Just looking for advice or similar experiences really. My 5 year old had just started school. For a while now she's been quite fixated with plastic toys and will hold them tightly in both hands whilst pressing and turning them over and over, looking intently at them while doing so. She says its because she gets songs in her head which are lots of different sounds all on top of each other and they get so loud and jumbled that her head hurts and the "pressing" helps it to go away. She's been assessed for ASD but it was not conclusive. To me this is a coping mechanism for her. My husband is of the opinion that this "habit" will lead to social isolation (I don't necessarily disagree) and she should be discouraged from doing it. I feel that she should be allowed to be herself and not made to feel embarrassed. Also if she can't do that what will she do instead? We disagree about this all the time. It is quite stressful. I wish she didn't have to do it, but it seems that she does and I don't want to take that comfort away. She has a history of colossal meltdowns, she's always since a tiny baby seemed to need some kind of regular release. I just don't know what to do. The music in the head thing is worrying me, does anyone have any ideas what that might be about? Should we be discouraging her from some of her more unusual habits? I just don't know what the best approach is. I don't want her to be isolated and unhappy because she is seen as "strange" by her peers. But equally I don't want to take away a coping mechanism or make her feel ashamed of who she is... Any advice would be so appreciated, I just don't know what is going on in her head or how to help her..