Lining toys up could also be anxiety worrying about someone touchin ghis things and lining it up calms him
Tammy Tyler also flipped about one being touched and moved even by a hair! And got aggressive and/or self injurious.... he still does... He also still needs prepping and structure and routine
I guess each kid is different as we know
My ds has sometimes lined things up. He is not dx'd yet so don't know what anything means yet. But he does have odd play many times. Like he loves to draw and color. It's his "thing." So I give him crayons and he colors. But today after I left him alone for a bit and came back, he was setting the crayons on the couch. He wasn't lining them up perfectly or anything. But he was setting them all vertical on the couch. They weren't seeming to be in any perfect ordr or line as I said. So maybe he was just messing around. He is more into putting hordes of things in corners and against walls, especically behind the living room curtains that hang to the floor. He does this with balls, certain blocks, his pacifiers, that sort of thing. I don't know what it means if anything.
But today w/ speech therapy he even was sort of playing w/ the farm animals she brought (making them walk and even made a few sounds!) and it's the best thing I ever saw. It was like pretend playing. Maybe he just doesn't know how and has to learn it?
But about the routine thing. My son is totally fine w/ going out of schedule. My life's too crazy for perfect routines, and it never seems to bother ds. I mean if he is on his way to his room and has a purpose set in mind and I stop him, then he freaks out and tantrums. One time he was going to his room to get his etch a sketch (i know this even though he didn't ever get to his room because blue's clues was on and he always has to have his writing pad for it) and I stopped him to eat as his food was ready. He got really mad lol. Mean mommy.
Amber
Wow shakes you can do that with yours????? I could never do that with Jeffrey when he lined up his cars. The spacing had to be exact and if you moved one, watch out. He would get so aggressive. I know my two work better with strick schedules and routines.
Tammy
It wasn't pretty when i first started doing it but after i few times he got the direction of where i was going with it,now he laughs when almost anything doesn't go according to plan!
Oh not Jeffrey, lol. He has meltdowns when he can't see his landmarks. See I control the weather, lol. Didn't know I did that too.
Tammy
.....speaking of lining things up, my son does line things up occasionally but I feel like it is usually when his little brother is pestering him and he is trying to keep track of his toys rather than being obsessive about it. Am I wrong?It could be that it's repetive behavior, I'm not sure and i try not to make assumptions , it could be that your son is truly making a tally that all of his toys are present and accounted for.
Tammy, could you bring some nice weather my way, I'm dying here, it's only in the 40's AGAIN!!!!!! I have my woodstove going and june is next week!
Routines tend to be important with alot of kids, you're little guy is still young enough that he may not require such a tight ship, my guy didn't until he got alittle older but we follow along with your theory, we have a "loose" schedule we follow, i know alot of kids require certain routes, rituals ect. i've just started to bring friends to pick him up from school, which he doesn't appreciate beause he's so used to it being just me and him in the car ect. i try to mix things up so he'll see that because we went to the grocery store before we went to Mass isn't really that big of a deal. if he's lining his animals up I'll purposely knock a few over and change places then laugh so he'll see it's not a big deal if things go out of sequence.Lol, sure I can. Can you tell me where my magic wand is?????
Tammy
Routines- My poor son..we are all over the place..we are both students and our schedules vary day to day. Rarely is any day the same. Nights mostly are since dh works like 3-12. So eating dinner and bed are about the same. I focus on doing this in order with out timing so much. LIKE computer play is while I cook, floor play after dinner, medicine before bed, brush teeth in bed, read book, drink, lights out and snuggle. We do medicine at 9 every night because it says do same time daily. Perfecting this routine did major things for helping him fall asleep. We always go to bed in my bed since I have the baby too. OH and I found a passy calms and relaxes him..now that we use it again at night WOW.
The only things that are guarenteed to ensue a tantrum for us are: if we put on his shoes and dont leave right away (he stands at the door protesting "bye bye bye bye") or if we blow bubbles and stop...you would think we were chopping a finger off and he started the self hurt with biting and pinching its bad!! Easy though no more bubbles! I know this is long but hope it helps
**keeping things in order (not so much timed) is very importaunt for all young kids. and remember when they start school they have to understand that**
hi there , jordon needs routine in things but what i have done is he can have as much routine in things that are to do with him . so if he wants to wear his clothes in a very specific way then even though he looks like a nut i say fair enough its not important , if he wants things done in a certain way at home then ok , if he wnts his food in a certain way whether at home or not then that again is ok . But if i need to do some thing and it is affecting the things that i have to do then im affraid i say we have to compramise or he can do it my way , if i need to be there at a certain time etc then i am sorry but i dont have time for a temper tantrume over the way his laces are tied i will tie them quickly if he wont get on with it etc . it may sound a little mean i dont know ,but i do look at it as when he is a adult he may not be able to have it his own way even less etc .My son (2 y/o) also doesn't require schedules or routines (except it helps to get him ready for bed ... which they say is the case for most toddlers anyway). He never lines anything up -- just the opposite! If we have things neatly stacked, he likes to make a mess of them!Yep that is Gabe. Jeffrey is a neat freak and Gabe, well, lets just say he will have a real good career in demolition, lol.
Tammy
DoveNest: My son started doing the same thing with farm animals walking (of all things) when he started moving into pretend play. This was the beginning of March. It is surprising to me how fast it developes -- or at least for him-- I really don't know about other kids. The pretend play is what really got my son to start making sounds and using words. Up until then he was pretty much mute.In My Opinion.... if you are asking how important a strict routine is for a child with autism to learn and succeed the answer is it depends on each child... However studies lets call them have shown the more consistency, repetition and structure a child with autism has the better they do learning. Most like predictibility and resist change, thats why they have obsessions and repetitive behaviors and such. So its up to you,,... if your child is handling a schedule that isnt all too predictable and doing well dont stress over it... if not you may want to try making things more predictable and see if it helps with any of their behaviors.... just my opinion thoughWe are pretty laid back as well. Owen doesn't require much routine. I have tried to keep our life that way, to avoid that problem.
However, in the *More Than Words* workshop I am taking, the ST has told us to create routines in his life, to help him anticipate things, and then he will know when it is his turn to talk, and what to say or do.
So we get dressed now the same way each time. "lets get dressed" started with his tops always first "shirt on" and then bottoms and so on...doing it the same way each time. Then the hope is he will learn how to dress him self, and even start to say "shirt on" ect
we have a routine for eating time, bath time, going to the park, everything now. It has helped him learn what to expect. I pause to give him a chance to talk.
I was reluctant to do this, because she did warn that then will soon have to have things done just that way. but we can mix it up later, once he is communicating.
We have only been doing it for about 3 weeks, and he already gets upset, if I try to do pants first, or his babysitter does.
But I guess if it helps him learn, and talk, why not
Jakob is extremely laid back. He, so far, hasn't shown any resistance to change. He used to line things up from the time he was about 13 months old to 20 months old..hasn't done it in 2 months. He just all of a sudden stopped. His spec. educator keeps mentioning to me try to start keeping his day structured, I think to prepare him for school. I am so NOT an organized person, so this is more challenging for me than for Jakob. We are working on it though. I think the more structured schedules and routines is very important for the kids that have a problem with tantrums. Especially if they are so young that they don't really have a sense of time.Just something I happened across......
Autism / Pervasive Developmental Disorders
| Changes in Routine Equals Changes in Behavior |
Behavioral Deterioration
Has anyone noticed that their Autistic child's behavior started deteriorating as the Christmas vacation from school started, then it stablized and finally, when the child returned to school, the behavior worsened again? I know with Jonathan, this was the case. It seemed that a pattern developed, and I began to wonder why.
One possible answer to this goes back to the idea that Autistic children need uniformity, structure, and routine. When the vacation began, the routine had not been disturbed. As time went on, the child realized that his/her routine was not right, and began to act out. Finally, toward the end of vacation, a new routine had been established and the behaviors returned to their norm. When he/she returned to school, the "new" routine was broken, and the school noticed the behaviors were worse than when the child left for vacation.
Unfortunately, some people might interpret the behaviors when the child returns to school as being due to problems at home during vacation. It might even be that they attempt to find out "what happened" at home that changed the behaviors for the worse, and in extreme cases, might even attempt to place the "blame" on the parents. Since some people still have the mistaken view that the parents are the "cause" of Autism, the old "refrigerator mother" concept, they may even try to intervene and change the parent's behavior.
On the other hand, parents may see the change upon the return to school and think that something happened at school that changed their child's behavior for the worse. In reality, neither of these observations are based on fact. These misconceptions can cause friction between the parent and the school, when in fact, it was simply a characteristic of Autism that caused all of the changes.
Routine is an important part of any Autistic's life, and anything that causes a change in routine can affect behavior. The routine and need for uniformity are shown everyday with the lines, repeated behaviors, and other signs that appear in the daily lives of Autistic children. To attempt to find a person or institution to blame ignores this fact and offers the potential for disaster. It doesn't have to be a long break in routine that can cause this. Often, as in the case of separated parents, the child shows behavioral problems to the non-custodial parent when he/she first has the child for a long weekend, then upon return, the custodial parent sees the same kind of behavior. This obviously can lead to questions about the ability of either parent to care for their child effectively, when in reality, it is the change in routine that is to blame.
All of us need to recognize this need for routine, and understand that any change can cause behavioral problems. No one is to blame, no one is wrong, no one is right. These changes are situational and in many cases can not be avoided. With understanding of this basic characteristic of Autistic behavior, many problems can be avoided.
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Something I do to help Tyler understand changes is to mark on his calendar upcoming changes ... vacations from school, holidays, special events, family outtings or vacations, visits from distant relatives, summer break from school, school starting back up.... If you don't have a calander for them... I used to take a piece of notbook paper and make a month long one. Draw a picture to go with the word or find a picture on the internet. Mark the day the change or event will happen. Show them and talk to them about it. Always be positive. And ask what they think and how it makes them feel to encourage acknowledgement of their feelings. Have them cross off the days on the calendar each morning or each evening and talk about the change coming up (look how many more days until Uncle Bob is coming to visit.(COUNT THEM) He can't wait to see you. We are going to visit grandma and take you to the park etc) If they know what to expect and when to expect it, it helps reduce the anxiety of the changes.
Yah it's interesting. Aiden stopped doing his strange play and lining constantly the last week or so. Until just the other day he started doing it more again. You just never know what's going to happen sometimes. Keeps you on your toes!
Amber
we have to add our voices to the routine rollcall here.My pdd son (2yo) does not seem to require a strict schedule. To date we have been pretty loose on the routine around here in large part because we were concerned that if we started a strict schedule he would begin REQUIRING a tight schedule. Does anyone have any thoughts on this. How important is a strict routine?