3 year old ASD little boy throwing

[Worriedmumof3uder3]

Hi,
I'm hoping someone might be able to offer some advice. My little boy is just turned 3 years old he is Autistic non verbal (still waiting a diagnosis)
He is a gorgous good natured kind little boy and has just started main stream pre school and is doing incredibly well.
However in the last couple of months he has become obsessed with throwing toys I think it's the noise he likes to be fair he does not throw at anyone doesn't hit or kick so I don't think there os any aggression in it just enjoys it but it is driving me demented and isn't ideal if we go to anyone else's house.
Has anyone experienced this is it a phase am I wrong to give out to him over it os there an alternative to throwing I am unaware of.
He has two siblings and they are very close in age so I is causing a lot if stress mainly from me.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

My son is 8 and throwing is still a daily battle. We found giving him things he is allowed to throw and places he can do it helps but doesn't stop it. Good luck.

Look up play schemas, he is in the trajectory phase meet the need in a structured way. Give him dedicated items to throw things that won't cause damage - indoor snowballs should be easy to find now so buy a couple of packs or rolled up socks, outdoors or in a hallway with no breakables bean bags would be good and a dedicated place to throw them like a waste paper basket or indoor basketball hoop. Everytime he throws something redirect him, and when out and about take some with you.

I agree, he is enjoying watching things move. Provide opportunities for him to throw things safely - go and feed the ducks , bean bags into hoops etc and extend play by offering other moving games such as marble runs, balls down a cardboard tube into a bowl etc. Lots of fun to be had with marbles and an old piece of drain pipe.

My little boy is autistic too and has gone through throwing phases. Schemas are just as important to ND children as they are to NT children, it just might be that an autistic child might particularly love one specific schema and do it more repetitively. My boy still loves opening and closing doors, and also watching them open and close (think automatic doors). Let him do it and enjoy it if he likes the sensory feedback it’s giving him. Is he casting objects forwards or backwards? My boy loved chucking things behind him, until he realised he could throw things forwards! That is also a developmental milestone to throw things forwards. The only thing I did do was remove really heavy toys that could damage the floors or people!

Agree with other posters about redirecting the behaviour to an appropriate context. The behaviour is clearly fulfilling a need, be it educational, sensory etc. As such it's very hard to stamp it out, particularly with ND children who can be very rigid in their thinking. Your best bet is to find an appropriate way for them to do it. Lots of good suggestions on here already. My autistic DS loved opening and closing doors, which proved dangerous as he trapped fingers on more than one occasion. I bought a bag of Lego/Duplo doors off EBay for a tenner and he was overjoyed. Spent many a happy hour opening and closing them and no more trapped fingers.

If it's the motion he enjoys, have you considered getting a stomp rocket. My DS adored these! And they are fairly inexpensive.

Thanks a million for coming back to me with advice I really appreciate it.
He is definitely loving this phase and is very carefull with his throwing so probably more a me problem I don't know why ot winds me up so much 🙈

I have bought a few new throwing/dropping toys the hopefully we will all becable to enjoy and I will start redirecting him.

Thanks again

Hi there, my son with ASD is 5 years old and in the last 2/3 weeks has developed a total obsession, and I really do mean obsession, with throwing things in the air and down the stairs. It’s everything too, not just toys but empty boxes, his tablet and what toys he does like to throw are rock hard and heavy so they’re not ideal at all.

Ive tried being stern and explaining to him, tried redirected the behaviour in to something more positive, tried giving him soft balls, balloons etc and told him he’s okay to throw those down the stairs or in the air no problem, but he’s not interested. Like with your child I believe it’s the noise as honestly the clunkier and heavier the better for him it seems.

Has this gotten better for you over the last month or so? I’m hoping like most things it’s a phase but I’m finding it harder and harder to deal with especially when like you say we go to other peoples houses.

Hey,

Hope your well.

Yes this has gotten much better in the last while still enjoys throwing things but it's not as chaotic as it had been easier to redirect and is playing more again

I did stay firm with taking the bigger heavier things away and handing him something softer or a ball in replacement.

When he threw something breakable like ipad or phone I took it away so he has since learned what's ok to throw and not.

If it's the noise he likes I found things like this great

https://www.cogstoysandgames.ie/products/spin-again-toddler-toy

When you pull the white bit out it all falls to the ground very noisy and spins back into place

Hope it eases off I know how frustrating it can be hopefully just a phase.

My son is 3, none speaking, globally delayed and probably autistic. He throws, posts and like emptying everything! The throwing is about sensory cause and effect. Likes the sounds, movement of the toy 🧸. I don't encourage it or discourage it. It's not behavioural it's his stage of play. So if he is in the mood to throw I give him the dog ball and get him to throw it in the garden or a soft toy inside. He will develop to other stages! I'm hoping the emptying everything changes soon! I spend my life refilling things!

That's a great toy! Thanks for the suggestion.