Expert: James Michael Roan - 12/1/2005

Question
my son is 9 years old and has been diagnosed as autistic. there's one thing that i wish to understand in his behaviour. when he walks,it seems as if he has an imaginary line and he walks on this line only. if something disturbs him, he doesn't continue till he goes back to that line and walks over it again. i would like to understand, what is it? is it part of autism? how is it called then? and what can be done to help him with that?
thank you

Answer
Hi Eran;

It is difficult to say for sure, however I suspect it is obsessive compulsive (OCD) behavior, which frequently co-exists with autism. It often seems related to anxiety, which is high in a child with autism for many reasons. Also, montropism or hyperfocusing on a singular object/subject is also part of the autistic profile. Unless this interferes with his acceptance at school/community or his education you may want to leave it alone. It may be a means for him to modulate anxiety. If it does interfere with his life (learning and participating socially) or the functioning of the family, then you will want to replace that behavior with a more functional one. Your son's teacher can work with you on this process. Remember, never to eliminate a behavior unless you can replace it with a behavior that is more socially acceptble and yet functional for your son. Have your son's special education teacher conduct a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) to make this determination.

Kind Regards,
James