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Is Your Toddler's Obsession a Sign of Autism?
Exploring a Toddler's One-track Mind
By Melinda Copp
Taking a toddler's obsessive behaviors into consideration with a host of other behaviors is important for determining whether or not you should be worried.
"Autism is never one behavior in isolation; it's always a profile of characteristics," Ruttenberg says. In addition to fixating on toys or specific things, autistic children don't bond with their parents. They don't get a joyful expression when their parents try to interact, they don't look people in the eyes and they don't communicate. Autistic children may also have sensory sensitivities, making them unable to tolerate sounds and touch.
Autistic children don't engage in pretend play, and may fixate on one aspect of a toy, rather than the toy itself, such as the spinning wheel of a car. And when they become fixated on something, such as a toy, they cannot be distracted from it.
"Clinical obsession means it's destructive emotionally when the object is taken away," says Dr. Norman Hoffman, author of Bad Children Can Happen to Good Parents (VG Press, 2007). Having a security blanket or a favorite toy is a healthy behavior for a toddler, so you have to look at how long the behavior lasts and whether or not it can be interrupted.
"It's more than obsessing; a truly autistic child has a cluster of behaviors," Dr. Hoffman says. "But the more stimulation and direction you give that child, the better he or she will do later, which is why early diagnosis is important."
If you think, for whatever reason, that your child may be autistic, go with your instincts and have him or her checked. "Don't waste time, and don't delay a good intervention and treatment," says Ruttenberg, who often sees parents get talked out of dealing with the early signs of autism in their children. "I always think it's better to have concerns checked out by a specialist."
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