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Thinking in Video- how to turn it off

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Didrichs
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22 Apr 2013, 5:58 am

My 7 year old son with Autism tells me he can replay videos in his head, I tell him that must be a lot of fun, however recently he has been saying that he doesn't like having videos in his head anymore, that he doesn't want to be like this. It usually happens (asking me to help him turn off the video in his head) before he goes to school , which he loves, and I know when he's playing a video in his head (either tv or an event he really enjoyed), he is less available to focus or interact with his friends, which he dearly wants to do.
I have tried replacing the video with thoughts of a fun event, like a birthday party, that is a bit vaguer as it hasn't happened yet. Ultimately I want him to love who he is and his special talents but for it not to get in the way of what he wants to do. I want him to love being able to think in video but to transition out of it when it suits him.
Any ideas?



neilson_wheels
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22 Apr 2013, 10:04 am

I don't think you can turn this off.

If this is the way his brain functions then he needs help to accept it or redirect it.

It's not necessarily fun, it's just the way he is.

Future projections are not likely to be any help, too abstract.

Can I suggest that less TV time might be better, it can be an amazingly overstimulating media.

Does he watch TV before school? This would not be a good primer for his day in my opinion.



Didrichs
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22 Apr 2013, 10:36 am

neilson_wheels wrote:
I don't think you can turn this off.

If this is the way his brain functions then he needs help to accept it or redirect it.

It's not necessarily fun, it's just the way he is.

Future projections are not likely to be any help, too abstract.

Can I suggest that less TV time might be better, it can be an amazingly overstimulating media.

Does he watch TV before school? This would not be a good primer for his day in my opinion.

He watches very little TV which has helped. No, no tv before school, the video in his head was all of our reactions getting new pet rabbits the day before



neilson_wheels
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22 Apr 2013, 11:02 am

A very exciting and stimulating time for everyone.

There are a couple of threads in this forum about visual thinking at the moment.

He needs information that everyone has a different way of thinking and his is unique to him.

With time and assurance he should be more able to control his visual thinking.

I doubt he will be able to supplant memories with imaginative thought processes.

Good memories are good for his future help him to build up the library.



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22 Apr 2013, 3:16 pm

Sounds like OCD. Intrusive thoughts. It's very common in autism.


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Son: Diagnosed w/anxiety and ADHD. Also academic delayed and ASD lv 1.

Daughter: NT, no diagnoses. Possibly OCD. Is very private about herself.


Didrichs
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22 Apr 2013, 3:31 pm

neilson_wheels wrote:
A very exciting and stimulating time for everyone.

There are a couple of threads in this forum about visual thinking at the moment.

He needs information that everyone has a different way of thinking and his is unique to him.

With time and assurance he should be more able to control his visual thinking.

I doubt he will be able to supplant memories with imaginative thought processes.

Good memories are good for his future help him to build up the library.

Thank you Neilson thinking of the videos as simply memories makes me understand more, Josh is a calendar calculator and has an incredible memory for the date and day of something that happened. It makes my wispy memories distinctly dull in comparison. Temple Grandin recently talked about building up a video catalogue of experience which she can access better as she gets older, i.e. it gets more and more useful. I will try and access the video and post a link.

In terms of OCD (not something I know a lot about) It would be obsessive in that it can fill his mind to the exclusion of all others, and also in the qualitative way he tries to 'stop the video' but can't. Its just that I want to help him with and feel a bit helpless about when he tells me to help him stop the video.



neilson_wheels
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22 Apr 2013, 3:41 pm

I understand that you feel helpless about this, you need to accept the way his brain works so that you can help him to accept it for himself.



Didrichs
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22 Apr 2013, 3:45 pm

neilson_wheels wrote:
I understand that you feel helpless about this, you need to accept the way his brain works so that you can help him to accept it for himself.

I really admire how he thinks, I guess he will work a way to manage it.



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22 Apr 2013, 4:17 pm

I'm sure you will find a way together, sounds like you are very supportive.

As League Girl said intrusive thoughts are common, there is a large overlap between ASD and OCD.



Didrichs
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22 Apr 2013, 4:24 pm

neilson_wheels wrote:
I'm sure you will find a way together, sounds like you are very supportive.

As League Girl said intrusive thoughts are common, there is a large overlap between ASD and OCD.

Thank you. I am very interested in what is considered to be obsessive and what is not, I see it is so often in the eye of the observer as what is useful/ appropriate.



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23 Apr 2013, 8:38 am

The obsessive character is closely related to anxiety, reduce any stress for him, the less likely that it will develop to be a problem. I'm sure you can keep a positive spin on this for him.

Intrusive thoughts for me are generally or wholly negative and this affects my life greatly.



Didrichs
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21 Jun 2013, 3:52 pm

neilson_wheels wrote:
The obsessive character is closely related to anxiety, reduce any stress for him, the less likely that it will develop to be a problem. I'm sure you can keep a positive spin on this for him.

Intrusive thoughts for me are generally or wholly negative and this affects my life greatly.

Hi Neilson

Joshua has sorted this for himself, he decided as his teacher and assistant did not believe he is playing videos in his head which he finds hard to turn off or put to the background of his thoughts, he would have to remove the source of the videos which are the most difficult for him, so he, at age 6 , has decided to not watch TV, go to the cinema or play video games until he's a bit older and may be able to manage them better, especially video games or wii, which he says 'plays on and on for ages in his head'

Very proud of the lad!



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21 Jun 2013, 4:27 pm

That's good to hear. Best wishes.



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21 Jun 2013, 5:08 pm

Didrichs wrote:
My 7 year old son with Autism tells me he can replay videos in his head, I tell him that must be a lot of fun, however recently he has been saying that he doesn't like having videos in his head anymore, that he doesn't want to be like this. It usually happens (asking me to help him turn off the video in his head) before he goes to school , which he loves, and I know when he's playing a video in his head (either tv or an event he really enjoyed), he is less available to focus or interact with his friends, which he dearly wants to do.
I have tried replacing the video with thoughts of a fun event, like a birthday party, that is a bit vaguer as it hasn't happened yet. Ultimately I want him to love who he is and his special talents but for it not to get in the way of what he wants to do. I want him to love being able to think in video but to transition out of it when it suits him.
Any ideas?

you COULD suggest to him that he replace the "video" in his head with a "live feed" video instead, the "live feed" being the real life experience, only since it is still a video [albeit a live video] he wouldn't have to "turn it off" but change the channel when he wants to. just a jejune thought. :idea:



Didrichs
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21 Jun 2013, 5:34 pm

you COULD suggest to him that he replace the "video" in his head with a "live feed" video instead, the "live feed" being the real life experience, only since it is still a video [albeit a live video] he wouldn't have to "turn it off" but change the channel when he wants to. just a jejune thought. :idea:[/quote]
I will try this, he does experience a live feed and closes his eyes/ears to turn that off, but says it is the easier to stop.
Interestingly it seems the video experience plays on his perception of reality- he said 'you can walk through this video' (his live stream of our living room' but not THAT video' (the TV)