Repetitive behaviors question

[Anonymous]

DS keeps making the same art project over and over again and it's now been weeks. DS seems to be enjoying the activity and doesn't seem to have any goal about perfecting the project or anything like that. He's happy to throw away the pieces when he's done and it doesn't seem to cut in to his time with friends or other activities. Does this count as a type of repetitive behavior? What function does this behavior serve? Should we be concerned or is this perfectly normal? The project is kind of like a simple craft. Think paper airplanes but with some coloring but it's not that. I don't know where he got the idea.

[Anonymous]

Autism is much more than making the same paper airplane several times.

[Anonymous]

No. This is actual very typical of kids. They watch the same movie many times; will repeat the same activity over and over as your son is doing, do many activities again and again. This is how kids master material. Children do not absorb everything (or almost everything) the way adults do. They don't have the experience for that. They need to repeat a project, see a movie, or read a book several times to do it. They may read their magazines again and again.

Doing a project over and over may also be a part of enjoyment of a new hobby or craft and may be soothing and doesn't have to be about mastery. I used to do jigsaw puzzles over and over to relax.

Perseverative behavior is totally different.

If you were to go over to the craft table or basement or wherever and ask your son to go with you to get an ice cream sundae, or order him to go to a doctor's appointment, would he go? Or would he feel compelled to continue making his airplane. Would he shriek uncontrollably if you tried to stop him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. This is actual very typical of kids. They watch the same movie many times; will repeat the same activity over and over as your son is doing, do many activities again and again. This is how kids master material. Children do not absorb everything (or almost everything) the way adults do. They don't have the experience for that. They need to repeat a project, see a movie, or read a book several times to do it. They may read their magazines again and again.

Doing a project over and over may also be a part of enjoyment of a new hobby or craft and may be soothing and doesn't have to be about mastery. I used to do jigsaw puzzles over and over to relax.

Perseverative behavior is totally different.

If you were to go over to the craft table or basement or wherever and ask your son to go with you to get an ice cream sundae, or order him to go to a doctor's appointment, would he go? Or would he feel compelled to continue making his airplane. Would he shriek uncontrollably if you tried to stop him?

These are problems with transitions and being rigid (which kids with autism have problems with) not examples of perseveration.

Perseveration behavior is doing something over and over again. This repetitive behavior (which all kids have) is considered perseveration and problematic when it interferes with functioning such as when the kid is unable or has great difficulty transitioning to another task.

[Anonymous]

All humans do some level of repetitive behavior. Here's the minimum level to meet an autism requirement.

Level 1
"Requiring support”



Inflexibility of behavior causes significant interference with functioning in one or more contexts. Difficulty switching between activities. Problems of organization and planning hamper independence.

[Anonymous]

autism is primarily a disorder of SOCIAL DEFICITS. so if your kid is just being repetitive and has no social deficits then he /she DOES NOT HAVE AUTISM.

[Anonymous]

Stop getting hung up on autism. OP was asking about her child's behavior, which is ok. Many children with special needs have perseverative/repetitive behavior. The inquiry doesn't begin or end with autism.

[Anonymous]

Because OP brought up repetitive behavior, most think of autism. I'm not sure this rises to the level of autistic behavior though. It sounds contained to one class or setting.

My child dies repetitive activities such as this but he will do it during all classes during the day, even when he is supposed to be doing other work. It is the same drawing and motions that serve as sensory stimming basically.

It starts off as drawing but becomes just a jumble of color that is completely unrecognizable but that he has an elaborate story developed about it.

[Anonymous]

Thank you PPs for the thoughtful responses. Very much appreciated. I wondered if I was being silly to even raise the question and I guess the answer is maybe but at least I've discovered ya'll are very nice people!

[Anonymous]

I would be more concerned about compulsive behavior than repetitive behavior. OP, I would only be concerned if the situation is such that he HAS to make the project (at a certain time each day, or before he does something else, etc.).