Sons compulsion to pump soap / lotion dispensers??

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so, I put up all the shampoo, conditioners, toothpaste, soap, lotion... anything liquid... then tonight he decides to take the cup from the bathtub (we use it for washing hair) and fill it with water and pour it all over the bathroom. Soooo.... I'm wondering if its more the effect of covering things with liquid than the pumping the soap, or maybe even both..... oye.... good thing he's so cute

My son is younger (3 1/2) but has similar tendencies. I'm potty training him now and sometimes he fibs and says "toilet" but once we get into the bathroom he bypasses the toilet, grinning from ear to ear and pulls out his step stool and stands in front of the sink and says "washa yo hands?" over and over. For a few days he was also grabbing a plastic cup and the measuring scoop from my neti pot and then "washa yo hands" meant he wanted the water to run while he filled the cup and scoop and dumped them out over and over. So I hid them. Then I put a new soap dispenser in the bathroom that his grandmother had given us a while ago that I didn't want to use because it contains a preservative that my sons skin couldn't tolerate when he was younger and I refuse to buy but I didn't want to throw it out because it foams and has a purple hippo on it and I knew he'd like it so ... now "washa yo hands" means he wants to use the hippo soap dispenser. I won't let him wash more than once though in spite of his tricks, it's sort of serving as a reward for him using the potty now because he really wants to use it. He also loves squirt bottles, during the warmer months (I don't let him play with it in the winter though he sometimes still asks for his "squirkits") he likes to take a squirt bottle outside and waters the dandelions and neighbor's mailboxes. I just hide the stuff when it gets to be a problem. And yes, it's a good thing he's cute.

Plan a messy playtime where he can dump, pour,squirt and pump all he likes and emphasis the time and place for such activities. If it becomes a regular planned activity he may get the idea - just be consistent on where it is allowed to be done and when.

Yup, really sounds like some messy sensory play might help.

Put towels down on a tile or lino floor, provide a basin or baby bath of water, cups, jugs, funnels, pump dispensers etc. etc. You might get some quiet time. Afterwards wipe down the floor with the towels and throw them in the washing machine. Bonus: mopped floor.

Other ideas for pouring and soap fun:
A basin of dry rice with cups, jugs, funnels, spoons - bonus: no floods
A basin or tray with shaving foam - bonus: clean hands

Squishing fun:
A strong ziploc bag containing some clear liquid dish soap or similar, glitter and small water tolerant toys. Duct tape the bag closed. Bonus: no mess.

The first time I gave DS play-doh, there was 20 mins of complete silence and concentration. It was unreal!

Have you asked your son why he loves doing it so much?

you should try making gloop, it's just cornflour and water until it's a slightly thick texture but when you hold it, it turns into liquid and falls through your fingers, but you can pick it up and roll it in a ball and then it 'melts', it's really cool and keeps kids and adults busy for ages. Or if you have a garden with some slates or a shed you could get buckets of water and a paintbrush and he could 'paint' the slates or shed.
Water is quite a cool thing to people with Autism.

My daughter has always loved pump bottles, squirt bottles, pouring, anything to do with water. She also likes slimy textures like soap. She'll paint the shower walls with shampoo if she gets the chance. Still does, and she's 10. I always figured there was a need to do this even if I didn't understand it so let her do it in places and ways that were safe and relatively cheap. I let her have cheap shampoo for the painting thing. It doesn't hurt to ration it some otherwise she can go through a whole bottle fast. Less than a dollar for a sensory toy sounds good to me. Cornstarch is cheap.

Its a button, buttons are kind of irrestisble, and does a fun thing. He might like the smell of the soap in there too. Get one for him, put something in it he likes and you don't mind him using, and let him play. As far as when and how much that's certainly up to you.