Removing labels

[jogalong]

Ds age 3.5 is been assessed for asd. His ot is not convinced. But in the last month he has started removing labels off every jar, tin, bottle in my cupboards. Label is ripped off anything he can get his hands on. Except clothes. He has no problem with labels on clothes. This doesn't bother him at all.
Is this typical autistic behaviour or behaviour of a normal 3.5 yr old??

Ds used to like particular labels especially ones that had the price marked on. He didn't remove them though he'd carry the whole item round instead. So he spent weeks lugging round a four pack of Andrex (because it had £1.63 marked on it) or a catering size can of beans (even though he has never eaten a bean in his life).
Dd used to like to peel off selotape so I used to stick that to plastic tables and she'd play doing that for a while. Would ds like to peel something like that instead?

Could be ASD behaviour, could be normal 3.5 year old behaviour.

Its usually the intensity or time spent doing it, that sets the two apart.

My older two children without ASD used to line toys up occasionally as part of a game for example. Ds with ASD did nothing but line things up. Give him toys and every time he would line them up and spend hours doing it, not just occasionally

Both my boys went through a long phase of, if it could be peeled or picked off, it would be peeled or picked off. DS1 stripped most of the wallpaper from his room.

And, at 3, we'd give DS1 big sheets of stickers in his nursery bag - if he was becoming distressed, he'd be given some and the picking and peeling would calm him right down.

How does your DS react if you catch him in the middle of stripping a label or a series of labels and take them off him with the job half done? Is it the end of the world, or does he have a moan then shrug it off and find something else to do?

Its the end of the world. Stop him mid peeling and a major meltdown tantrum follows.
Good idea about the stickers. Have a few sheets in the drawer so will produce them during next tantrum and see the response.
Thanks for all your replies!