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Autism Speaks
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Created by Sahar Hafeez

what do you do when autistic child starts spinning?

Son started spinning this weekend--have not seen in a while. Spun himself sooo much, he lost his balance & ended up banding the side of his head on the corner of the end table in my living room. He's ok (Thank God). I had to keep a CLOSE eye on him rest of the day/night. How have others handled this? Is there somehting I can do for him?

42 months ago
Results 1 - 10

  • Furious

    After a reasonable amount of time I would ask/remind him to stop spinning for a little while.  I've heard that if i child has sensory issues which is common with autism they dont know when to stop.  Not saying this to scare you but just to caution you.  An SEA(special education assistant) told me that because they dont know when to stop they can spin till they go into a coama(sp?) so maybe ask him to stop after a reasonable amount of time or try to distract him with a activity he really likes.  I wouldnt stop him from spinnning completely as it probably balances his senses out just limit the amount of time.  Also you could get him into sensory integration therapy to come up with more appropriate things he can do. My child likes to go on anything that spins at the park but I have to limit the amount of time he goes on them because he doesnt know when to stop.  I just tell him to go on something else for a bit.   I hope this helps.

    42 months ago

  • Jennifer

    Crystal,

    My son is three and spins some too...The best thing for us is "redirect".  Your son is spinning because it is something he "needs" in terms of providing input to his nervous sytem but I agree, he can potentially harm himself if gone too long.  I actually let Josh spin for a bit then redirect him with something new, exciting, funny etc...Hope this maybe helps.

    Jennifer

    42 months ago

  • LISA

    My son is seven and also spins some; however, he spends more time pacing back and forth than anything else. It is important to gain his attention (as hard as it may be) during this time and focus him on a different activity. Although it seems like spinning and pacing is something that he seems comfortable and content in doing, we still need to re-direct this activity in a positive manner.

    42 months ago

  • crystal

    Thanks to all!

    42 months ago

  • Kelly

    I work with a little girl who loves to spin. Totally a safety issue, until the parents bought a swing, one of those stretchy ones they use in OT? She now gets in the swing (like a little cocoon) and I spin her around. Now, she's safe, she gets to spin, and usually the spinning doesn't last as long when it's redirected into a more appropriate activity.

    42 months ago

  • Cass

    The kids I work with have all sorts of different ways they self stim..spinning is one. Something we do at school is 'heavy work', it gives them sensory input too. Things like pushing a big exercise ball, lifting and carrying, jumprope; one liked being *squished* like a sandwich..in the middle of two mats. One that I worked enjoyed that, I could always tell when we hit the *reset* button because of the smile and see the body literally relax.   Giving a set amount ot *spin* time ..in a safe *spinning zone*, redirecting to something else, even using the spin time as the reward for accomplishing other goals are all things to incorporate. I have found that anyone who has experience with anything on the spectrum will be more than happy to help brainstorm alternatives :D

    42 months ago

  • Robin

    Hi yes, my Caleb spins too, we make sure he has a safe spot to spin, he knows now where he can and cant spin. He also has lots of sensory issues. They told me it was a way of stemming. He reallys spins alot when something changes, or he has to do something new. I always ask him when he is done if he feels better, sometimes its yes and sometimes its no, when it is no i ask him if he needs more.. He says "momma if i need more i would of done it  " So now I usually dont ask anymore. I have tried to do the redirect and I found it just makes him more stressed and he will want to spin more. But try to see if he gets to spin like he wants does it calm him down? Good luck I am always around to ask questions to.

    42 months ago

  • M.

    I have to say when I was a kid I used to do that too and the reason for that is because it was calming for me. If something was stressful that is how I coped. Allow him to spin if he needs to (chances are he will outgrow this... I did, a LONG time ago and besides I don't think my stomach could handle it if I were to do it today) but only allow him to spin somewhere safe.. is there an area in your home that has no furnature around and where he is comfortable? I am not trying to encourage any kind of stimming behavior but I do know, that if he is stressed in anyway he will need to calm himself down and that is what is calming for him at this time. I used to spin and do that stuff but now, if I have a need to "stim" I will listen to a the same song like 3 times or watch the same video like 3 times. It's not great, I know.. but its much safer.. eventually he will more than likely stop this.

    42 months ago

  • Melissa

    My son used to spin when he was really small (ages 2-4 or 5). Then he went to pacing and rocking. The pacing was sometimes back and forth in a straight line, other times it was in a circle. One of my landlords actually thought we were hiding a dog one time because he had worn a perfect circle in the grass in the backyard. No matter which way, pacing, rocking etc. it is always with the finger flicking or grinding his hands together. Also moving his head back and forth and just muttering away. He is 18 now and still paces/rocks/finger flicking/hand grinding etc. Since he was about 6 he started calling it "thinking". He would say, "I need to go think" or "I need thinking time". Most of the time it has always been something he didn't like to do if he thought someone might be watching (this started about the age of 5). He still prefers to do these behaviors in 'private' if possible. The rocking though, he has less 'control' over for lack of a better word. I'm certain he isn't really aware he is even doing it. I mostly see this when he's playing a game, watching a movie, reading, or doing school work. Often in conjunction with the finger flicking/hand grinding. But it's almost like a safety valve, he just needs to let off a bit of whatever it is he needs to let off. Redirection helped a lot, picking an activity he especially liked. Especially in school. I asked for, and got, a special place in the back of the room where he could go to "think" when he needed to. For my son, I recognized early on this was something he both could not always control but that he needed  to do for whatever reason (i.e. stress, build up of excess energy etc.). I always let him go unless I saw he was getting really out of breath, his face was getting really red or sweating a lot etc. For my son, this didn't happen often. He usually stops after a reasonable length of time before we get to those points. But as I said he is 18 now and still does these behaviors. I've come to accept that he will most likely always do these types of repetitve behaviors and always take the opportunity to educate those who aren't familiar with these. :o)

    42 months ago

  • Jenn

    Do you have a swing? They sell a really good one that is pretty inexpensive at IKEA, we picked one up for T because he was doing this too. It is definitely a scary thing when they spin until the point of falling. T has HORRIBLE balance anyway, so, we worry even more. GOod luck mama, HTH

    36 months ago

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