subject: Handling Kids Who Obsess [print this page] Do you notice your child having an extremely strong interest on something? Do you often hear him talk about one particular thing all day and gets so agitated to try that something or go to it whenever he can? Is your child shutting himself out of everything else around him so that he can concentrate on one particular thing?
Parents often believe that it is just normal for kids to have a special interest on something. However, when that interest turns into an obsession, it can cause a lot of problems. Parents of children with Asperger's syndrome often face a lot of consequences and issues in managing their kids and their kids' extreme obsessions as well as containing these interests within certain boundaries.
A hobby becomes an abnormal obsession the moment your child becomes very giddy to learn everything about his interest. If your child is obsessing about video games, he will get very thrilled to learn about it as much as he can to the point of ignoring other areas in his life like school and family.
Kids with this kind of behavior problem also often demand for items that are related to that interest and throw tantrums and angry fits whenever these items are not given to them. They get so absorbed to that particular interest that they begin to lose appetite for making friends and to socialize with others, because all their energy is focused in that interest.
A child who is obsessed with his younger sister for example will tend to talk about his sister all day long, not missing a thing and taking note of his sister's every move and mannerism. Your child might even try to manipulate all conversations in such a way that they will gravitate to only a single topic - his sister.
Do not be surprised to hear your child talk incessantly about his little brother - about how cute he is, how funny his face looks when he laughs, etc. - and when he does not allow any interruptions and interaction whenever he is ranting about how his brother looked last night.
Although obsession is pretty much common and there are already established guidelines on how to go about it, keep in mind that every child is different and that every obsession is different as well. Therefore, your aim as a parent should be to reduce the amount of time spent on your child's interest and making sure that whenever he answers to his obsession, he will not get hurt.
The best way to handle your child's obsession is by controlling his access to that interest. Your child will always spend as much time as he can on his obsession, so you need to keep that under control. One way is by bargaining a couple of hours as "interest time" in exchange for a completed chore or a finished homework. Although there will be resistance in the earlier stages, sooner or later your child will come around and will comply to your rules.
by: Katherine Thompson
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