rather than build a train of blocks.
• Try using a visual timetable. the child may be overwhelmed by the number of activities available. It may help if he is able to choose activities from picture cards, placing them on an activity strip. As each task is completed he can post the cards into a special post box.

“Brandon spends so much of his time playing with trains. He won’t draw, paint or do puzzles. He doesn’t want to try anything else.”

Why does this happen?

Most children with autism have an obsessive interest; their play is often solitary and restricted by deficits in their imagination. This affects their ability to engage in pretend play.

• Children with autism enjoy doing the same things over and over because predictability and routine makes them feel safe and secure. They also have a very strong fear of failure; they may need more encouragement and reassurance than other children.
• Some children avoid certain activities because of sensory processing difficulties. They can have an intense dislike of noisy or ‘messy’ activities, eg. i.e touching paste, paint or play dough.
• Children with autism have little motivation to please others because they are unable to understand the thoughts and perspectives of other people. They may not be interested in pleasing another person. They do not understand why they should do something they do not wish to do. Children with autism are only interested in what is important to them

What you can do

• Encourage the child to choose activities by giving him picture choice cards. These cards are very helpful for any child who has difficulty choosing activities and moving from one task to another. You can download common images from the Visual aids page.
• At first, choose one new activity for the child and allow the child to choose the remainder. Give time at his preferred activity as a reward for trying something new.
• Try to use the child’s obsession in a positive way, i.e. encourage the child to paint or draw his obsessive interest, look at books on the subject, etc,
• Have an occupational therapist perform an assessment and sensory profile to check if there are any sensory issues that make the child reluctant to try new activities.
• Find out what motivates the child and offer him appropriate rewards for trying a new activity. i.e. a train sticker if the child likes trains. See Using praise and rewards for more information.

“Aaron has a great interest in trains to the exclusion of everything else. He reads books about them, plays with them and that’s all he ever wants to talk about.”

Why does this happen?

• Children with autism often have an obsession with a particular topic. This obsession may form part of a routine that helps reduce anxiety.
• If a child with autism talks obsessively about a certain topic he may actually want to talk to someone, but he lacks the verbal skills to simply ‘chat.’
• A child with autism talking about his obsessive interest may show no regard for the listener’s interest in the topic. It is common for children with high functioning autism to miss the subtle cues that would indicate a listener is bored by the conversation.
• Children with autism do not understand the feelings or thoughts of others and will not realise that everyone does not share their interest. They also do not understand “small talk” and will go straight to their topic of interest.
• Some children have an expansive knowledge of their obsessive interest that far exceeds their developmental age.
• Children with autism will go through a number of obsessive interests in their life time. Trains, dinosaurs, collectible cards are some examples. Anything that can be classified, arranged and involve a lot of factual value are usual topics of interest.

What you can do

• If the obsession is the child’s way of coping with anxiety, first try to understand what may be causing the anxiety.
• It may be necessary to reduce the amount of time and frequency of the child’s obsession if it interferes with his learning. Use a visual schedule to show the child when he can engage in his obsessive behaviour. Discourage the child from his obsessive behaviour at all other times.
• Allow the child time at his obsessive topic as a reward for completing a new activity or for good behaviour. Gradually increase your demands and/or reduce the amount of time the child can spend on his obsessive topic.
• Give the child praise and attention when he is not talking about his obsessive topic too!
  Use the obsessive interest to help the child develop better conversation techniques.
• Invite the child to share his interest with others by talking to the group as part of a wider learning project. The other children will appreciate the child’s knowledge and the child can feel proud to have made a worthwhile contribution.
• There are many social stories available about talking to others which can be tailored to the child’s level of ability.

Note

• Trains are a common obsessive interest, particularly among young boys with autism. This play tends to be repetitive; some children will copy scenes from a favourite television program, never varying or extending their play. With some creative input, there are limitless opportunities to develop a child’s imagination and extend their vocabulary.
• You can comment on what the trains are doing – forwards, backwards, going slow/fast, pulling, stopping, etc. You can comment on the train’s appearance – big, small, colour, shape, number of wheels and other features. And you can teach concepts like behind, in front, beside, next to, etc.

“I often see Tom playing with a car or truck, and he’s just spinning the wheels over and over. He doesn’t play like the other children.”

Why does this happen?

• Children with autism have impairments in their imagination; they frequently display a lack of creative play skills. Their interests may be limited, repetitive and solitary.
• The behaviour of children with autism is often repetitive, rigid and inflexible. They seem to have a narrow focus on small details of an object, as if they are unable to see the ‘whole picture’.
• Children with autism may have difficulty ceasing behaviour that is repetitive or compulsive.
• Children with autism may use the toy or object as part of a self stimulation routine rather than to play. I.e. tapping certain objects just to hear the noise it makes, mouthing or chewing toys for oral stimulation. Using toys or objects to flap, rustle or spin, rubbing toys on body parts for physical sensory stimulation.
• Children with autism do play, but often play is the acting out of what the child may have seen on a tv show starring their favourite character. Any deviation from the script by others will not be tolerated.
• Children with autism often prefer to play alone as interacting with others can be difficult.
• If the child with autism is playing with others they will often want to control the game and expect other children playing with them to conform.
• Children with autism often do not know how to ask others to play with them. They may take a toy or ball away from another child indicating they want to play or join in a game instead of asking.
• Children with autism may prefer to play alone as they often do not like people in close physical proximity.
• Often the child with autism will fear their toy may be taken away from them.
• Children with autism may lash out at others who are too close to them whilst they are playing with a favoured toy or object

What you can do

• Teaching the child with autism to play is an important part of normal social and emotional development and is very important. It can take many years of modelling and teaching for the child with autism to learn how to play cooperatively
• The child may resist an adult or child joining in his play, but this will be necessary to expand interests and play skills. Observe the child’s play and copy what he is doing. If he always does the same thing, change it a little. Be enthusiastic – make new suggestions seem really exciting!
• Rather than asking questions, make comments about the child’s play in order to expand his interest in activities. “My car is going very fast!” “Your car is red.”
• If the child’s play seems obsessive or compulsive, give a clear, verbal message to stop. You can also use hand signals to reinforce this message. Redirect the child towards play that is interactive and imaginative.
• If the child is obsessively mouthing objects seek an occupational therapy assessment as an Occupational Therapist can provide you with strategies and sensory stimulation program to overcome these difficulties.

“When our assistant was away recently Laura got so upset that she refused to come inside.”

Why does this happen?

• It is common for children with autism to rely on routines. Any unexpected change to their routine can cause a major upset.
• Children with autism may not be overly affectionate towards staff but will recognise a particular staff person as being able to meet their needs. If that person is absent the child may become confused and upset not knowing who to go to for help

What you can do

• Keep the same routine that would usually be followed during the day. Consistency will help the child predict in knowing what to expect next even if the staff member has changed.
• If staff plan on taking leave, give the child plenty of advance warning. Explain to her that everything else about her day will be the same; but her teacher will be different.
• To assist the relief teacher, make up an information page about the child with autism. Include a photo, likes and dislikes, any fears or phobias, obsessions, areas of difficulty etc.
• If a staff member is ill, have someone telephone the child’s mother on the day so that she can be prepared for the change in routine and any follow on effects at home. .
• Develop a photo board with staff pictures, name and the day. That way you can visually show the child who is working on the day, show a symbol for sick or on holidays next to the absent staff member. The child may be more relaxed if another staff member they recognise is working.