Walking around with toy in hand......

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Registered: 02-24-2004
Walking around with toy in hand......
6
Sat, 08-27-2005 - 7:36pm

I came across this interesting question while I was lurking on another board. A woman stated that her son had this need to always have something in his hand. I'm not sure if it was for fidgeting reasons or just part of his routine. Anyway, she wanted to know if this was common for children on the spectrum. When I read this, I realized that Nathan does the same thing. When we're at home, he always has a little toy in his hand. He doesn't fidget, and he doesn't carry the same toy around everyday (his interest changes hourly!!) But he always has something in his hand. It's usually some action figure, and he always has to have ALL of their gear on....appropriately of course. God forbid anyone touches it or changes ANYTHING on it!!! Sorry....I had to clarify that! LOL

Anyway, do any of your kids do this too??? Right now he's carrying around a guy from Star Wars, he and Tyler just finished watching episode II. I'm sure he'll carry this around for awhile, and then switch to someone or something else.

Michelle

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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sat, 08-27-2005 - 11:18pm

Cait did this and at home most of the time still does. Usually a little plastic animal. When she was a toddler up til probably at least 4 or 5, maybe older, she would carrying as many things as her little hands would hold. She would even eat with a little animal in her hands.

Heck I am looking right now and she has a beanie baby and book in one hand while she cleans with the other (they are picking up the play room). I have finally decided to get over the constant "Cait you could clean faster if you would put down the other toy".

Oh, and she sniffs them constantly too. Yep, as she is going around she doesn't even realize how often the object in hand goes to the nose. Oh and for years when in school or any time she didn't have an object in her hand her fingers did this little weird rubbing stim thing. She did it really nonchalant so you would only notice if you were paying attention, but it was constant.

Mike only does it if he has some object he is obsessing on that he is worried about losing if he puts down.

Renee

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Registered: 06-10-2004
Sun, 08-28-2005 - 5:20am
I teach students with autism in elementary school - there are 8 kids in my class and 5 of them HAVE to be holding something (for one it's always a ruler or something similar, for one it's a tiny baby doll or mini-stuffed-animal, and for one it's anything round - ring toss rings, plastic plates, OR something in each hand (2 slinkies, 2 rulers, 2 pencils, etc.) for the others it can be anything but always something) ... the other 3 will do this occassionally but not constantly
Most of my kids don't fidget with the item, they just hold it - they can still do their work or whatever - the little boy who likes round things or 2 things, he will use the round items to "drive" (especially when we are walking in line or riding the bus) and makes car noises or he will make the two items "dance" (shake them in front of him and bang them on the table/desk) while he sings (loudly) sometimes - and since he uses both hands, he has to lay them inside his desk while he does his work (but he reaches in and touches them every few seconds)
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Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 08-28-2005 - 11:46am

yep,

matty has been doing that for as long as i can remember. it's usually something long and thin. it started off being straws when he was 18 mos old. when he is in the back yard, he finds sticks and does the same thing. it's usually out of the house that he does it.

valerie

~Valerie
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Registered: 03-27-2003
Tue, 08-30-2005 - 9:58am

Jack does this too.

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Registered: 05-26-2000
Tue, 08-30-2005 - 10:21am

Josh used to do that all of the time! We had about a year of having to hold toothbrushes at all times (he had a very extensive toothbrush collection), then it changed to wanting to hold circles (try to find a plain old circle in a store LOL)then he switched to having a lightsaber that goes with a star wars action figure. I can't say that he has "had" to have anything in his hand(s) recently, but he generally does have something. Really though, until reading these posts I didn't realize that it wasn't NT. Very interesting. I am already learning so much from everyone here.

HTH
Heather

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Registered: 03-31-2003
Tue, 08-30-2005 - 12:52pm

Hi Michelle,

I haven't read the other responses yet, but YES! David does something very similar. I wouldn't say that he always has to have something in his hand, but he does ALWAYS have to bring something whenever we go out. He also has to have something with him when he gets ready for bed. It's usually some kind of Bionicle/Lego guy, or possibly the guy and his vehicle. The thing that is tough is that sometimes it is simply a Lego mini-figure or something that takes little or no time to build, and other times it's the 1000 piece Borakh Queen. And he doesn't seem to differentiate between the two. He gets the urge to have a have a character with him, and if it just happens to be one that takes an hour to build, he doesn't see why that might be a problem. He has learned to compromise a bit sometimes...but only sometimes. I'm so glad that I finally understand about the AS, because a couple of years ago, when David would INSIST on doing this stuff at bedtime or on the way out the door, I'd get so frustrated, and sometimes just plain angry. Now I understand his need to have "someone" with him, so I try to keep on top of things and remind him that "now is a good time to pick out who you want to carry with you".

Evelyn, mom of David 7, AS; Nathan, 4