Autistiic son needs to always hold something in his hand Grrrrr

[Soumia]

Hi mums

My son holds anything in his hand ..sometimes dirt...dirty noesense piece of paper..
If i take it off from his hand...he would have a meltdown ...

Plz share ur experience...advice...etc

Other than the dirt (unless you’re outside) I don’t even see why this is a problem? Just encourage him to hold something appropriate. My ds did this for a while, he grew out of it.

My advice is to pick your battles. You cannot eliminate every little behaviour that you think is not ‘typical’.

Can you not just get him a small fidget cube? It is quite a common thing.

Excuse my ignorance...but wat is fidget cube??

Here: www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_noss&k=fidget+cube&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Thanks...ah...we have plenty of these gadgrts as well as squeezy balls...etc... but he chooses weired thibgs...he is too picky

he is too picky

No, he is autistic! The holding of something obviously fulfils a need of some sort. It doesn't matter if YOU think it is a nonsense piece of paper, to HIM it isn't. Redirect if you really don't want him holding dirt, to something you would prefer him to hold, but if you can't then, just as a PP said, move on and pick your battles. As long as hands are washed before food, it isn't really a big deal!

It might be the rough texture he likes. Why can't he have a piece of paper to hold, if it helps him?

Piece of paper is just an example....he would hold anything..plastic...etc

Surely it doesn't matter what he holds?

I tried stress or squeezy sendory balls...sone interesting toys...playdooh ...etc

But he is fir example now holding a branche of leaves and tryibg to mouth it...

Thr other problen is pics...whatever he is holding in his hand...it will end up in his mouth....so i am 24 hrs supervision....

Now we are in the garden under the rain...
.someone...a therapist saud to me...he is autistic...he tries to creag his own world snd run away from.ours...so he would use a den...tent...his hoody...go.under the playhouse...behind...in a cornet...

In the same way he is tryibg yo hold sth in his habd...creat a wotold of belonging...

Does this makes sense???

Be thankful it's just dirt my son likes his own poo on his hands and then smearing it, just something we have to deal with.

He's not trying to escape into his own world, his brain sees and hears and feels thing you you do not.
He's holding things and tasting them because it's sensory exploration, much like a very small child does.

My son does the same on a daily basis if we dont supeevise him.for a second

We have found that sensory play helps, shaving foam, kinetic sand, scented play dough and cornflour slime etc