ASD Number boy-

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Hi, Wrong Planet Community.

I am a mum of 3.5 years old boy and we found out he is on Spectrum a year ago.

He has severe speech impairment and is delayed in all areas. He loves numbers and alphabets so much and I think he has hyperlexia as well.

Although he has severe speech impairment and delays, He operates computer and use microsoft words and type and do other word things so much better than my parents. He can count/write numbers up to 1000 and he started writing words and reading very easy sentence. He plays math games, alphabet games within online learning site for kids. His level in the site is somewhere between Kindy and year1. I suspect he can do addition and substruction.

He was heavily doing visual stimming and other sensory seeking activities when he got the diagnosis. He stopped those stimming and sensory seeking activities once he started fixating on number and alphabets so much.

But now he started them again. I think he is bored. I don't know what to do...

I would like to ask you if you have any kids like my son or yourself on spectrum and had/have very strong interest in numbers, what did you/your kid enjoy most in early childhood?

Any posts and information are appreciated.

You can give him more advanced math books like 1st grade, 2nd grade, etc.
I was a numbers kid too, but besides numbers, I also spent a lot of time building with blocks.

^ I was thinking of building with blocks too. I adored making stuff when I was very young (still do). I used to stim until around the age of 5 when it transformed into counting in my head. I still count now at the age of 54. Maybe try him with some geometrical toys. Is he too young to play with spirograph or similar geometric pattern creators?

Is it ok if I ask you a few more questions? It's hard to give you advice or information because I'm not 100% certain what you're asking. Is it the stimming that you want advice about? Or the fixation on numbers and letters? Are you wondering where to find out information about raising a child with ASD? Or are you just asking if anyone else has gone through the same experiance?

As toddler I would stack blocks for hours.

Hi, Thank you for your posting. I am overwhelmed in very happy way.

AdamK, I think My question was kind of too general and Probably, What I want to ask you more here is opinion from Adults on spectrum. As a parent of a boy on spectrum, I do a lot of guessing.. I guess those therapists who are helping kids on spectrum are doing a lot of guessing as well. I believe that insight and opinion from Adults on spectrum are really valuable.

I have to use my son's fixation to use for his development otherwise he will be staring doors opening and closing all day long. I am ok with his fixation and his stimming. I now know he stims when he is bored. I can possibly stop his stimming once he starts doing something he likes.


My mission is finding something that he gets into and I would like to use his special interests for his development and play activities.. I want him to enjoy his life. I thought I can achieve this by asking wrong planet community for opinions from individuals who have similar interests to my sons.

I think I am more like, asking if any adults on spectrum have gone through the same experience.

Thank you, TallyMan. Your posting saying you stopped stimming when you started counting at age5 really confirmed my guess was right. My son stopped stimming completely this year because his fixation or interest on number was far greater than one to stimming. I am very interested to know what counting numbers brings you in your life. Is it calming you or does it make you happier? or does numbers related to other special interests?

btbnnyr, I will try math books. Thank you!!

Lumi, and btbnnyr. Thank you for your posting. We have been trying to get him play with blocks for past 2 years. He doesn't line up or stack or build anything with blocks at all... All he does it replicating situation of opening and closing elevator or train doors with a set of two identical blocks. He just stim with blocks.. With blocks have number sticker on, He does very little blocks so that he can see number for example, "74" joining two blocks together.. But I am going to continue teaching him how to play with blocks. As that is favourite of almost everyone here. He will start liking it eventually.

For me number counting began when I started school. I had lots of problems fitting in with the other kids and they used to make fun of me for waving my arms up and down. This was in 1965/66 and very little was known about autism and Asperger's was unheard of. I was sufficiently normal to attend regular school where I was just considered somewhat weird and a loner by everyone. One day I discovered that if I started counting in my head; stuck in a loop 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and repeat, repeat etc this soothed the sensation of being overwhelmed or the stress of dealing with the other kids. This counting became a sort of invisible stim. I used to count 1=left forearm, 2=upper left arm, 3=my chest, 4=upper right arm, 5=lower right arm, then repeat the sequence going the other way to balance it out, then repeat and repeat...

Even today I spend much of the day counting, especially when stressed. I notice I do it too when talking to people I don't know - my fingers tap out the numbers on my leg while I talk. I often catch myself when I get up to 100 and didn't really notice I was counting. The counting has also blended with geometry too and I often visualise various geometric shapes in wire-frame view and either count from one corner to the next or count the edges or the sides of the shapes in my mind, trying to touch all of them without missing any or touching any more than once.

Hi, Tallyman.

Thank you for your posting. Your story about numbers and shapes is very fascinating.

My boy never lined up things before but He just started lining up numbers and alphabets magnets.

It seems that visual thinkers use geometry in their minds and May be you are visual thinker.

I really do not know what is going on my sons head. I am trying to figure out every day.

I am not sure numbers calm you because you like them or numbers calm you that's why you like numbers.

But from your post, I can see they are very important in your life and probably, my son feels the same way.

I am going to buy spirograph set. Thank you.

I'm no good with numbers because of dyscalcula. But to keep occupied when I was little I did a lot of coloring (scribbling) and playing with modeling clay and stacking legos. These days I keep myself occupied by making 17000 posts on 3 forums in a year aha. But you know there's times when I'm very happy just staring and stimming.

My grandson liked doing activity books. We got them for him so he could practice putting pressure on the pencil.
He especially liked the dot-to-dot ones. He could sit for hours and do an entire book in one sitting.
He also liked doing jigsaw puzzles. It was so amazing how quickly and easily he did them so we kept getting him bigger ones with more and more pieces.
When he started kindergarten, his teacher told me he was really good at number sequencing. Must have been because of all the dot-to-dot books he did!

Hi,
My daughter was hyperlexic when she was the same age as your son. We encouraged her interest in alpha-numeric symbols and it seems to have developed her latest obsession (she changes these every few months) in geographic and weather maps as well as doodling music notes which she hums.

You might want to think about getting him a children's tablet (Android, Apple, etc.). Lot's of great visual apps for kids to do with math and stuff.

Just don't let him spend all his time on it.

eggheadjr,
I was trying to get Assistive technology software on his iPad but Today, I was told the idea is not supported by Speech Therapist and Special Ed teacher. Because by doing so, my son might get more and more addicted to the Technology( I mean "Technology in General such as iPad, PC, the Interent).. But I will get math one on iPad or PC. Thank you.

cyberdad,
Thank you. Music note sounds good because my son likes listening to music with hamming and dancing.. I may be able to introduce him how music is written on papers.

Marybird.
Thank you. Finally, I think my son is ready for activity book because he is now really into number activity book with stickers. So, He might start using marker to write on activity book if I buy one for him. But I think I need to buy one in a lot of colors.

EzraS,
Thank you. My son's obsession with number/letters is really big and we really need to include those in his plays everywhere. Clay or play doh with number cutters , scribbling numbers, lego must have number stickers on them... My son never touched clay or play doh until recently.. I am happy to see that my son plays with Clay /play doh like any other kids.