Autism obsessions list

03/05/19

Autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often coexist, scientists are trying to study both disorders in order to better differentiate them and determine more effective treatment

Author Daisy Yuhas
Source: Spectrum News

Steve Slavin was 48 years old when a visit to a psychologist forced him to dramatically change his ideas about his own life. He had a very difficult year. Slavin began to suffer from anxiety, which manifested itself in negative thoughts and repetitive actions, and this was not the first time he suffered from them.

As a child, he could not enter a room unless he had swallowed an even number of times beforehand, and he had to swallow and count to four, six, or eight with one foot up before stepping on a stone in the pavement. As an adult, he often experienced a lot of stress around other people, and he washed his hands again and again because he was terrified of catching something from other people. He also often suffered from depression, due to which he began to avoid acquaintances and friends.

This time his depression and anxiety got worse and his doctor referred him to a psychologist. “I spent weeks, if not months, trying to get an appointment with him,” he recalls. However, within the first 10 minutes of the meeting, the psychologist suddenly stopped asking him about his childhood and current mental health issues, and instead asked him what he knew about autism.

Coincidentally, a relative had spoken to Slavin about autism just two days earlier, suggesting that this might explain his dislike of social situations. Slavin knew almost nothing about autism, but suggested that it was possible. By the end of the consultation, the psychologist was practically certain that “I either have high-functioning autism or some kind of brain damage,” Slavin recalls, chuckling. Only a few years later, the doctor gave him an official diagnosis - obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). He was also confirmed to have autism.

At first glance, autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder seem to have nothing in common. However, doctors and researchers talk about the intersection of these two disorders. Research data indicate that up to 84% of autistic people suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, and up to 17% of people with autism have OCD. And according to one 2017 study, even more people with OCD have undiagnosed autism.

Part of this overlap may be due to misdiagnosis: OCD-induced rituals may resemble repetitive behaviors in autism, and vice versa. However, there is growing evidence that many people, like Slavin, have both disorders. A 2015 study that analyzed the health records of 3.4 million Danish people over 18 years found that as adults, people with autism are twice as likely to be diagnosed with OCD than people without autism. Similarly, the same study found that people with OCD were four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism as adults than people without OCD.

Over the past ten years, researchers have begun to study the combination, interaction, and differences between these two disorders. Understanding these differences is important not only for making a correct diagnosis, but also for choosing an effective treatment. It appears that the experience of people with OCD and autism is unique, different from that of people with one of these disorders. And for these people, standard OCD treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), may not be effective.

Missed diagnoses

Anyone can develop obsessive thoughts (obsessions) or obsessive actions (compulsions). Many people start worrying about not turning off the stove at home, or checking again that they took their keys with them. "It's part of a normal life experience," says Ailsa Russell, a clinical psychologist at the University of Bath in the UK.
Most people can get over these unpleasant obsessions and go on with their normal lives. However, with obsessive-compulsive disorder, such anxiety becomes stronger and begins to interfere with normal daily functioning.

Some people with OCD, like Slavin, count steps or breaths or perform other meaningless actions because they feel that without these actions, something terrible is bound to happen. Other people call themselves "inspectors" - they check again and again that they have done a task correctly, and this prevents them from doing other things. Other people with OCD are constantly bathing or scrubbing because they are afraid of dirt or contamination.

"Typically, people with OCD are aware that their fears and behavior are irrational," says Russell, despite this OCD sufferer is trapped in intense anxiety and compulsive rituals.

The intersection between OCD and autism is still poorly understood. According to a 2015 analysis, people with both disorders are characterized by non-standard sensory responses. For some autistic people, sensory overload is the main source of stress and anxiety. For example, Slavin is terrified of police sirens and doorbells, he says that for his nervous system they are like bomb explosions.

Some researchers say that the social problems of people with autism can increase their anxiety, which in turn can lead to OCD. Failure to interpret social cues can lead to social isolation or bullying by others, which increases anxiety. “Separating anxiety from autism is extremely difficult,” says Roma Vasa, director of mental health services at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, USA.

These commonalities can make it difficult to distinguish between symptoms of autism and OCD. Even for an experienced clinician, OCD compulsions can resemble the “sameness seeking” or repetitive behaviors of autistic people, which may include tapping, lining up objects, or striving to always walk in the same path. Separating the two states can be a daunting task.

As the 2015 analysis showed, the key difference is that obsessive thoughts (obsessions) lead to obsessive actions (compulsions), but not to autistic symptoms. Another feature is that people with OCD cannot, in principle, replace their rituals with other actions. In Vasa's words: "They need to do everything in a certain way, otherwise they experience anxiety and discomfort."

At the same time, autistic people tend to have a repertoire of different repetitive behaviors that serve a similar function and from which to choose. “They just go for any behavior that helps them calm down, it doesn’t really matter to them any particular action,” says Jeremy Winstra-Vanderviel, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, USA.

Thus, doctors need to determine why a person performs a particular action. But this task becomes difficult if it is difficult for the patient to describe his experience in words. Autistic people may have speech, communication, or intellectual impairments and often have significant difficulty identifying and understanding their inner experience. This can lead to misdiagnosis, as happened in the case of Slavin.

As a child, Slavin often visited a psychologist's office in the suburbs of London. However, the experts who examined him missed both OCD and autism. Slavin did not speak until the age of 6. According to him, his first childhood memories are classes with a speech therapist and a child psychologist. Even after he started talking, he avoided other people and didn't like making eye contact. He suffered from severe anxiety and abdominal pain.

At about 11 years of age, he was diagnosed with "childhood schizophrenia" and was prescribed Valium and lithium. Doctors warned his parents that he might need a lifelong stay in a medical facility. Instead, he was able to attend a prestigious high school, get a degree and become, in his words, a "slightly more functional" person, and thanks to his passion for music, he was able to launch a career as a professional composer.

Being diagnosed with autism many years later brought him great relief, but it was also associated with new problems. During conversations with specialists, for example, they began to attribute any of his complexities to autism, including problems with the perception of auditory information. “Once you get this diagnosis, the doctors start saying, ‘Well, it’s because of autism,’ they don’t pay attention to the nuances,” he says. Slavin found that no one can say for sure whether a particular behavior is the result of OCD or autism, or what exactly can be done about it.

General Biology

Slavin's questions may be answered soon as more researchers look at the combination of autism and OCD. Until 10 years ago, research on this topic was practically non-existent, says Suma Jacob, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota, USA. When she said she was interested in studying the two disorders, "the main experts in the field said to pick one disorder," she says. This situation is starting to change, in part because researchers have begun to realize how common it is to combine autism and OCD.

Jacob and colleagues have been tracking repetitive behaviors (which may be associated with autism or OCD) in thousands of children as young as 3 years old. “From a brain perspective, all these disorders are connected,” she says.

In fact, scientists have found that the same brain regions and neural pathways play an important role in both autism and OCD. Brain scans point to a special role for the striatum, an area of ​​the brain that is associated with motor functions and rewards. Some research suggests that in people with autism and people with OCD, one structure within the striatum, the caudate nucleus, is larger than normal.

Animal models also suggest a role for the striatum. Winstra-Vanderwil studies autism and OCD with repetitive behavior rodents. He and other scientists found that in both disorders, the animals show abnormalities in the neural circuitry that runs through the striatum and plays a key role in how we start and stop behavior, as well as influencing habit formation.

Another area of ​​research is related to interneurons, which often suppress impulses between cells. If the interneurons in the striatum of mice are disrupted, this leads to twitching, anxiety, and repetitive behavior that resembles OCD and Tourette's syndrome.

In male mice, the impact on the functioning of interneurons also leads to a sharp decrease in sociability, which, to some extent, may resemble autism. "Unexpectedly, mice also developed social deficits identical to those we see in animal models of autism," says Christopher Pittenger, director of the OCD Research Clinic at Yale University, who led the work. For this reason, he says, interneurons could be a target for both OCD and autism treatments.

This connection at the level of neural pathways may reflect common genetic causes. A 2015 Danish study found that people with autism were more likely to have relatives with OCD than people in a control group. However, genetic comparisons of the two disorders have shown conflicting results at this stage, which may be due to the fact that very little is known about genetic factors in OCD. “As embarrassing as it is to admit, we know a lot more about the genetics of autism than we do about the genetics of OCD,” says Pittenger. A similar gap may explain why a 2018 meta-analysis of genome studies of more than 200,000 people with 25 disorders, including autism and OCD, found no common gene variants for OCD and autism.

Unpublished work by another research group suggests that rare “de novo mutations,” that is, spontaneous mutations that neither parent has, significantly increase the risk of autism and OCD. Some of the genes that researchers have linked to both diagnoses are related to the immune system. This suggests that interactions between environmental factors and the immune system may play a role. Another gene from the general list, CHD8, regulates gene expression.

Treatment adaptation

Until scientists can combine all the data from the preliminary studies, no new drugs can be expected. But there are other methods that can help people with both disorders.

On a chilly December evening, people from all over the UK join the OCD & Autism Support Group, a monthly online conference organized by OCD Action, a British charity that helps people with OCD. The number of group members varies greatly during each meeting, but this evening, a few days before Christmas, only four people called.

During the meeting, a woman named Michelle (only given names in the group) explains that she cannot leave the house unless she makes sure all the lights and appliances are turned off. Thomas spends several hours a day showering. Both of them talk about social difficulties and how they make them anxious. They often worry about what other people think of them, and whether others find their behavior related to OCD or autism strange.

Like most support groups, calling together helps participants feel they are not alone. They also share new information and tips, such as how to use a timer to reduce the time spent washing your hands. Three of the participants mention cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which can help people better understand and manage their obsessive thoughts and actions. As with other forms of psychotherapy that rely on dialogue, it may not be effective for people with autism. For example, such psychotherapy did not help Slavin.

He suspects that he was unable to follow the therapist's methods because of his difficulty with listening to speech and lack of mental flexibility, which he attributes to autism. “Many people on the autism spectrum find it difficult to imagine the situation and how it could lead to a different outcome, so traditional CBT doesn't always work,” he says. Instead, Slavin controls OCD with varying degrees of success with antidepressants.

Some researchers are trying to adapt CBT for people with autism, such as "making sure everyone can see and appreciate their own emotional state," says Russell. Together with her colleagues at King's College London, Russell found in a preliminary study that modified methods may help some adults with autism and OCD manage their anxiety. In January of this year, she and her colleagues, building on the success of the subsequent larger study, developed a clinical guideline.

People with autism and OCD can also benefit from a more personalized approach to cognitive behavioral therapy. For example, possible schemes might include parent participation in counseling, language facilitation according to the person's language ability, use of visual support and rewards. One clinical trial compared this adapted therapy with standard CBT in more than 160 children with autism and OCD. As yet unpublished results suggest that standard CBT may be beneficial, but an individualized approach works best.

It seems to Slavin that a more individual approach to treatment can be successful, but he himself has not tried such approaches. Working with organizations that help people with OCD and people with autism, he began to appreciate the diversity of people with both disorders. “It feels like every single person needs their own diagnosis, their own category, because everyone is so different,” he says.

Ten years after being diagnosed with autism, Slavin wants to share his experience, also in order to combat the lack of resources he has faced. In 2010, he opened a website and started a YouTube channel where he talks about what he has learned about living with autism.

“I just think of autism as a certain set of circumstances that you can use to your advantage and say, 'OK, I'm going to forgive myself if I don't quite understand how other people act,'” says Slavin. “You can even find joy in your oddities and differences from others ... But OCD, there is nothing good about it at all.”

In October he published a book on his progress. So far, the title of the book sounds like "The search for the norm."

We hope that the information on our website will be useful or interesting for you. You can support people with autism in Russia and contribute to the work of the Foundation by clicking on the "Help" button.

Research, Psychiatry, Comorbidities

Obsessions, repetitive behaviors and routines

Obsessions, repetitive behaviors and routines can be a source of joy and enjoyment for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a way to cope with the demands of everyday life. However, they can also limit people's participation in other activities and cause a lot of stress.

This article, which is primarily intended for parents of children with ASD, addresses the following questions:

• definition of obsessions, repetitive behaviors and routines
• the functions they perform
• how you can respond to them.

The article says "child", but it can refer to a person of any age, including your adult children, as long as it does not specifically mention small children.

Obsessive interests

"My mind is constantly overflowing with thoughts, worries and fears. The time devoted to my obsessive interest is the only time in my life when I can clear my mind, it brings me much desired relaxation" - a young man with Asperger's syndrome.

People with ASD may be obsessed with a wide variety of topics, including common ones such as computers, trains, historical dates or events, science, or a particular television program. Many young children with ASD love Thomas the Tank Engine, dinosaurs, or specific cartoon characters. Sometimes people with ASD develop an obsessive interest in objects such as car numbers, bus or train timetables, zip codes, traffic lights, numbers, or specific body parts such as feet or elbows.

People with ASD can also become very attached to specific objects (or parts of objects), such as toys, action figures, or toy cars. It can be more unusual items - milk bottle caps, stones or shoes. Collectibles are no less common, such as Star Trek DVDs, travel brochures, insects, leaves, or bus tickets.

Interest in a particular topic, subject, or collection can be considered obsessive when of unusual intensity and duration. People with ASD very often have comprehensive information about the subject of their obsession, they can be interested in this subject for a very long time and experience very strong emotions about it.

There are several reasons why people with ASD may develop obsessions, including:

• obsessions provide structure, order, and predictability to help deal with the uncertainty of everyday life
• People who find social interaction too difficult may use special interests as an excuse to talk and increase self-confidence in social situations.
• obsessions help people relax and feel happy
• people can have a lot of fun learning new information about a particular subject or expanding their collection.

Repetitive behavior

"I quickly panic [in social situations]. And is it any wonder that in this case I want to isolate myself from the outside world in order to literally put my thoughts in order? That I start to sway to say myself to myself that my body still belongs to me? That I start talking to myself or moaning to block out external sounds and find out which thoughts belong to me? It seems to me that any person who perceives life in this way will do this, "adult person with autism.

Repetitive behaviors may include arm or hand swinging, finger movements, torso rocking, jumping, spinning and circling, head banging on floors or walls, and highly complex body movements.

Repetitive handling of an object, such as clicking a rubber band or fiddling with a piece of string, and repetitive motions combined with sensory experiences (eg, repetitive touching of a particular fabric or surface) are also common.

Many people with ASD have sensory sensitivity that is above or below normal in terms of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. This sensitivity can also relate to balance (vestibular system) and perception of one's own body (proprioception - knowledge of the position of parts of one's body and their movements). Repetitive behavior can be a way to deal with sensory sensitivity. For more information on this subject, see the article "The Sensory World of Autism".

Although the repetitive behavior varies from person to person, the reasons for this behavior can be the same:

• trying to get sensory input, eg rocking can be a way to stimulate the vestibular system; arm waving can provide visual stimulation
• an attempt to reduce sensory input, such as focusing on a particular sound to help disconnect from a noisy, highly stressful environment; This is most often seen in social situations.
• way to cope with stress and anxiety, disconnect from the uncertain reality. Some adolescents and adults may suddenly develop old repetitive behaviors, such as arm waving or rocking, if they are experiencing severe anxiety or stress.
• a source of pleasure and a way to pass the time.

Prone to routine and resistance to change

"The reality of an autistic person is a confusing, interconnected mass of events, people, places, sounds and pictures... Establishing a routine, a specific time, the same routes and rituals - all this helps to bring an unbearably chaotic life in order . Attempts to keep uniformity in everything reduce the monstrous fear a little" (Jolliffe (1992) in Howlin (1998), pp.201-202).

Many people with ASD have a very strong propensity for routine and monotony. Routines serve a very important function—they bring order, structure, and predictability to help manage anxiety. For this reason, disruption of a person's habitual routine can cause a lot of stress.

Sometimes even small changes cause great stress, such as moving from one activity to another. For other people, big events such as holidays, birthdays, or Christmas, which are associated with change and confusion, cause great anxiety. Unexpected changes are usually the hardest to deal with.

Some people with ASD have a daily routine that allows them to know exactly what is going to happen and when. However, the need for routine and monotony can go much further.

• Difficulty due to any change in the physical environment (for example, the arrangement of furniture in the room), the presence of new people, or the absence of familiar people
• Strong preferences for food (eg, only eats one particular color), clothing (wears only certain fabrics), or everyday objects (uses only one brand of soap or only one brand of toilet paper)
• the need for a rigid routine in relation to daily events, such as during meals or when going to bed. Such a routine can turn into real rituals when a person requires very detailed compliance with all the conditions and sequence of actions.
• verbal rituals where a person constantly asks the same questions and needs the same specific answer
• compulsive behavior, such as constantly washing hands or checking door locks. This doesn't always mean you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but if you're concerned about this possibility, you should discuss it with your doctor.

A person's dependence on routine can increase dramatically during times of life change, stress, or illness. During these periods, routines may become more detailed and ritualistic, as well as more meaningful (Attwood, 1998). In some cases, addiction to routines increases dramatically or reappears during adolescence.

Routines can have a huge impact on the lives of people with ASD, their families and loved ones, but it is possible to reduce a person's dependence on them.

Is it an obsession or just a hobby?

We all have hobbies or interests and (for the most part) we prefer to follow a certain routine. Here are five questions to help you distinguish between ordinary hobbies and interests and obsessive behavior:

• Does the person engage in this behavior when under extreme stress? Are there signs that the person is trying to resist this behavior? (For example, a person who is waving his arms tries to sit on his hands so that he does not wave them anymore).
• Can a person stop this behavior on their own?
• Does behavior affect a person's learning?
• Behavior limits a person's social opportunities?
• Does the behavior cause problems for other people, such as parents and family members? (Clements and Zarkowska, 2000)

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, it may be worth considering helping your child reduce their obsessive or repetitive behavior.

However, think about whether you will really help the child if you start to limit a particular type of behavior. Does this behavior really create serious problems for the child, you, or other family members?

Focus on developing skills that your child can use instead of repetitive or compulsive behavior. Try to understand the function of this behavior, and then make small, very gradual changes with consistency and persistence. Here are some ideas that might help you.

How to respond: understanding and intervention

Understanding the function of this behavior

Obsessions, repetitive behaviors and routines are often very important and meaningful for people with ASD - they help them cope with anxiety and gain some control over confusing and chaotic world. Other people need this behavior to cope with sensory problems. Try to identify what you think is causing this behavior and what purpose it serves.

For example, is it difficult for your child to be in certain environments, such as the classroom at school? Maybe it's too bright in here? Can you turn off the lights and rely only on daylight?

Early Intervention

Repetitive behaviors, obsessions and routines are harder to change the longer they last. Behavior that may be acceptable for a young child may be unacceptable for an adult, but by then, it may no longer be amenable to change. For example, if a very young child is obsessed with shoes and touches shoes on strangers, then this is a small problem, but if a teenager or adult does the same, especially if it is about strangers, then obviously this will lead to trouble.

It is advisable that you start setting limits on repetitive behavior from an early age. Continue to monitor for new behaviors as your child grows.

How to respond: increase the structure of the environment

Try to make the child's environment and life (including social situations as possible) as structured as possible. This will increase the child's sense of control and reduce his anxiety. If anxiety decreases, then the need for repetitive behavior and routine will decrease over time. Here are some tips to help improve the structure of a child's life.

Visual support

Visual support, such as photographs, symbols, written lists, or objects, can be of great help to people with ASD.

A visual routine will help your child always see what is going to happen next (eg what is going to happen during the day). This routine increases predictability and helps the child feel ready for future events. A visual routine can reduce a child's dependence on routines they create on their own.

Visual aids such as timers, alarm clocks, and "timers" can help people with ASD understand the abstract concept of time, plan what they need to do and when to end an activity, and better understand the concept of waiting.

Visual support can also be helpful if your child is constantly asking the same question. One mother wrote down the answer to a question on paper, pinned it to the refrigerator, and every time her son asked a question, she told him to look at the refrigerator and read the answer. If your child can't read, you can use pictures instead of words.

Planning ahead

You can help your child cope with changes, stressful events or activities by planning ahead.

Life changes are inevitable, but people with ASD can take them very hard. It is not always possible to prepare for changes in advance, but try to warn your child about them as early as possible. Gradually introduce the idea of ​​a new person, place, thing, or circumstance to help your child cope better with change. Try to talk about an upcoming event or activity when everyone is relatively relaxed and content. Visual presentation of this information can be a good idea, as your child can refer to it as often as needed.

Calendars can be used so that the child always knows how many days are left until an event such as New Year's Eve. This will help him feel ready. It is advisable to show the child photos of new places, objects or people in advance - so the child will know what to expect. For example, you can show a photo of his New Year's gift (children with ASD don't always like surprises), and if you go to an institution, you can show a photo of the building in which it is located.

Social stories can also be helpful. These are short stories, often with pictures, that describe different situations or activities. The use of social stories allows people with ASD to know in advance what to expect.

Pre-planning also includes the structuring of the environment. For example, a student with ASD may sit at the computer in the library if it is too difficult for him to be on the playground. And if the child suffers from sensory hypersensitivity, then exposure to sensory stimuli, such as loud noises (school bell) or smells (perfume or soap), can be minimized in advance.

In addition, a more organized environment reduces boredom, which can be one of the causes of repetitive behavior. You can prepare pleasant and soothing activities for your child in advance to switch to them if he starts to show signs of boredom or stress.

How to Respond: Skill Development

Self-Regulation Skills

Self-Regulation Skills are any activities that allow your child to manage their emotions and behavior.

If you help your child recognize when they are feeling stressed or anxious and use alternative actions (eg, relaxation exercises, seeking parental help), repetitive and ritualistic behavior will decrease over time.

Research shows that if a person becomes more aware of their obsessive or repetitive behavior, then it is significantly reduced. The same applies to people with severe intellectual disabilities (Koegel et al, 1995 in Howlin, 1998).

Social skills training

Social skills training, such as how to start and end a conversation, what to talk about with other people, and how to identify “cues” in another person’s behavior (for example, if another person raises their eyebrows, it means they are wants to say something or object to your words), helps a person with ASD to become more confident in communicating with other people. Such confidence reduces the need for intrusive talk about the same subject or special interest.

Coping with change

We have already discussed how you can prepare your child for change. However, if unexpected changes occur and your child finds it difficult to cope, try to switch him to a calming activity, or encourage him to use simple calming techniques, such as breathing exercises.

You can use praise and rewards each time your child copes well with change. In the long run, this will help the child increase their tolerance for change.

Try alternative activities

One way to stop a child's repetitive behavior is to find another, equally enjoyable activity that will perform the same function. Here are some examples:

• If your child is rocking for sensory stimulation, you might want to try the swing.
• If a child waves his fingers in front of his face for visual stimulation, he can play with a kaleidoscope and a bubble gun.
• If the child puts non-edible objects in his mouth, you can give him a bag of edible alternatives (which provide a similar sensory experience), such as raw pasta or vermicelli, seeds or nuts.
• If a child smears his feces, you can give him plasticine as a substitute.

How to Respond: Set Limits

Setting limits on repetitive behaviors, routines and obsessions is a very important and often critical way to minimize their impact on your child's life. There are several types of restrictions:

• restrict objects (you can only carry five stones in your pocket)
• limit time (you can only watch Thomas the Tank Engine DVD for 20 minutes twice a day)
• limit places (you can rotate in one place only at home).

All people involved in your child's life should be consistent in setting limits. Develop the most specific rules: when, where, with whom and for how long this or that behavior is allowed. You can present this information visually. The main focus should be on when your child can practice this behavior - this will reduce anxiety associated with accessing obsessions or favorite activities.

Here is one example of setting limits:

Identify a repetitive behavior, obsession, or routine that makes you anxious. Jane loves to talk about trains. Jane now starts talking about trains within the first ten seconds of any conversation, and continues to talk about trains for an average of 15 minutes.

Think about what reasonable limits your child can handle for this behavior. Behavioral changes will succeed and not cause much stress to your child only if you start small and progress very slowly. Jane is allowed to talk about trains no earlier than 20 seconds after the start of the conversation and no longer than 5 minutes. She is also undergoing social skills training.

Gradually increase limits and set new limits. Jane can talk about trains no more than three times a day. Then, Jane is only allowed to talk about trains three times a day with her family members. The ultimate goal is for Jane to only talk about trains with family members, no longer than one minute and no more than twice a day.

If you are limiting obsessions or repetitive behaviors, then you need to think about what your child will do instead of this behavior: maybe he should join a hobby group or club; start going to the sports section; enroll in training courses.

How to respond: use obsessions

Obsessions can be used to enhance a child's skills and interests, increase their self-esteem and motivate them to interact with others. You can analyze this or that obsession and think about how to make it more functional. Here are a few examples:

• An obsessive interest in computers can develop into an education and a successful job in the IT field.
• If a person's special interest is historical dates, then he can join a history club and meet people who have similar interests.
• A person with comprehensive knowledge of a sport or music can become a "star" in a fan club.
• An obsessive interest in garbage can develop into an interest in waste disposal and the problem of sorting garbage, the child may begin to sort garbage and take it to recycling.
• An interest in a certain kind of sound can be reborn as an interest in playing a musical instrument.
• A strong passion for order and arranging objects in one line can develop into housekeeping skills.

You can also use obsessions to motivate and reward your child. For example, after the least favorite activity (doing homework), the child gets the opportunity to do what he loves (for example, extra time at the computer).

If you and other people in the child's environment begin to show interest in his favorite topic or activity, this will help build relationships and increase the child's self-esteem.

"Attention to the special interest of the child will allow parents to improve communication, and to a degree that previously seemed impossible" - a young man with Asperger's syndrome.

How to Respond: Summary

• Ask yourself if this obsession, routine or repetitive behavior is really limiting the child's life opportunities, causing stress or discomfort and interfering with learning. If not, why interfere?
• Think about the function of a repetitive behavior, routine, or obsessive interest. What does your child get from them?
• Intervene early: Establish gradual limits on repetitive behaviors or compulsive interests from an early age (and watch for new types of such behaviors).
• Try to make the child's world as structured and predictable as possible. Try to use visual support (such as a daily routine), social stories, and pre-planning strategies to prepare your child for a potentially stressful event. These strategies can reduce dependence on routines and repetitive behaviors.
• Help your child develop new skills, such as learning social skills, applying relaxation techniques, or recognizing one's own emotions.

  ---

  Learn more
  • 
    I caught my 12 year old daughter
  • 
    How to not eat when stressed
  • 
    Homeopathic supplements for depression
  • 
    Best denomination for introverts
  • 
    Break off affair
  • 
    Question to ask your boyfriend about yourself
  • 
    I hardly ever wash my hands
  • 
    Adhd and childhood obesity
  • 
    Making your own decision
  • 
    Fighting and relationships
  • 
    Can a narcissist really love you