This is recent list of ds behavours. Its a bit rough but most of the detail s there. Can you let me know what you think - all pretty normal, cause for concern? have other lists for toddler and baby both of which i did 3/4 years ago. Sorry its a wee bit long!
Thank you in advance.
Fixation on Star Wars
Previously Harry Potter for many years to the extent he actually thought he was HP and insisted we all called him ‘Harry’
Talks non-stop about it all day long
Will ignore question/conversation when spoken to and begin to tell you about it
Wants to play it on the computer/phone all day long – will not break easily including to eat and toilet
Interrupts conversations to change to this topic
Gets frustrated if not heard or responded to.
Very focused when playing this game using computer or phone but does not sit still, will crouch on toes and rock back and forth slightly.
Never gets tired of it
Takes what happens in the game very seriously
Repeats wording from the game off by heart and in length
When not focused in this way he becomes less focused and has daily bouts of being hyper which consists of running around in a manic fashion, climbing dangerously, emptying cupboards to find things, becoming very agitated or edgy
Watches the same episodes of a cartoon over and over including certain scenes
Will rewind and forward as he needs to
Gets very cross if he is interrupted
Frequently wants me to watch the same clip with him and will get extremely frustrated with me if i look away or i am unable to do it, so much so he will rewind it or pause it until i can do it or if look away he starts it again.
Will turn my head in the direction of the screen and hold it there
Asks lots of questions about what things mean ie words or actions
Will pause tv to ask me what face that is ie. confused, angry
Watches with subtitles and audio, audio a more recent thing.
Rarely relaxed, will either watch crouched and slightly rocking or upside down on sofa with head on floor.
When it is time to turn off or move on he has to perform a certain routine with the remote control, turning the tv off/over without doing so results in an explosion.
Very interested in the credits and knowing what characters real names are
Will always sit through credits
Becomes very attached to certain adverts, will run in to watch, learns the words to the advert off by heart and will repeat at random times throughout the day. Really likes ‘Sheila’ from the Halifax advert.
(Timers are used for both computer and tv time to allow DS to see how much time he has left to assist with his difficulties)
Runs water from tap often, puts hands and feet under tap. Floods kitchen and bathroom. Has got up during the night to do this
Makes references to an imaginary friend called ‘Aldo’
Can get very attached to older people and sees them as his friend when in fact we hardly know them or they are friends of his teenage sister.
Has got very attached to one or two girls at school who are much younger than him (reception class) and likes to ‘stroke their hair’. However i think the attraction was rather one sided as he tells me they run away or won’t speak to him.
Talks using a babyish voice often
Sometimes when spoken to he will giggle and pull a bizarre over the top smiley face
Gets very interested in facts that he may have come across and will tell anyone about those facts, shopkeepers, gp, neighbours.
Gives people new names some of which aren’t names but colours or similar
Very literal with language, doesn’t get jokes or sarcasm, words with different meanings than which are obvious.
Very literal when pointing out someone is fat or of a different race, smelly, smoking, spotty.
Has great difficulty expressing how he feels
Finds it easier to express himself to me in a drawing
Advanced vocabulary but lacking with conversational skills
When I am cross with him and on his level telling him off he giggles and covers his face awkwardly
Says that he is rubbish and can’t do the things other children can do ie. handwritng & maths.
Licks objects mainly radiator and banister (used to be windows)
Always puts lego in his mouth and says he is trying really hard not to swallow it
Says he has ‘bad hands’ when he does things like strangling
Has to 2 sides to him
Can have a huge meltdown and then once over he returns to being very sweet
Makes a funny squeeling noise randomly
Nervous twitch in one leg, vibrates
Looses sense of balance when walking and walks on heels, sometimes slightly, other times completely
Asks me question after question and repeats himself
Has one real friend, since year 2 (a friendship that was encouraged with help of class teacher noticing DS needed some social help)
Will only play his game at school.
Plays the same game, this is based on star wars where he copies the game character from the game
Will not join in with someone else’s game
Gets distressed if friend cannot be found or doesn’t want to play his game. Friend is very kind and accommodating towards DS.
Has difficulty asking for help from an adult
I asked DS if he misses seeing his friend when not at school he said ‘no, i can see him in my head anytime’
Has frequent meltdowns at home relating to school
Always comments that he feels ill before school
Low self esteem
Doesn’t like large crowds or sudden loud noises
Will not go to school ‘fun nights’, would just stay with teacher and not join in
Finds it hard to personally approach someone and know how to get their attention
Does not join in at family parties prefers to sit with grown ups, if noisy he will sit alone in a quiet spot
Will not go to the park at home and play with others
Likes to build lego from instructions and gets very cross if anyone touches it, moves it, accidentally breaks it, even the cat
Sometimes he gets off pieces of lego out and lines it all up in a huge line across the floow
Makes lists of now and next
Likes to go through putting things where they should be before bed
Lists facts he wants to remember about star wars and actions to make in the game
When talking he will miss out words (usually the last word), he will replace the word with a clap of his hands, so ‘ can I have an ‘clap,clap’ instead of ‘can I have an orange’?
Will also spell the word out in the air rather than say it
Petrified of the dark and flying insects
Doesnt react when he really hurts himself but gets very obsessed with small cuts and grazes
He is very close to the cat however when we lost her, he was very carefree and told us ‘if she’s gone, she’s gone’. Wasnt the slightiest bit bothered.
Has no concept of time, ie yesterday, tomorrow, next week
No longer sits still and listens to storytime before bedtime. Talks over me, asks questions about what I am reading, fidgets, gets up to run tap, put things in place.
Never ever liked or enjoyed being at school/nursery
Lately he has become so anxious it is extremely difficult to get him in
Panics about having to go to school
Less anxious during holiday time and weekends
School is the first and last thing on his mind each day
Doesn’t like playtime or eating lunch at school, learning is hard
Commented that ‘he thinks it’s just him that doesn’t like school, the other children do’
Lay in bed one night and told me ‘somethings not right about me mum’
Needs reminding and prompting to get washed/dressed/eat dinner/leave house
Stares blankly, expressionless
Will not wipe himself
Doesn’t wake up to use toilet – wets bed
Hates wearing socks - always removing them
Fussy eater
Persistent bowel problems
Does not like change in routine, planner is discussed in advance.
No reaction if someone hurts themself
Cannot ride bicycle despite numerous amounts of trying at home and with school
Poor scooter balance, cannot operate the back foot and glide at same time
