Obsessive interest in one topic

optogirl

Hi all, my son is almost 7 and is a really intelligent funny little guy but he does tend towards obsessive behaviour which expresses itself in the form of an intense interest in one subject. This time last year it was Ghostbusters which was relentless but at least his classmates knew vaguely what he was on about and he could 'play' ghostbusters on yard time. Now he is totally obsessed with the Horrible Histories TV show (which is an excellent show) but his interest is overbearing. His teacher is concerned that he will alienate himself from his peers & about his ability to concentrate in class. He talks about the Tudor Kings & Queens most of the time :rolleyes: which, although it's wonderful to see an interest in history (even if it is English history ), has me worried that his friends will stop trying to play with him. His teacher said he was chasing one boy in yard last week shouting facts about the Tudors (:o) and spends much of his break time on his own. This doesn't upset him at the moment - he's happy in his own world but I worry that it will make his future difficult & lonely. The school are going to involve him in some social skills breakout groups which is wonderful and we've consented to him being observed by an educational psychologist from which I have a hunch we may get a diagnosis of Aspergers or ADHD although he doesn't tick enough of the usual boxes. I feel I need to do more without telling him he's wrong to have this interest. He does tend to move on to another topic after a while but the intensity remains. Has anyone else any experience of this and any tips on how to get him to broaden his scope of interest, engage more with his friends and concentrate on what's going on in the classroom? All & any tips or advice or testimonials gratefully received. x

73trix

optogirl wrote: »

Hi all, my son is almost 7 and is a really intelligent funny little guy but he does tend towards obsessive behaviour which expresses itself in the form of an intense interest in one subject. This time last year it was Ghostbusters which was relentless but at least his classmates knew vaguely what he was on about and he could 'play' ghostbusters on yard time. Now he is totally obsessed with the Horrible Histories TV show (which is an excellent show) but his interest is overbearing. His teacher is concerned that he will alienate himself from his peers & about his ability to concentrate in class. He talks about the Tudor Kings & Queens most of the time :rolleyes: which, although it's wonderful to see an interest in history (even if it is English history ), has me worried that his friends will stop trying to play with him. His teacher said he was chasing one boy in yard last week shouting facts about the Tudors (:o) and spends much of his break time on his own. This doesn't upset him at the moment - he's happy in his own world but I worry that it will make his future difficult & lonely. The school are going to involve him in some social skills breakout groups which is wonderful and we've consented to him being observed by an educational psychologist from which I have a hunch we may get a diagnosis of Aspergers or ADHD although he doesn't tick enough of the usual boxes. I feel I need to do more without telling him he's wrong to have this interest. He does tend to move on to another topic after a while but the intensity remains. Has anyone else any experience of this and any tips on how to get him to broaden his scope of interest, engage more with his friends and concentrate on what's going on in the classroom? All & any tips or advice or testimonials gratefully received. x

I only wish and feel your pain. My 4 year old is (currently) obsessed with clocks and the time. It's so hard to be patient and while we had 4 clocks in the house, we now have only 2 ( still 2 too many at times ) and we've stopped wearing our watches While he's still v young, I do worry about peer relationships down the tracks. All we do is set limits ( as much as posible) e.g. ok, 5 more questions or 5 more minutes talking clocks and then a break!

Molzer2

Hi, we’re a few more years down the road than you but the boy you describe ticks a lot of the boxes for ASD I think. I think the school are being very good and you need to keep them on side, it will be interesting to see if or when you get an assessment or report or diagnosis from that service. I think you need to think about getting the Assessment of Needs process moving forward - you’re GP will help.
Best wishes