Sons compulsion to pump soap / lotion dispensers??

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Hey y'all... my 11 year old son has autism... he has a compulsion to pump soap and lotion... everywhere... I can't figure out how to get him to stop. I've tried giving him his own pump to use in the bathtub, time outs, taking things away, talking it out, he keeps doing it. Pumps it on the sink, the floor, on the toilet, and today into my shoes... just can't figure out what the compulsion is caused by and how to get him to stop. He seems to think it's funny, and he doesn't seem to be angry or upset, just keeps doing it... Any ideas??

I remember someone posting about something similar a while back. The solution then was simply to remove the soaps and lotions or keep them out of reach in a locked cupboard.

Yeah, just put the soaps where he can't get at them.

Yep, I've put everything in my master bathroom and locked the door. Hoping that he *forgets* about it in a month or so, then try to put them back out again. Just curious if y'all had any ideas

Is it the action of pumping or having the stuff come out? I mean would he be satisfied if you gave him an empty container and let him work the pump all he wants? It is not likely that you will be able to punish it out of him. He may, as you say, forget about it if he doesn't have any exposure to them and if he can replace that interest with something else. Try to find something else he can manipulate that would serve as a substitute. Hot Wheels cars work for us, we have hundreds of them.

I think the focus is on the stuff coming out... he loves, loves, loves bubbles. For a while I was using the foaming type soap, he loved that stuff. I switched back to regular liquid soap, thought it might help since it's more dense and no bubbles, but alas, no. I do have a couple empty pump bottles, maybe I will give them to him and let him pump them without mess.... we'll see. I think I'd like to steer clear of the activity all together. We too have tons of hotwheels/matchbox cars, probably well over 200. He seems to go thru phases with them; sometimes he is so obsessed they are on every possible walking surface in the house, other times (like now) they are safely tucked away in the bin and receive no notice from him. Maybe I will try to re-direct him to that.

I am not a Parent but I do have a Idea,

If he does not forget about the idea I had is to setup Boundaries like he gets to have one for only when he is taking a bath to were he can play with one, then teach him that the pump you set for him he can play with only when he was taking a bath. Basicly create a routine that when he takes a bath he gets his pump but after the bath the pump goes back in its own spot until the next time he takes a bath.

with me it was less messy I use to like switches like this Circuit breaker that I found in the garage I use to fidget with and do over and over because of the sound.

We should consider his condition, if we keep all the soaps and lotions in our house then he will think that we are taking his happiness away from him. Try this hope it will work, buy artificial soaps (plastic one) that even if he pump it it will not mess up.

The reason why he likes it is because its a predictable mechanical thing you press a button and something happens.

he may be upset in the short term but he will find something else

If it's the fact that he lkes to see the stuff come out, you can try this. Replace all your soaps an lotions wih empty dispensers. Have bar soap to use instead. Explain "Oh, that must be empty, use the regular soap" when he washes his hands or takes a bath. He may continue to pump them, but when nothing comes out, he will eventually get tired of it and then you can replace them with full ones.

That's just my suggestions. I"m the aspie in the family and my husband and kids are NT.

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well it would feel awesome wouldnt it, it's the pressure on your hand as you push the plunger thing down, it feels good and then cause and effect the soap squirts out, its just...brilliant.
i suppose you cant be having that everywhere though so you should make less...awesome, make the plungers less likeable, could you try sticking spikey bits on the plunger; i mean obviously not dangerous spikes but something to make the texture less enjoyable, the smooth plastic isnt a problem right now so make it less smooth and try to make it difficult to squeeze somehow so sensory wise it isnt that fun anymore.
other than that remove and replace with soap bars, we have an anti bacterial soap bar which is nice...but it gets everywhere

i think you should just give him soap dispensers well rinsed out with some water or nothing inside to play with and leave the handwashing down to soap bars rather than liquid soaps, everyone is happy then

mustard, syrup, ketchup, anything with a squirt top. I took him a bottle with red yarn in it, when you squeezed it, the yarn would come out and a course the string would go back in when released, he still uses it today an thats been five years ago. our son would pour out whole gallons of milk, so I stated putting dry cereal and a glass along with the empty milk jug for his morning breakfast, which finally stopped him of he got tired of palying the game with me one. but with soap!! don't know if the same premise would work!