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Original poster

2 year old lining up toys - should I be worried?

120 replies

Anotherbook · 27/07/2008 21:26

Ds just turned 2 (in the last week) has in the last couple of weeks taken to lining up toys.We went for a picnic yesterday with a bag of toys and he got all the balls and lined them up side by side.He has also been doing this with his bob the builder vehicles and his play animals on his bedroom window shelf (so they look out of the window) and they have to be exactly level or he has a mini tantrum.He has also started to tidy his toys into boxes (thrown in mostly) sometimes.
He does play normally with the toys as well although compared to my older dd doesn't really play with toy kitchen/doll in imaginative play.
What I am worried about is ASD as his speech is also not that great for his age.He does point,wave and use some words (have counted up to 70)but it is variable and not as well as the children at his toddler group.
I did take him to the GP to ask about his speech a couple of months ago (he was saying less then) but she said as he was communicating well non verbally to wait and see.He is due for his 2 year HV assessment so I am going to ask for speech therapy referral (in case his progress doesn't continue) but wondered if I should flag up the recent lining up of his toys too.

OP posts:
Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 13:59

That made me kewcumber - maybe I can put his newfound skill to good use after all!

OP posts:
drowninginlaundry · 28/07/2008 13:59

70 words is great for a 2-year old!

Our DS1 has ASD and DS2 doesn't - is as neurotypical as a child can be. DS2 is 2 and is lining things up a lot more than DS1 ever did. Neither have been or are remotely interested in imaginary play. DS2 wouldn't know what to do with a doll, I have tried but just not interested. He's a talented football player though - it's just boys. I don't think you have anything to worry about - he is pointing, waving etc. I'd start kicking things off at age 3 if his speech hasn't come on. I think the tidying toys up is great, I wish mine did that!

snice · 28/07/2008 14:02

My DS did this too but now he is 4 has grown out of lining things up and has moved onto "seeing what will happen" if he twists/bangs/shakes things. What generally happens is that they break.

Niecie · 28/07/2008 14:08

Yes, lining up toys can be a sign of AS but usually that is all the child does - their play does not extend to anything more imaginative. However, it is also quite common behaviour and it is also an ability that is looked for at pre-school - the ability to understand the concepts of larger/smaller, heavier/lighter etc so it is also a good thing!

Don't worry about the speech - I have no idea if 70 words is good or not. However, I know a lot of little boys who have very few words at two and are fine.

And then you get a child like my DS1 who does have borderline AS and definitely does have some social communication problems but who was talking in 3 or 4 word sentences at 2. Speech is not really an indication of Aspergers at least.

I would be surprised if a SALT would see you at 2 given that he does have some speech, within a range of normal. I also know that when DS was having investigations for AS that they weren't keen to pin a label on him at 3 or 4 yrs because children do vary so much at that age and do develop at different rates.

deepinlaundry · 28/07/2008 14:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 14:29

Drowning in laundrey it is good to hear ds isn't the only one not greatly into imaginary play.

He is a real climber,runner,ball player (thrower/hitter) - plays football golf,tennis,cricket really well (Dh has had a major influence here!).Give him a doll though and it is just tossed to the side.He does collect stones/gravel/soil to put in his play cooker pans though .

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Kewcumber · 28/07/2008 14:30

Oh god yes the stones in the saucepan on the oven play. DS has started washing the stones first then adding dead flower heads and telling me its "soup" and insisting I eat it

cheesesarnie · 28/07/2008 14:33

my dd used to do this.dh said she was showing mummy how to be organised

tiredemma · 28/07/2008 14:36

Ds2 is 5 and still does this

Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 14:37

Deep in laundrey - is there a mumsnet washing theme here?!

I think if it was just one thing like his cars I wouldn't have worried it was the various balls all lined up at the picnic that freaked me out a bit.It did look very peculiar and the fact he had a tantrum when I tried to move them.

I had all these other mums looking at my screaming toddler standing next to a long row of perfectly lined up balls.Why is it your children always act up when all around seem to be behaving like little angels?

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Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 14:39

Cheesesarnie - Organisational skills

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cheesesarnie · 28/07/2008 15:01

yep shes now 8 and still more organised that me

deepinlaundry · 28/07/2008 15:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hattyyellow · 28/07/2008 16:14

My DD's are about to turn 3 and one of them is fanatical about lining things up. I too was worried that it was not a good thing - but HV seemed to think the rest of her development/social interaction was pretty normal.

She gets very upset when her sister knocks things out of place. I think for her its a control thing - she likes to have things just like she wants them.

Are you keen to have things tidy/in place? I think DD gets it from me a bit!

I used to do the lining things up when I was little and I still "need" to have things tidy/ie I couldn't work with a messy desk with things scattered all over it/can't relax in the evening if the floor is still covered with toys - but I've turned out pretty normal!

Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 19:28

I like to be tidy but am also messy along the way

Am fussy (like things just so) according to Dh who once made me have my photo taken by the sign of a town in France named just that we drove through just to preserve for posterity.Ds certainly seems more like this than my older dd.It is all in the genes then.

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MannyMoeAndJack · 28/07/2008 19:44

Don't wish to throw a spanner into the works here but your ds not pointing and waving at 24mths is a cause for concern. Lining up toys is not a cause for concern in itself, as others have said many kids do this as part of normal development.

Have you taken the CHAT test?

bodiddly · 28/07/2008 19:54

mine did it too at that age ... he was intrigued when I showed him how to put them in a circle though!

Kewcumber · 28/07/2008 20:25

Another book said he does point and wave

Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 20:25

MannyMoeandJack

He is pointing lots to share interest and waving saying ba ba. Agree if he wasn't would definately want further referral.

He hasn't had a CHAT test but I feel he would be OK on it except not great on imaginative play he may or may not correctly make a cup of tea would probably pick up the cup and stir with a spoon or drink from it but depends whether he wants to! - he just has no real interest in his toy kitchen generally.

He imitates me when hoovering for instance he always gets his Dyson too - shame it doesn't actually work! Likes to help me with real tasks such as puttting the washing in the machine and also other various toys when I'm not looking.

He is inclined to be quiet in a big group of toddlers and sometimes just sits on my knee to watch although he enjoys playing alongside a toddler one to one he does seem a little socially less adept than his peers.I am shy in big groups too though but a bit of a chatterbox one to one.

Am going to try the circle thing with him though bodiddly if only to get away from the rows of toys decorating my house.

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MannyMoeAndJack · 28/07/2008 20:35

Oops, my mistake, read it too quickly...his development sounds fine so I would relax and just remember that he is his own person and will do things in his own time. He sounds as though he has some good skills!

wolfjane · 28/07/2008 21:33

hi, my son is autistic and he has never lined things up! he would never of pointed, most asd children i know do not play with toys much at all, my son is 7 and still doesn't really know what to do with a toy! understanding is a more important indicator than speech, if he seems to understand what you say that is good. some asd children can speak alot,even in the right context, but not have a clue what it means! For a while, if my ds thought something was going wrong, he used to say'don't worry mummy, you don't have to be posh to be privilaged!', you would notice alot of other quirks too. it is always worth getting children checked though if you feel something is not right, it is better to be reassured than find out later you could have done more.

Original poster
Anotherbook · 28/07/2008 23:08

Thankyou wolfjane.I like the 'you don't have to be posh to be privilaged'.

The quirk regarding his speech is he still has to be prompted to use some easy words to ask for basic needs - like cup,eat.He also answers questions like what colour is it? Geen (green) always - never any other colour.I think he thinks green is the answer to this question indicating he doesn't really understand.However other things he understands well.

He prefers to point at things and you to say the word rather than him such as he loves books with real life pictures/photos in and you naming while he points.Or pointing at every fruit/veg in the shop with you naming again.

I think I'm overanalysing again

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hattyyellow · 29/07/2008 09:35

My other DD (who doesn't line things up) did a similar thing with colours at your son's age.

For her the answer to every colour questions was yellow (lellow) - I think she just liked the sound of the word! Yellow was also her answer for a while for questions not connected to colours too.

Love the "fussy" photo!

It took both my girls a while to volunteer words when reading to them - they much preferred me to say them until they got past two.

I do think two is still quite little too have an extensive vocabulary. Is your DS your first child? I did find that friends whose toddlers have older siblings seemed to speak much better, much earlier - I think because they are imitating and learning from more people around all day..

nikos · 29/07/2008 11:25

You mentioned your ds was lining balls up at the picnic. Did it look like he was doing this to avoid interacting with the other children there? The lining up might be common but losing temper if it is moved is less so.
I would go with your instincts and get a referral. Early intervention is very important if there is a problem

BriocheDoree · 29/07/2008 11:54

My DD is not autistic but has severe communication delay. I would agree with those who say to get this checked out if you are still concerned in the next few months. If there is no problem, you go away relieved. If there is a problem, you find out early and can start. At two, DD pointed, didn't wave, had lots of shared attention, loved to watch other children but not play with them. She appeared to have good language, but in retrospect, was simply parroting a lot of what she heard but didn't really know what it meant. Didn't really communicate basic needs (like cup, eat). Toddlers are all different but best to set your mind at rest now. There are other developmental delays that aren't autism but still need to be investigated. A red flag is not using pronouns by 3 - that was the one that sent us off to the speech therapist!