what does your asd child spend his time doing?

[beckle2000]

hi, very new here loads of questions to follow but at the moment i am struggling with the fact that if my son (4 in 2 months ) and i are in the house he just wants to watch telly or play on the i pad. i find it so hard to get him to do anything else i feel like he just doesnt enjoy anything else. you name it iv tried it baking painting drawing hiding...the list goes on. i can get involed sometimes at parts of his programmes that he copies, he is really into dinosaurs and anything with david attenborough... and we can roar at eachother or chase each other but its only on his terms and it never lasts long...i feel guilty leaving him to it. we do spend as much time as poss out the house he loves swimming and throwing stones in the river but its not always possible..is anyone dealing with something similar? any suggestions ?

Many thanks

[Dinkysmummy]

Oh my...
my daughter isn't diagnosed with anything yet, I just thought I'd read as I have made a friend in the playground whose son has just been diagnosed ASD.
My daughter is 5 in two weeks and she is exactly the same (I don't let her on my iPad anymore though because she used her hulk toy on it!)

All she does at home is watch her favourite films (over and over), play with hulk and the other avengers and jump on the bed.
I can't get her to do anything with me. I can only read to her at bedtime and she doesn't want to do anything with me.

Sorry I can't offer any advice, but my dd is doing similar.

X

[bigbluebus]

IIRC DS was into dinosaurs (had lots of plastic ones) Bob the Builder toys and books at age 4. He did watch some DVDs and a small amount of childrens tv too. Ipads didn't exist then though as it was 12 years ago!
I used to put on CDs of various children's songs - but DS never did the actions.
Now he is 16 he just plays on PC, PS3 or phone all day!

[DisAstrophe]

ds goes into his room and squeezes his toys. He loves his small world figurines. He doesn't play every imaginatively but he makes his dinos roar at each other and occasionally a daddy one rescues a baby one.

[Ineedmorepatience]

My Dd3 is 10, she watches probably too much TV mainly repeats or iplayer. She loves making power points on the laptop and going on the Tracy Beaker website.

When she moves from the sofa she enjoys hama beads and makes amazing symetrical patterns with them. She also likes craft and cooking. We also play board games although this doesnt work that well because she makes the rules up as she goes along and cheats if she is not winning

In her room she has playmobil city which she loses herself in for around an hour every now and then.

Tbh, she is really easy to have at home, definitely the easiest of my 3.

[Ineedmorepatience]

Sorry I meant to say Dd1 was like your Ds, she wanted to be out all the time and when we were at home she just ran around and jumped on the furniture and drew in the walls.

She was a nightmare, she is 24 now and still hyper, she has no diagnosis but I believe she has ADHD and Aspergers.

Keep trying different things with your Ds, as he gets older he might find something he likes. Maybe you could join a toy library so that you can offer lots of choice without it costing you an arm and a leg.

Good luck

[PoshCat]

No diagnosis here but ongoing assessments for severe speech delay, communication difficulties.

DD is 4. Likes running around, jumping off sofas, looking at favourite toys in catalogues, watching the same movies/clips on iPod over and over.

[WarmAndFuzzy]

DS1 - reads incessantly, can get through 2-3 chapter books a day easily. DS2 - right now into drawing incredibly detailed pictures, usually of a variety of monsters/people/mythical beasts fighting each other. And pyramids and palm trees (he's learned how to draw those).

Both also love playing with the cat and their hamsters, watching Scooby Doo films, and watching my husband play Starcraft (he does occasionally let them play). I do let them play with my iPad very occasionally but they have to earn it by doing their homework/Mathletics/writing practice. They also love their trampoline but the weather's been so bad they haven't managed to go out much so they're bouncing off the walls today despite trips to the library and pet shop.

[ouryve]

Odd Poltergoose? Sounds pretty normal to us.

Then again, we have all that, plus DS2 lining and pairing up socks and gloves, slobbering over mirros (sorry, Clarks, for the mess he left, this morning) playing with his Dinos and KidMiniz (all at once) or playing on his leapster and/or leappad.

[FightingForSurvival]

Sounds a bit like my son. He loves ipad, wii, DS etc. Also likes moonsand, play doh. He will join in activities like cake baking, painting but can lose interest half way through! We take him swimming, soft play, park etc and he likes playing outside when weather is nicer. He also likes going for a drive lol so we do sometimes do that and it's an opportunity for us to chat with him! I am trying to chill out about him using technology, it's great that its something he can do independently and it's a good time filler around other activities. When he was younger he was a nightmare in the house doing all sorts of random stuff, banging doors, climbing furniture, chucking stuff down the loo and I am very grateful we have moved on from that stage!! I tend to do his school learning stuff, reading and practising writing etc after his evening bath and he is very calm at that time.

[autumnsmum]

My ds 8yesterday has high functioning autism and he loves Xbox and Lego dd 3 who has autism loves her nabi tablet lining up little people and posting things behind the radiator

[Strongecoffeeismydrug]

DS 8 1/2 loves his computer and I pad, he would play on them all day if allowed but I do divert his attention to baking buns, jigsaws and I can get him to try mark making with sand or chalks now and again.
Trampoline in warmer is a big hit and tires him out so that is often encouraged.he also loves going in the car do we do lots of trips as he's very relaxed in the car and talks to us about his day :)

[flowwithit]

My ds is nearly 13 doesn't like going anywhere and would play minecraft 24/7 if he could. It's got more difficult to get him to do anything else now he is older so I am more slack with letting him enjoy minecraft as he has learnt quite a lot through doing it like not cheating or there are penalties and helping others build gives benefits. It's creative too so that makes me feel better about it. Trying to get him into golf for some exercise because he doesn't like other sports.

[troutsprout]

I'm guessing you want ideas for a little one?
Ds used to like...
Wooden train set, cars,making 3d paper models, remote controlled cars and aeroplanes, Lego , wooden blocks, trampoline , boomblox, knex, micro machines, runescape, tamagotchies Swings, scooter, science sets, hornby

Now he 15
He likes...
Roblox,Minecraft,raspberry pi, coding, Going to youth club, iPod , visiting anything industrial or museums or heritage railways, rigging up electronic stuff ( over my head) , talking to his sister.

[FightingForSurvival]

OP with new stuff, my lo often ignores it for a long time before playing with it. So if its a new puzzle, toy, crafty kit I just put it in the front room and don't mention. This happened with several Xmas pressies, one was a dressing up outfit of one of his favourite characters. He wouldn't go near it, I just left it overthe door in front room, I think it was around about 20th January before he asked to wear it lol. Sometimes it's much quicker, I think I just doesn't want to feel under pressure! There's a good book called More than Words, there's a section in there about joining in with their play rather than trying to lead it. I wish I had had this book when my lo was younger, he's five.

[gs27]

My DS who is 5 and has just started a medical SN assessment is the same, in the house he needs to be constantly stimulated by either watch TV, Wii, Laptop or Iphone etc etc - he will get me and my DH on the floor playing with hotwheels which is great but you cant help feeling guilty when you need to make tea or do housework and leave them playing on something - there is a website called Gridclub which you can join (Fee) and it is educational and there are also some great apps that teaches rather than gaming all the time. x

[used2bthin]

Dd is very keen on iPad atm too and its hard to get her to do other stuff but I find it goes in phases so next week it could be train tracks or a particular DVD. Also it's different things for different people,ie always hiding with a particular uncle,always pretend schools with my mum etc.

Memory cards is a good one for her too as she's great with visual stuff. Also we use a visual timetable for things like breakfast then iPad or whatever it is I'm trying to persuade her to do. Sometimes it works!

[devilinside]

Tormenting the guinea pigs, fighting with his sister and spending hours glued to the Moshi Monsters website.

[bishybashyboshy]

watching TV which he could quite happily do all day so we limit tv time and try to find anything which he can learn from rather than mind numbing rubbish, building then rebuilding with the same few pieces of lego into the same thing over and over, drawing pictures of robots which are usually blowing each other up . Does make you feel bad but when he doesn't want any interaction, or to do anything else, or go anywhere, that's what he wants to do so we just try to find different things for him to make from his lego or introducing other things which he can build with. We do make sure he spends some time during the day doing something with us as a family, and always show an interest in what he is doing any other time.

[YourHandInMyHand]

DS is 8 now.

At 4 he would like:
-spinning things around in front of his eye

• twirling a piece of my hair round and round
  
• lining things up
  
• watching Cbeebies and a few DVDs
  
• reciting the words from Bing stories and Dear Zoo
  
• bouncing (off walls or trampolines)
  

At 8 he likes to:

• play on his innotab
  
• play on his wii (this is a very new one)
  
• looks on youtube and google at the things he likes
  
• watches DVDs
  
• reads captain underpants books and draws comics of him
  
• LEGO
  
• Dr Who Character build (like lego)
  

I think you just have to go with their interests as much as you can. When DS liked Thomas we had Thomas bath toys, colouring in, crayons, a Thomas picture at the top of his timetable, etc - as well as all the Thomas toys. The challenge is getting their attention, holding it, and having a motivating factor - if DS wouldn't get anything out of it personally he wouldn't be interested.

[DisAstrophe]

Autumnsmum - ds loves posting too. He stopped doing it when he was five but has started up again aged 7! - we find knights behind the radiator, mini dinosaurs in the laundry basket and all manner of stuff posted between our bed and the wall.

[Awomansworth]

Another one here who's ds 4.10 loves to hide random objects (once found the liquid hand soap when I got into bed) all over the house... especially behind radiators, in the laundry basket and in the beds.

If left to play by himself, he would be happy just circling rooms "flying" things around. He can be directed to Ipad if only to watch his favourite sonic clips on youtube. (In spanish of course) He will join in games if directed though.

[Badvoc]

Yes to,dinosaurs and David Attenborough!!
He is older now so although he still loves dinosaurs and nature programmes, his interests have widened.
He enjoys swimming and riding his bike.
He really likes top gear now (sadly) and the bbc farm programmes.
He likes playing games on the iPad and sometimes watches you tube clips.