Lining up toys

[FlatStanleyWasMyFave]

Am I right to be concerned that my toddler (almost 3) regularly lines his toys up? He doesn’t seem to ever actually be “playing” with them, just lining them up. I’ve asked friends and they’ve said their kids sometimes line toys up too but I can’t help but worry. Can anyone reassure me this is normal for a child his age?

I’m pretty sure it’s a really normal stage of development @FlatStanleyWasMyFave , just like learning to stack blocks etc 👍🏻 My DS was 2 in Nov and has been doing it since about 21/22 months.

This is what I was told.

www.goodplayguide.com/blog/what-are-schemas-in-childrens-play/

There are different types of schema, this gives an overview & ideas of how to extend play

This is what I meant to say I was told.

My DD (9) has always enjoyed collecting, arranging and organising toys rather than actually 'playing' with them. She is autistic. She is also funny, bright (exceeding ARE in all areas of the curriculum) and a very caring girl with a lot and secure friendship group. Maybe your DS lining toys up is indicative of ND, maybe not, what will be will be.

I have a kid that is autistic, he never did this as a toddler!

This and probably be an engineer or something like that. My DC loves stacking things!

To be fair, it’s difficult for parents. ND in the media is badly represented resulting in the wrong impression being given. And even when there are grounds for testing, parents aren’t aware and are often told it’s something else which is how we ended up with our child being diagnosed as a teen when really it could have been picked up earlier.

I think some good education is needed for parents so that we don’t have some parents worrying about 1 thing like lining up toys and others, like us, having a list of a hundred things but not realising it was ASD because we were told it was other things.

Thanks for your replies. I guess it just worries me how he does it so regularly and with whatever he’s playing with be it cars dinosaurs jungle animals whatever. And the lack of actual pretend play. Just lots of lining things up and throwing them about.
he is a very affectionate boy but this extends to strangers as well - he will regularly cuddle strangers or try and jump on their lap etc when we are at kid friendly public places (soft play the library etc)
does this all sound ok??? I’m a real worried by nature and I cannot tell you how anxious this is making me. It’s not a recent thing - he’s been doing this for absolutely ages.

My eldest lined his cars up so he could look at them, or queued them up so they could all be slowly pushed off the table. Not autistic (and he's been assessed - he is dyspraxic). He also didn't do imaginary play - although he picked up some when his little brother came along, but it was a bit odd, and mainly led by the toddler!

Both my kids, one that we now know has autism and one NT, were quite stand offish with people other than us, so I don’t think being affectionate with strangers means ND. But maybe for some it is.

If I was you, as you’re clearly worrying about this, have a chat with your health visitor and GP. Keep an eye your child’s development but try not to worry. IF your little boy is ND, then he is, nothing will change that. These couple of things alone certainly wouldn’t make me think he is.

I would also speak to the GP about your level of anxiety around this. As a parent, various things will happen over the years and it will be so much easier if you have coping mechanisms in place to deal with your anxiety.

I thought this when dd was lining up toys etc but now she's a teen her room is a pig sty.

Yes quite normal, my now DD26 did this with her toys, dinos, dolls all in a long line stretching across the room. She is about the most 'normal' person I know.

My ASD son never lined things up. If you’ve got other concerns then definitely involve the HV, but if this is the only issue then I wouldn’t think twice about it personally. I think the social skills and speech patterns are much bigger indicators at this point.

DB is now 54 years old. Back in the day mum said he went through a phase when he would line cars up from the front door all through the house and if anyone touched one with their foot accidentally nudging it out of place he would go ballistic. Around the same time, he would get on his knees in the cot at night and headbang against the headboard to the extent the neighbours commented on it. He grew quickly out of both habits and was a nt child, teenager and is today a completely nt adult.

My eldest adhder was a line up the toys fanatic. Iv got photos from toddler groups were he lined them across the hall and then made an x going the other way. But he also destroyed everything and bolted everywhere

My toddler / preschooler ds did this. Once in a shop while j was talking to the assistant, i turned around to ds and he had taken some toys off a shelf and lined them up. I made an appointment with the dr focusing on asd. There were other things that concerned me too. Turns out absolutely nothing wrong. And now at 11 his bedroom is not tidy at all.

My son did this with just about every type of toy he had. Cars, characters, stacking cups etc. He did it from quite a young age, can't really remember when he stopped but it's very normal for most toddlers. He also wouldn't really play with toys in their inntended way all that often but now he's 5 and has a great imagination and loves roleplay etc

My now-7 year old was like this. I miss finding random lines of cars about the house!! He’s never been imaginative, it’s his nightmare tbh. He is very clever and has an incredible mind for facts. Very sporty and never sits still. Loves animals. Perfectly normal kid.

I think if it's an isolated thing op then I wouldn't worry, just keep an eye for any other things that could indicate asd, some nt kids also enjoy lining things up. does he engage in joint attention?

My 3 year old does this. On occasion, before bedtime, they all have to face the house. In a very straight line

DD as a 7 month old lined up square magnets from the fridge (as perfectly as possible over and over). She likes order and tidiness as a preteen and is clever, she excels at maths. Some children just enjoy lining things up.

DS was always lining up the Thomas gang. We have photo after photo that he took along with videos I plan to show ALL his girlfriends

@validnumber sadly not how that worked out

Very very good coder though.

Nothing to worry about, my eldest did this all the time. She is now 12 and very tidy and organised