![]() So then what? It IS a problem when you cannot get your child to step away from an object to put their clothes on to go to the doctor. I am sure you see the trend here: that child’s area of intense focus is the making of a true passion-something that perhaps could be turned into a career. Currently, I am able to draw life-like portraits and still life, and I enjoy fashion and makeup. I was too interested in experimenting with the colors, shape, and design of their outfits and the order I put them in on the floor. Did I make them talk to each other or act out any situation? No. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that what musicians do?Īs a child, I loved arranging my Barbies in a specific order and undressing them and dressing them with the prettiest, most sparkly outfits. ![]() ![]() His little autistic brain is studying the pattern of the musical notes and rhythm. The child who is pushes the same button on his toy to hear the same 10 second musical tone for as long as you let him-he is doing it for a REASON. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that what artists and designers do? Her little autistic brain is mesmerized by the beauty of the sparkles and how the light looks at different angles. The child who is staring at way the light hits the marbled glittering lamp next to the window as long as you let her-she is doing it for a REASON. Isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that what scientists and engineers do? His little autistic brain is studying how pieces and parts can be inserted and rearranged and put together and taken apart. The child who is putting things in and out of that container for as long as you let him-he is doing it for a REASON. It is only problematic when it becomes a safety issue or interferes with daily living. In fact, hyperfocusing has many positive aspects. Then, slowly, they “pull the child into their-the adult’s-world.” The adult’s world is the neurotypical world, and once you are there, you can start teaching neurotypical play and communication. I also hear neurotypical autism “experts” advise professionals who work with autistic children to, first, “join the child’s world.” This means they engage in side-by-side interaction with the child by also focusing on that child’s object of interest. It is incredibly painful as a parent to want interaction with your child, but not know how to get them to stop doing this seemingly weird thing. Attention is so intensely allocated to the object of focus that there are no attentional reserves for auditory or visual or tactile stimuli.Īs an SLP, I hear parents wanting their children to stop hyperfocusing on the object and pay attention to them. When they hyperfocus, all attention is allocated on the object of focus-they don’t respond to other people or visuals presented to try to "distract” them from their focus. Or perhaps flipping through the pages of the same book. Or maybe putting an object inside another object. Many of you have seen young autistic children staring at the wheels of cars. I will have a future post on older children and adults. ![]() Today I am going to focus on young children, ages 2-5. Autistic people of all ages can hyperfocus, but it can look slightly different depending on the age and area of focus. Like the name says, hyperfocusing is the intense attentional focus on something. My husband keeps saying things to me, and I respond “uh-huh” and keep typing and typing. It is something I am doing at this moment! Get the website going! GO GO GO. Most autistic people (as well as other neurodivergent people) hyperfocus and 2. I have decided for this to be my first post for several reasons: 1. Welcome! My first blog post will be on hyperfocusing.
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