TIL the difference between a routine and a special interest isn't always obvious to others

I used to think my son's obsession with train schedules was just a quirk he'd grow out of. But last month at his IEP meeting, his teacher called it a 'perseveration' and said we needed to redirect it. I did some reading and realized it's actually a special interest that helps him focus and calm down, not something to stop. Now I get why people keep mistaking deep passions for problem behaviors... they don't see the function behind it. Has anyone else had to explain this difference to a teacher or therapist?

2 comments

2 Comments

tara70024d ago

Man, that IEP meeting must have been a ride. The weird thing is, people don't realize how much a special interest can actually be a built-in coping tool, not just a distraction. I saw a thing online where a kid with autism used his love of vacuum cleaners to help regulate his sensory overload during a fire drill, and the teachers thought he was just being disruptive. The real trick is getting them to see the kid's whole system, not just the part that looks different. Have you tried showing the teacher a video of your son being calm and focused while he's deep into his train schedules?

morgan31624d ago

So did the teacher actually watch the video, or did she just say she would and then brush it off? Cause that's been my experience with IEP teams, they nod along but don't really see it until they see it themselves... like the kid staring at a fan for twenty minutes straight can actually be a reset button for his brain, not him being lazy. Did you try getting the school psychologist to sit in on a session where he's fully engaged with the trains? Sometimes it takes a neutral third party to break through the "this is just a behavior" mindset and get them to see the whole system at work.