Lining up objects

Post Reply New Topic

My son began lining up his trains at around age 2. He then soon began lining up other things like crayons and books (on the floor in a long line across the room). At the time we didn't think much of it, we just thought he liked things in order and what's the harm in that.

He is now 4 1/2 and diagnosed with AS. Looking back, I don't know how we missed the signs, but he's still young, probably not a big deal. Anyway, my question is does the enjoyment of this particular activity generally go away as the child gets older? My son is still often lining up his toys (usually his cars) and his new favorite thing to do is to make a "show" where he sets his toys up as if it were a scene from a movie, but then doesn't move them once arranged.

I don't mind him playing this way if it makes him happy, but it is pretty much all he does with his toys. Once someone else wants to play with him, he gets mad if his toys are moved. It worries me because this type of behavior can make it quite difficult for him to make friends. Anyone else have any experience with this or advice to offer? All replies are welcomed and appreciated .

My son is 7 and recently diagnosed. He also lined things up from an early age, and he is still doing it. He was playing beside me when I was working in the garden earlier, and I noticed that he had lined up little bits of slate that he had found. I often go into his bedroom or the living room and find various toys and trinkets lined up.

I just let him get on with it basically. He does play other games, on his own and with others, although he tends to be so rigid about the complex rules that he makes up that they aren't particularly successful. As my son got older his play was more influenced by the interests of his classmates, so he went through a phase of Ben 10 games, and now he is heavily into Pokemon, which is ideal for an Aspie (one of the creators of Pokemon is Aspie) and is also something which he can share with other children his own age. He now has a DS Lite, with a Pokemon game, and he plays it alone and with friends.

I thought of something else. My son now collects the various cards that children can get - Top Trumps are great as he learns all sorts of facts about whatever category the cards represent - sharks, Star Wars, frogs etc. Other cards are associated with TV shows and children collect and swap these, so there is a social aspect as well as the acquisition of more things which can be lined up!

He also collects Crazy Bones, which can be lined up, and swapped!

Great ideas, Marcia - thank you! He has actually mentioned Pokemon and is rather intrigued by the Ben 10 displays at the stores. I think this sort of play would appeal to him a great deal and I love that there is a social component to it. I'm pretty sure a few kids in our neighborhood are into these games too. He's a bit young now to grasp the whole concept , I think, but pretty soon it will be a perfect option.

I don't think I'm so different either since I need to go to bed with a clean kitchen and must fold the laundry a certain way. We've all got our quirks!

'm 46 and still line up things,its fun to do and i doubt he will outgrow it, as far as making or keeping friends, I'm not the person to say on that. But my line of work is optical lab tech, everyone knows i enjoy putting the incoming lenses away because they have to be organized by refracting power, which means sorting them out and then putting them in rows. Perfect job for me, plus i don't have to deal with people.

I'm 34 and a liner-upper. I became a librarian and line things up in a conceptual sort of way.

I wouldn't worry about it any. It might be good for him, and fun for him, to play lining things up games where you think of different ways to line them up. In alternating colour groups. End to end. Side to side. Facing in different directions in various patterns. This is amusing and it's probably good for us to know, from an early age, that there are many different ways the world can be ordered.

Maybe some of those what comes next games would be fun for him. They teach some the bare basics in math. Why not use something he likes to teach him. We used pokemon cards to teach math and reading to our older son because thats what he enjoyed. Also we taught he's abc with a beachball while jumping on his bed. We'd yell the next letter when we caught the ball and the winner was one that got to Z first. Silly but I've always found learning while doing something you love is easier and more fun.

I don't really line things up, but I sometimes make 3/4 dimensional shapes out of the loose change I keep on my desk. No real reason to it.

I wonder what a shape in three quarters of a dimension looks like.

My undiagnosed step son who could EASILY be AS lines up and organizes his garbage.

I think it's cute

He's 27 BTW