Okay moms, my son is 4 1/2 and he was diagnosed with ASD, dr. said "very high functioning". He is ahead of the expected milestones for his age, academically, he already writing his name and some words reading certain words, he already is adding and substracing so academically he is okay. However, he sings all the time, I mean all the time. His OT whom he sees for sensory issues has started playing classical music for him whenever he is there doing activities but I heard his singng is actually his way of evening out sensory input in his system so I don't want to tell him to stop sining, I am a stay home mom and hearing someone sing no matter how much you love them, 24/7 can make you go crazy. Any thoughts from moms who are in the same situation? Thanks so much
Have you asked the OT for suggestions? Maybe try giving him ear buds or a headset with kid music to listen to? Not sure but my daughter is an Aspie, I hope you find something that works for you...it would join me batty too! Good luck!
No experience, but why not offer him music lessons of some sort! It may not stop him but if he's got it, he's got it.
My 7 yr old is an Aspie. He mutters under his breath all-the-time. He constantly talks to himself and has been doing it for as long as I can remember. He's also extraordinarily bright and academically advanced. And yes, it drives me batty! The only solution I've found is to keep him occupied. When he's "on task" he doesn't do it, when he's bored, or he spaces out, that when it happens. Car rides are the worst.
I've asked his OT and his teachers at school about it, and sadly, there's not much to be done. :-(
FWIW, I'm in Pittsburgh too if you want to chat.
I can relate! My son doesn't so much sing but will make goofy sounds and, yes, a full day of that (or even just an hour) is annoying. I try to just remember it's their way of stimming to feel in control or 'normal' in their environment. Other than keeping him occupied with other things I don't have a lot to offer except - maybe get some music with new songs so you don't have to listen to the same thing over and over!!!
I can completely understand. My son (who will be 3 at the end of this month) has a few sensory stims. (mainly hand-wringing near his little nose)...
You might want to try giving him an outlet for his musical inclination. Maybe try some music therapy or group-music class, Musikgarten or Kindermusik. Music study can enhance ones ability to seek out patterns (aural, written, kineasthetic), so he may take well to piano study. You may want to see if you can find a teacher around you that works with kids on the autism spectrum. It definitely takes a special person to be able to do it.
(Then you can get a nice digital piano w/ headphones if that gets a bit incessant, etc.)
And- you may want to treat yourself to a nice mp3 player that you can put on when you've heard enough singing and don't have the heart to tell your son to stop. Jenny McCarthy's book had that little tidbit. Her son went through quite the screaming phase, so she would listen to Enya or something relaxing to help her cope.
Good luck!
Both my kids are on the spectrum and my daughter does the singing and my son talks non-stop. I don't mind my daughters singing as much. Mostly it is pleasant. My son's non-stop talking gets to me sometimes. On occasion the singing gets annoying too but not as much as the talking. And then he gets upset when he has to stop or i he thinks I am not listening. It is a challenge. My son is 4 and a half and so far I have not found anything to replace his talking. My daughter plays with her ear twisting/touching it in a certain way and that is no-intrusive and quiet. Replacing it with something else is a possibility. And will take time. Sometimes they will develop it on their own like my daughter. Other times nothing you do works, and you just have to put up with it. It sounds like his OT is trying to replace his singing with listening to music. That might be something to try at home. Put on some music you enjoy as well.
Ah, stimming also known as perseveration. It can be a coping mechanism, a way to help focus on a task, a self-soothing method, and so much more.
My daughter, who is 9 1/2, hums when she's doing an activity she's really, really enjoying. She hums when she's eating something she finds extra delicious. I've had teachers tell me that she sometimes hums when she's doing her schoolwork. I let her do it here at home because it's not bothering anyone and it does serve a purpose. At school she's quiet enough that most times the other students don't notice, but when they do they giggle a little bit.
It can be hard to teach a new behavior. If you stop one stimming behavior, the child either needs to be taught something else that is less disruptive or he'll naturally find a new behavior that could be more disruptive than the last like hopping or another physical stim. You can't remove something and leave a vacuum... you have to fill the vacuum with something productive.
I would talk to his therapist/s to see what you can do about replacing the behavior, at least at certain times of the day. Don't let anyone tell you that stimming is not healthy for your child, by the way. What they really mean is that stimming can be annoying for other people. It does serve many purposes. The key is seeing if you can direct the types of stimming/perseveration.
