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Is this common in ASD children?

15 replies

pinkcandyfloss · 08/04/2007 14:44

I just wondered whether it is common for ASD children to touch everything?

Have been really stressed this morning with ds1. DP is working and I thought it would be nice to get the garden toys out but no, ds1 touched everything but the toys - picking plants etc. My neighbours must've got fed up of the amount of times I was saying "leave it alone!"
He just has to touch stuff even when I tell him no. Is this a sensory thing?

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gess · 08/04/2007 16:02

Ds1 did this a lot. I read a book by Lucy Blackman (she's non-verbal, severely autistic) she said that when she was younger she couldn't see things properly unless she touched them. DS1 is very very like her so I figured that must be the problem. Something that vitamin A may help with I guess as it helps visual acuity etc).

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SpookyMadBunny · 08/04/2007 16:24

Yes, my ASD dd1 (5) touches EVERYTHING too... except what she CAN have

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FunMumm · 08/04/2007 16:47

my 10 year old DD who has dyspraxia and AS tendencies is a nightmare to take shopping as she has to touch everything...Drives me crazy.. I'm forever saying Look With Your Eyes....

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sphil · 08/04/2007 17:00

Following on from what Gess says, DS2 used to have to keep touching the walls and the TV when he was watching videos. He's been having 1 tsp cod liver oil a day since Christmas and now doesn't do it at all. We have also noticed big improvements in visual awareness -he now turns to watch things/people and tracks objects - whereas he always used to give up once something left his field of vision.

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pinkcandyfloss · 08/04/2007 17:21

Thank you all for your responses. Glad it's not uncommon.

Am interested that it could be linked to his vision - I had never thought of that before!

Sphil- does your ds take the cod liver oil willingly? Would be interesting to try it with my ds but not sure he would take it off a spoon!

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Davros · 08/04/2007 20:21

My DS does do this and sometimes its much worse than others. I don't think his need to touch is linked to vision, I think it is sensory and a bit OCD. Sometimes he is like a pinball going down a corridor or street - he touches surfaces with his shoulder, then elbow, then hand, then forehead etc etc. When its bad I have to make sure he doesn't go too near windows but most of the time it is milder. He also likes to bunny hop which includes touching the floor with both hands. Oh the joys....

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sphil · 08/04/2007 20:44

I mix it into his drink (diluted pear juice) together with all the other supplements he takes. Amazingly he drinks it without complaint - I say this with fingers tightly crossed! It's amazing because he's very suspicious of new foods - but maybe that's a visual rather than a taste thing. I put his drinks in a closed cup so he can't see the oily slick on the top [yuk emoticon].

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gess · 08/04/2007 20:51

ds1 does that as welll Davros- has OCD type touch- if he touches something accidentally with one side of his body he has to go back and touch it with the other as well.

DS1 used to take cod live oil easily mixed in with any food. Then he seemed to develop a sense of taste overnight and now I cannot get it into him. Shame because I think it did him a lot of good. After stopping all his weird visual stimmy sideways eyes stuff came back.

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mymatemax · 08/04/2007 21:56

ds2 not dx's ASD but poss OCD with autistic traits etc, Anyway he touches everything, I always thought it was a sensory thing but I really don't know. He loves running a flat hand along things.
His latest trick is, if we tell him something is hot he just has to touch it..ouch!

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Aloha · 08/04/2007 21:59

Yes, yes, yes, yes.
It's a sensory thing. try to take a deep breath, say 'he has to do it. He can't help it.' and chill.
My ds has aspergers and has to touch (or worse, mouth) everything. He's five and everything still goes in his mouth. His clothes get chewed to buggery

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luckylady74 · 08/04/2007 22:21

we used to blend the oil with his milk, but he doesn't like dairy products now so he has eyeq sweets and there are lots of similar sweets about - the eyeq sachets are good too.
my son does chew lots of things (as 5yrs old) because he wants to and his touching is so driven, but there's the attention seeking one too - today i heard 'are you eating mud' (speaks in questions and reverses his pronouns) and yes he was because i was talking to dh too much!!!

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pinkcandyfloss · 09/04/2007 12:25

Thanks for replying everyone- glad to know we're not alone!
Think I will give the cod liver oil a try!

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sphil · 09/04/2007 18:38

Is is awful to say that I'm really hoping DS2 doesn't develop a sense of taste?

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pinkcandyfloss · 09/04/2007 18:52

Not at all!
I think that ds1 will realise something is in his drink but it's worth a try.
As a test dp put a tiny bit of orange in with his blackcurrant and he refused to drink it! so not looking too helpful!
He only drinks blackcurrant out of the same beaker which is now discontinued - great!

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pinkcandyfloss · 09/04/2007 18:56

hopeful - not helpful!

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