Perseveration: Part 1 Objects
- One of the more obvious characteristics of Autism is perseveration.
- "Sameness" is a common choice for autistic people with respect to objects, activities, environments, routines, interests.
- A person may focus on an individual object in a nonpurposeful manner.
- A person may spend an inordinate amount of time touching, holding, or manipulating a small toy in a manner not typical of play.
- A person may focus on a part of an object can be manipulated.
- Objects that move in a repetive manner may capture and hold a person's attention for an unusual amount of time.
- A person may operate switches and buttons repeatedly and have great difficulty stopping.
- These activities can be very restrictive causing the individual to be unaware or unfocused on many other situations and items in their environment.
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Perseveration: Part 2 Activities
- One of the more obvious characteristics of Autism is perseveration.
- "Sameness" is a common choice for autistic people with respect to objects, activities, environments, routines, interests.
- A person may desire that a common activity occur in the same manner daily with specific focus on certain noncritical details.
- A person may insist that the identical route be taken to a frequently visited location.
- A person may want others to consistantly make the same choice in seating or location in frequently recurring activities like mealtimes or watching TV.
- The same choice in color for clothing for specific activities may take on unusual importance.
- A person may exert great effort to keep items in the same position and arrangement (a table must have it's chairs pushed in).
- These activities can be very restrictive causing the individual to be unaware or unfocused on many other situations and items in their environment.
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Perseveration: Part 3 Environment
- One of the more obvious characteristics of Autism is perseveration.
- "Sameness" is a common choice for autistic people with respect to objects, activities, environments, routines, interests.
- A person may desire that the immediate environment remain essentially unchanged and put forth a lot of effort to return a location to a specific arrangement.
- A person may insist that the furniture must remain in particular locations.
- A person may always return personal items on his/her desk to the same arrangement.
- Certain rooms that are used for specific activities are unsettling if a similar and orderly organization is not maintained.
- A person may find that items used frequently are distressing when they are left in a variety of places other than the designated storage area.
- These activities can be very restrictive causing the individual to be unaware or unfocused on many other situations and items in their environment.
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Perseveration: Part 4 Routines
- One of the more obvious characteristics of Autism is perseveration.
- "Sameness" is a common choice for autistic people with respect to objects, activities, environments, routines, interests.
- A person may develop certain daily routines with specific order and detail.
- A person may establish verbal routines with specific people and consistently initiate these exchanges with great regularity.
- A person may engage another person with a specific question with the expectation that a specific answer will follow. The answer may be supplied to reestablish and/or complete the verbal routine.
- Daily routines involving mealtimes/bedtimes may begin to take on great importance with regard to time and order of occurance.
- Change in a well established schedule or routine may be cause for great distress and require advance notice and preparation to assist acceptance.
- These activities can be very restrictive causing the individual to be unaware or unfocused on many other situations and items in their environment.
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Perseveration: Part 5 Interests
- One of the more obvious characteristics of Autism is perseveration.
- "Sameness" is a common choice for autistic people with respect to objects, activities, environments, routines, interests.
- A person may develop certain interests that become very restricted.
- A person may devote inordinate amounts of time delving into a particular topic acquiring objects, texts, and information from a variety of sources.
- Often a chosen topic of conversation will be about a single restricted interest with great resistance to any deviation.
- A chosen interest often involves an accumulation of known facts.
- A chosen interest is often an established system of specific detailed elements.
- These activities can be very restrictive causing the individual to be unaware or unfocused on many other situations and items in their environment.
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