what is this mannerism? | Autism PDD
The girl's arms kind of float off into space from time to time, often when they are running, but sometimes when they are just walking around. Here's a particularly flaming example (first 20 seconds). I assume this has something to do with their ASD, but not sure what it's called. They don't have any other obviously autistic mannerisms - just this.
Here's another example (a bit more subtle).
I think this is the sort of mannerism (at least in a pre-schooler) that's obvious to us ASD parents but probably wouldn't be noticed by those not intimately familiar with the disorder, kwim?
PS - you can tell when a kids been in lot of language therapy when the ask for something by attribute ("I need something that's brown.").
She is such a cutie!! I'm not sure about the hand mannerisms, though.
nakama
That's funny, Nakama, because it was your post on the other thread (do all asd kids do this) that got me thinking - the arm, wrist thing - the girls do that, too, though not all the time. In general, their arms just seem to have minds of their own sometimes :)Sounds spot on. No, I don't think she's aware of the mannerism.
My oldest son had proprioception issues when he was young. You probably already know this, but proprioception is the internal sense that tells you where your body parts are without having to look at them. In the case of my son, he appeared very clumsy. He went through a phase where he would literally fall out of his desk chair at school because he was so unaware of his body. His therapists recommended he do "heavy work," so we did things like wheelbarrow walking, donkey kicks, frog jumps and pushing a toy shopping cart filled with stuff to weight it down. I also used to have him move the furniture for me when I vacuumed.
thanks for the tips, wimom! Did it get better over time? My focus this summer has and will continue to be keepin the girls active, physically - lots of outdoor time, playing in the water, etc. I'll have to think of some things they could do for "heavy work" - though I *know* they'll like the wheelbarrow and frog thing. We just started OT (with a focus on SIT) and PT, so hopefully those will help, too. It really affects them when they run - they hold their arms up when they run and it looks funny and makes them all discombobulated.First of all, your daughter is gorgeous!
I'm not certain, but could this be a sign of body awareness problems (proprioception)? I dug out my copy of Raising a Sensory Smart Child, and the first sign listed for body awareness problems is "seem to move awkwardly or stiffly." They way you daughter was holding her arms was certainly a bit awkward, and she probably wasn't even aware of it. Yes? No?
I have an NT nephew who used to run with his arms folded at his side. As he got older and stronger, he stopped doing it.
My oldest son's proprioception issues did get A LOT better with time. I think we stopped worrying about it so much by 2nd grade. The falling out of the chair thing was something else. I still catch him sometimes sitting toward the edge of a chair, but at least he's not falling out of it. He's not coordianted enough to play competitive, organized sports, but he is able to do things like bike, swim, hike and run.
I've got my book out and swimming is a recommended activity. They also recommend throwing, biking, martial arts, housework, and playing catch with water-filled balloons or weighted balls.
Hi, Fred.This is a very common body posture in kids with autism. I see it all the
time. They will mature out of it with all the attention they are getting. My
OT also reccommends Heavy Work, using the large muscle groups.
Pulling wagons, stair climbing. Building forts or other structures where
the kids have to lug the materials one by one across the yard. Jasper
loved trains, so we had a game where he literally just loaded rocks and
stuff from the garage in his wagon and pulled them up the driveway.
He was "the engine" the wagon was the "gondola car" Perhaps it's
time to let them BUILD a "playhouse" This is why gymnastics and Yoga
are reccomended for ASD kids-works large mucle groups, which helps
with calming and proprioception issues.
Give this a try. If you are going somewhere with the girls where you think
there may be a meltdown, (due to prior experience, or their general mood
at the moment) have them engage in an activity that involves heavy large
muscle work for about 15 minutes before leaving. You may see a
difference in their behavior or sensory issues. It "grounds" them, so to
speak. I have wieghted pilates balls, and we play a quick game of "How
strong are you today?!" He lifts them over his head a few times each, and
announces that he is VERY strong! Ask your OT!
Your girls are ADORABLE!!!
Other heavy work would be things like lugging around those huge laundry soap jugs (like you get at Sams), flats of bottled water, anything heavy...grocery shopping provides lots of opportunities for heavy work. Also just about everything in the garden...weeding, moving rocks, using a hoe, digging, and dragging the water hose around.
My son does that floaty arm thing too.
She is really verbal! I am impressed. My son isn't even close to understanding how to ask for something like that.
great tips, WiMom, thanks a bunch.No problem.Oh yeah, Jasper has been asking for things "that are brown" for as long as Ican remember! No speech therapy involved. It's an issue with pragmatics,
as far as I know. He used to ask for a cracker like this, "I want something
from the cupboad, that is dry and cruchy, not wet."
He's gotten much better at "using his words". I tell him I can't get him the
right thing unless he can tell me what it is...
GREAT thread and good observation, Fred!
Your girls (and BOY!) are truly gorgeous. Thanks for posting video -- it was enlightening, and charming!
That's exactly how Jessie moves too. it's pretty subtle in Evie, don't think many people would notice it. I forget sometimes even w/Jess except that it often turns into major hand flapping.
Nikolas does that ALL the time with his arms, exactly the way she is doing it, almost unconsciously. Darling girls. I really would not have noticed it at first, it was pretty subtle.The general population will not notice a thing.
Yeah, it's definitely not concious, though I think in this video, it originates when she's wiping a lock of hair out of her face (her hair was wet at the time) and she just never put the hand back down. As far as the running, the neuro told me that they had a very immature "half gaurd" gait - where they tend to carry their arms in the air when running like a child a year or more younger (you can actually see this in the first clip, when Evie runs around the corner into the closet). So, I think their arms naturally go up into this gaurd position and then kind of float around up there for a while. The affect is that they run very slowly and ungainly (esp. Evie - Abigail is much faster) for four year olds (heck, the little just-turned-three year old boy from across the street was running around with them the other day and they had a hard time keeping up with him!). The "gaurd" is improving recently, with the arms now mostly staying down below the waist, esp. with Abigail, who's a bit stronger and more coordinated.
MK - the attribute thing was a language therapy thing for them, at least. At the time that I shot this video a few months ago, they were working on naming objects by attribute in language therapy, and went through a phase of describing things by attribute. I think they thought it was funny :)
Oh, yeah, and I put in the pony tails, which is why they look so bad
The arm sway is here too but now she makes little fists so it looks more purposeful.
I got her a teether swing and she took a week just to grab the rope and be able to hold her own weight and sit on it.... days later she was able to swing to and fro maybe 5x..now she can go forever on it if I let her:)
Not sure if this helps with the arms`sway thing but it did help her upper body strength:P
I have some 3 lb. dumb bells too that she likes to lift~I tell her she needs more muscles so she walks around with them:)
What sweeties you have...and the boy is a cutie too!
the movements she is doing are considered mannerism. i have read about this. when my son asks for something he kinda elevates his arm upto his ears. [QUOTE=adrien'smom]Here's a list I got for my son from his O/T. Iwas shocked at what we already do. It' a great list of ideas for heavy work.
Heavy Work Activities for Parents
1. Carry heavy items (baskets with cardboard blocks, groceries for Mom, etc.)
2. Mop the floors
3. Allow child to chew gum, eat chewy or crunchy foods, or sip water from a water bottle with a straw while doing homework
4. Push or pull boxes with toys or a few books in it
5. Pillow cases with a few stuffed animals in it for weight, pushing or pulling up a ramp, incline or stairs
6. Take the cushions off the sofas, vacuum under them, then put them back. Can also climb on them, hide under them, jump and "crash" into them, play sandwich games with them
7. Pull other kids around on a sheet or blanket
8. Roller skate uphill
9. Pull a heavy trash can
10. Yard work, including mowing the lawn, raking grass/leaves, pushing wheelbarrow
11. Housework including vacuuming and mopping, carrying buckets of water to clean with or to water flowers/plants/trees
12. Shovel sand into a wheelbarrow, wheel the wheelbarrow to a spot, dump out sand and use a rake to level it out. (functional for filling in low spots in backyard)
13. Pull a friend or heavy items in a wagon
14. Push a friend in a wheelbarrow
15. Milkshake rewards sipped through a narrow straw
16. Suck applesauce through a straw
17. Scrub rough surfaces with a brush
18. Carrying heavy cushions
19. Pillow fights
20. Playing in sandbox with damp heavy sand
21. Have the child "help" by pushing in chairs to a table or push chairs into table after a meal
22. Push a child's cart filled with cans and then put the cans away on a low shelf where the child needs to be in a weight bearing quadruped (on hands and knees) position
23. After a bath, parents can squeeze child and rub him/her briskly with a towel
24. Use heavy quilts at night and tight flannel pajamas
25. Swimming. Also, have child dive after weighted sticks thrown in pool
26. Dancing
27. Activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding, wrestling, karate
28. Bathe the dog
29. Wash the car
30. Carry the laundry basket
31. Sweep, mop, vacuum the floors
32. Jump or climb in inner tubes
33. Fill up a child's suitcase with heavy items (such as books) and push/pull the suitcase across the room
34. When travelling, let child pull own small suitcase on wheels
35. Go "shopping" with a child's shopping cart filled with items
36. Child can help change the sheets on the bed, then toss the linens down the stairs
Heavy Work Activities for Parents
37. Go "camping" with a heavy blanket pulled across a few chairs. Child can help set up and take down the blanket
38. Child can help rearrange his/her bedroom furniture
39. Have child put large toys and equipment away
40. Wipe off the table after dinner
41. Help dust the furniture
42. Climbing activities (such as playground equipment)
43. Swing from the trapeze bar
44. Push against a wall
45. Fill up big toy trucks with heavy blocks, push with both hands to knock things down
46. Sports activities involving running and jumping
47. Two adults can swing child in a sheet. Watch child's face carefully to note when child has had enough
48. Have the child color a "rainbow" with large paper on the floor or with sidewalk chalk outside while child is on his/her hands and knees
49. Play "cars" under the kitchen table (or table in classroom) where the child pushes the car with one hand while creeping and weight bearing on the other hand
50. Hot dog" game where child lies across end of a blanket and is rolled (ends up inside the rolled up blanket with head outside)
51. Walk up a ramp or incline
52. Use theraband or tubing attached to a door and pull it then let it snap. Supervision necessary.
53. Wood projects requiring sanding and hammering
54. Play wrestling: pushing game where two people lock hands facing each other and try to see who can push and make the other person step back first. Use other body parts also, but be sure to have rules (no hitting, no biting, no scratching, one person says stop then both stop)
55. Open doors for people
56. Quiet squeeze toys such as the cow, fondly named by everyone as "Moo" . Kids can be taught to squeeze Moo or the likes of him on their laps under their desks so as not to disturb the class
57. Chew on fish tank (aquarium) tubing, theratubing, or refrigerator tubing, if appropriate. One therapist stated that "refrigeration tubing (the kind the water runs through to the ice maker in your freezer) is (FDA?) approved while aquarium tubing is not. I cut the tubing into 2-3 inch strips and put it on the end of the elementary school age child's pencil to be an appropriate 'chewy' when food is not allowed"
58. Chair push ups
59. Fall into a beanbag chair
60. Jumping and rolling games
61. Slowly roll a ball or bolster over the child, applying pressure
62. Bounce on a Hippity Hop ball
63. Sandwich games (child is place between beanbags, sofa cushions,
mattresses and light pressure is applied to top layer)
64. Play catch with a heavy ball. Bounce and roll a heavy ball
65. Push weighted carts or boxes across carpeted floor
66. Animal walks (crab walk, bear walk, army crawl)
Heavy Work Activities for Parents
67. Play "row, row, row your boat" both sitting on the floor, pushing and pulling each other
68. Rice play, koosh balls, water play, jello play, theraputty
69. Mini trampoline
70. Stack chairs
71. Two children can play "tug of war" with jump rope or heavy theraband. (If you use the theraband, children need supervision so they don't purposely let go of theraband and "snap" the other child)
72. Isometric exercise breaks
[/QUOTE]
thanks for the list, its funny how almost all listed, i have him do it.
OMG she is sooo cute - the hand thing did not look stimmy or odd or anything like that ( not that here is anything wrong with being stimmy or oddHeavy Work Activities for Parents
1. Carry heavy items (baskets with cardboard blocks, groceries for Mom, etc.)
2. Mop the floors
3. Allow child to chew gum, eat chewy or crunchy foods, or sip water from a water bottle with a straw while doing homework
4. Push or pull boxes with toys or a few books in it
5. Pillow cases with a few stuffed animals in it for weight, pushing or pulling up a ramp, incline or stairs
6. Take the cushions off the sofas, vacuum under them, then put them back. Can also climb on them, hide under them, jump and "crash" into them, play sandwich games with them
7. Pull other kids around on a sheet or blanket
8. Roller skate uphill
9. Pull a heavy trash can
10. Yard work, including mowing the lawn, raking grass/leaves, pushing wheelbarrow
11. Housework including vacuuming and mopping, carrying buckets of water to clean with or to water flowers/plants/trees
12. Shovel sand into a wheelbarrow, wheel the wheelbarrow to a spot, dump out sand and use a rake to level it out. (functional for filling in low spots in backyard)
13. Pull a friend or heavy items in a wagon
14. Push a friend in a wheelbarrow
15. Milkshake rewards sipped through a narrow straw
16. Suck applesauce through a straw
17. Scrub rough surfaces with a brush
18. Carrying heavy cushions
19. Pillow fights
20. Playing in sandbox with damp heavy sand
21. Have the child "help" by pushing in chairs to a table or push chairs into table after a meal
22. Push a child's cart filled with cans and then put the cans away on a low shelf where the child needs to be in a weight bearing quadruped (on hands and knees) position
23. After a bath, parents can squeeze child and rub him/her briskly with a towel
24. Use heavy quilts at night and tight flannel pajamas
25. Swimming. Also, have child dive after weighted sticks thrown in pool
26. Dancing
27. Activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding, wrestling, karate
28. Bathe the dog
29. Wash the car
30. Carry the laundry basket
31. Sweep, mop, vacuum the floors
32. Jump or climb in inner tubes
33. Fill up a child's suitcase with heavy items (such as books) and push/pull the suitcase across the room
34. When travelling, let child pull own small suitcase on wheels
35. Go "shopping" with a child's shopping cart filled with items
36. Child can help change the sheets on the bed, then toss the linens down the stairs
Heavy Work Activities for Parents
37. Go "camping" with a heavy blanket pulled across a few chairs. Child can help set up and take down the blanket
38. Child can help rearrange his/her bedroom furniture
39. Have child put large toys and equipment away
40. Wipe off the table after dinner
41. Help dust the furniture
42. Climbing activities (such as playground equipment)
43. Swing from the trapeze bar
44. Push against a wall
45. Fill up big toy trucks with heavy blocks, push with both hands to knock things down
46. Sports activities involving running and jumping
47. Two adults can swing child in a sheet. Watch child's face carefully to note when child has had enough
48. Have the child color a "rainbow" with large paper on the floor or with sidewalk chalk outside while child is on his/her hands and knees
49. Play "cars" under the kitchen table (or table in classroom) where the child pushes the car with one hand while creeping and weight bearing on the other hand
50. Hot dog" game where child lies across end of a blanket and is rolled (ends up inside the rolled up blanket with head outside)
51. Walk up a ramp or incline
52. Use theraband or tubing attached to a door and pull it then let it snap. Supervision necessary.
53. Wood projects requiring sanding and hammering
54. Play wrestling: pushing game where two people lock hands facing each other and try to see who can push and make the other person step back first. Use other body parts also, but be sure to have rules (no hitting, no biting, no scratching, one person says stop then both stop)
55. Open doors for people
56. Quiet squeeze toys such as the cow, fondly named by everyone as "Moo" . Kids can be taught to squeeze Moo or the likes of him on their laps under their desks so as not to disturb the class
57. Chew on fish tank (aquarium) tubing, theratubing, or refrigerator tubing, if appropriate. One therapist stated that "refrigeration tubing (the kind the water runs through to the ice maker in your freezer) is (FDA?) approved while aquarium tubing is not. I cut the tubing into 2-3 inch strips and put it on the end of the elementary school age child's pencil to be an appropriate 'chewy' when food is not allowed"
58. Chair push ups
59. Fall into a beanbag chair
60. Jumping and rolling games
61. Slowly roll a ball or bolster over the child, applying pressure
62. Bounce on a Hippity Hop ball
63. Sandwich games (child is place between beanbags, sofa cushions,
mattresses and light pressure is applied to top layer)
64. Play catch with a heavy ball. Bounce and roll a heavy ball
65. Push weighted carts or boxes across carpeted floor
66. Animal walks (crab walk, bear walk, army crawl)
Heavy Work Activities for Parents
67. Play "row, row, row your boat" both sitting on the floor, pushing and pulling each other
68. Rice play, koosh balls, water play, jello play, theraputty
69. Mini trampoline
70. Stack chairs
71. Two children can play "tug of war" with jump rope or heavy theraband. (If you use the theraband, children need supervision so they don't purposely let go of theraband and "snap" the other child)
72. Isometric exercise breaks
Oh, wow - thanks for the list! Awesome! Kajoli - it's not a stim - it's something that just happens outside of her awareness - not intentional. I think everyone is right on in that it's a sensory symptom.Copyright Autism-PDD.net