Aspergers - obsessive interests question

[lulubelle]

My ds13 had a really great school year. He was able to focus his best ever. Then, around March time it began to slip away. He is obsessed about getting a "better" gaming system, "better" nerf guns, and his own paintball gun. School work has suffered greatly. We have no plans for him to get any of this. He obsesses about every angle of it. He obsessed about why we won't let him get this stuff. I'm not sure what to do with him except take him to therapy. So frustrated!

Edited May 16, 2016 by lulubelle

[lauranc]

I'd be interested to hear how others handle obsessive interests as well. 

[MyLittleBears]

 I have heard ABA therapy can help with rigid thinking but we haven't tried it ourselves.

Edited May 17, 2016 by MyLittleBears

[Princess Ariel]

I know that Bill Nason from the Autism Discussion Page on Facebook just discussed this type of rigid inflexible thinking on his Facebook page. It was earlier this month I believe, if you scroll through his postings you'll find it.  One idea I remember him mentioning was an activity where you play catch and change up what you are tossing with your dc. It might sound like it's for younger kids but there may be some other ideas there as well and more in his book. I am interested in finding ideas for this that are not just for younger kids, but how to deal with it with teens and young adults, both on and off the spectrum. It seems the older they get the more difficult it is to find resources.  Good luck!

Edited May 17, 2016 by Princess Ariel

[Lecka]

My son is younger than this, but I have been told that anxiety can increase with puberty.

 

It seems like with any change with puberty they want to check on anxiety.

[Chalex]

Would your child be able to do some chore(s) to save up for the things they want?

My son is obsessed with getting a certain new video game so, we are giving him money for cutting the grass.  It will be weeks before he'll have enough.

...and oh my, the tears when he found out that the school trip costs the same amount as the video game, yet we would pay for that.  :)   (because he'd rather stay home and play video games, of course!)

 

 

[Lecka]

I don't know if this would be helpful, but there is a set of books called: stop that seemingly senseless behavior, and making sense out of that seemingly senseless behavior, by Beth Glasberg.

 

I would not read these without also looking into anxiety and anxiety stuff (which here means The incredible 5-point scale and counseling etc) but iirc one of the examples was with repetitive questions.

 

They were really helpful books to me, but that is not the section that was pertinent, so I can't say how good that section is.