8 year old stacks cars......

Post Reply New Topic

My 8 year old has started stacking his cars in nice rows. he'll take paper and put a number on them and sit it in front of the cars. (only the trucks and larger cars go on the floor) Then he'll take boxes and stack all of the hot wheel cars in layers. I took some good pics of them.

He went to the restroom and I moved a few of the cars around out of line just a little bit. I watched him walk back through and look at them for a minute. Then he looked at us to see if we would respond to his look. Then he moved every car that I had moved back into place.

I waited a few minutes and asked him what he did? Was he making a car lot? He said no, he was just playing.

So he left the room again and I took one of the hot wheels and put it back in his toy box. I don't want this to sound like I'm being mean to him or picking with him. I'm just looking to see how observant he is.

He started playing and after about 10 minutes he came in the room and asked if the cat took one of his cars. I told him I was just looking at it. I bet the kid had 50+ little cars there. I gave it back.

Later that night the cat did come through and I guess GFG startled him and he jumped and messed up his row of trucks. He almost had a meltdown. He started screaming at the cat telling him that "he needed to leave his trucks alone."

Well....it was Thanksgiving and I'm sure that tensions were running high anyway. Someone suggested that he might have OCD. I told them that he goes for intake this week and testing in 2 weeks. It's probably just part of his Aspergers because that's the only compulsive thing he does. He could care less if his room is clean or where he puts anything. OTHER than stacking those cars & boxes.

It's an autism thing.

I stacked and lined stuff up, and I still do it.

I've got OCD too, I'd only stack/line up stuff with OCD if I thought something bad would happen if I didn't do it; compulsion due to the [irrational] obsession.

I took pics to show at intake. Very organized. But he's an unorganized child. If that makes sense. We have to hunt everything down....clothes, papers in his backpack, etc.

This is exactly what my nephew used to do which prompted his mother to do a bit more research about AS. That's how he got his diagnosis. I used to do this more as a child, but I don't do it as much anymore. I've been called out for arranging everything on my desk in right angles, compulsively stacking papers, etc in the past though. I don't really realize I'm doing it.

I'm actually excited about going to see the specialist this week. I know testing isn't for another 2 weeks but I see more and more everyday.

After the offical diagnosis we're going to have a talk with him about it. He's already becoming aware that some of his behaviors are different from other kids. I tell him it's fine. They did an IQ test on him and he tested at 135.

he finds it hard to understand how he is "smart" but makes C's in language and reading. I told him Albert Einstein was brilliant and had difficulty in school.

My sister was actually thrilled to have a name to put to how her child behaved. She was a bit freaked out by the possibilities of what his life might be (what parent isn't?) but she's come to understand more and more as he grows. Now that I've also started my road to diagnosis, I've shown her that you can grow up and be "okay" with AS. I'm not "normal" by any stretch of the imagination, but I get along fairly well.

Like your son, I have a high IQ but I did terribly in school as I got older and it became more about socialization and abstract concepts. I did wonderfully on tests, but every day assignments, in class interaction and stuff were always a problem for me.

Wow, apparently in playschool (nursery) I used to line up all the toy cars. Thought that might have just been a weird personal quirk.

My son does this, and so did my little brother. My son will spend hours lining up his toys in perfect little categories. People say that this is dysfuctional play, and he should be encouraged to play with his toys in an appropriate manner. I used to line up my toys, too. If those people only knew what a happy, euphoric feeling one can get from creating, and looking at such perfectly ordered lines of objects they wouldn't discourage it. It's a stim, but it relieves so much stress.

we associated the stacking & building at preschool level as normal. (Whatever that means)

His aspie traits didn't become "APPARENT" until the past few months. At 8 years old. I've been told that the stress of the 3rd grade (I've been told it's one of the more difficult grades) brought them out more.

BY the way. I bought him new pj's the other day. He ripped them off in his sleep because they were itchy. He will only wear fleece pj's & flannel sheets.

I encourage his new behaviors. I know that sounds strange. BUT....I'd rather him be happy & content in play (something he wants to do) than make him play something he doesn't want to. OR make him feel bad/stupid for something he takes interest in.

The only time I say something to him is if he's humming so loudly that we can hear him over the T.V.

Humming to himself is a new trait to. If you tell him to stop he'll say "I'm not" (humming)

It isn't stress. Around 8 is the time everyone changes. The brain just changes, and personality, capabilities, etc, may as well. BTW, that happened with me also. A number of people have said it has to do with the onset of puberty.

You just described my house to a "T". Both of my sons hum, and it gets louder, and louder... until you can't hear yourself think. My verbal son always says " I not!" when I ask him to please go to his room to hum when he gets way loud. He's 6, and has always had these sorts of behaviors.

I though puberty was playing a part in it too. I understand that lots of changes occur before puberty actually happens. Even though he's 8 & is the size of a 6/7 year old he looks like he's developing acne on his forehead. Even though it resembles "heat rash" more than actually acne. ONLY on his forehead.

He's discovered other things with his body BUT no physical changes yet.

Mine only hums when he's playing. He also picks at his nose a lot (allergies from hell) and I tell him not too all the time and he'll get mad (or sometimes not....just says it out of habit)

"I'm not"

it doesn't matter if you're watching him do it.

Yes....mine keeps getting louder & louder until you tell him to stop. Followed by "i'm not"

Actually, the changes I am talking about happen about 3 times. Once when VERY young, once around 8, and again around like 14 or so. the time around 8 seems to be the most noticeable as far as adverse effects. It is BEFORE all the changes you are thinking about, and some may only be noticed by HIM! But I have been to two AS forums, and it seems MANY, male and female, notice them. NTs have the same kinds of changes, but I guess they just don't notice them as much.

Hmmm....I remember the lining up of things. My son was extremely organized and rigid at lining things up at play but he is also the child that it's a good thing that heads are sewn on to bodies, because he'd forget it if it wasn't. Can't keep track of anything. Often says that he only knows his name because it's yelled at him all day! 8 wasn't so bad, but 12 hit like a ton of bricks. We also have the pj sensory issue thing. It's me and him both though, so a little easier to cope. Not much of a hummer, but often said things out of context at that age. He just didn't realise that we weren't all thinking about the same stuff all day that he was. Amazed when he figured it out, actually!