Obsessions

OBSESSIONS

People with Autism tend to become very interested in their particular subjects.  An obsession is a form of anxiety disorder.  Thinking about something a lot is okay, but it's hard not to think about something to the point where it's undermining your way to live and enjoy life, that's an obsession. 

It can start out as something small like a train, and then it turns into watching videos of trains constantly, reading books on trains, collecting trains, and steering every conversation you have toward trains.  It can become isolating very fast. 

 Social interests are healthy.  Things like hobbies, favorite school subject, or your career.  Obsessions are something that someone with ASD can dedicate an ENORMOUS amount of time to.  They will spend every free moment with it, and when they're not, they will think about it constantly.  Obsessions can impede on school work, grades, as well as friendships.

With Jaxon, I first noticed his bathroom obsession well over 2 years ago.  He insisted on going into both the men and women's bathrooms wherever we were.  As it got worse, he would seek out bathroom signs right when we walked in the door.  If we were in a restaurant, he would bolt to go to the bathroom.  As he got a little older we would tell him that he can go look and that's it until we're done eating and then we will go look at them again.  That worked most of the time.  

It has gotten to the point now, where he goes in and looks for a few seconds and then he's out.  It has improved a lot!  He knows at school and church that he's not supposed to go in the girls bathroom because we don't want to deal with that mess.  But when Jaxon is with me or my mom, he will want to go to the women's bathroom which I figured would happen because he always had to go with us when he was little so whatever.  

I know the bathroom obsession may dissipate or increase, but I'm at the point where I can handle it now. 2 years ago, no way.  It embarrassed me and made me mad at him, which he didn't deserve. But now I'm the mom standing and holding the men's bathroom door open so I can hear Jaxon and I apologize when men walk in and out.  They all smile because they get it, I'm just a mom waiting for her kid to get out the bathroom.

Some of his obsessions come and go like his train tracks and pretend food.  There were months where he would set up his train tracks just so and they had to stay there all day and getting him to clean them up at night was a nightmare.  He went through a phase where he would set up his food plates and want us to eat with him over and over and he had the plates set up in a certain way, so if you placed the banana in the wrong spot he would have to fix it right away.

Jaxon's other obsessions include crayons, markers, and animals right now.  He loves to draw, and I am confident in saying that he has every Crayola color memorized because sometimes I like to quiz him! At bedtime we usually read a book about animals, and he has a huge crate full of animal figurines that we talk about and play with.  

When I say Jaxon has "obsessions" I mean it lightly.  He's little and I know his interests change.  Some of his interests take over his mind more than others, but it has not impeded his learning at school so I'm not worried.  It is definitely something to keep an eye on as he gets older.