Signs of Aspergers Syndrome

When my son was nearly two years of age, fire hydrants fascinated him. He liked the yellow-orange color and the shape of this object that sat in a grassy area beside the sidewalk across the street from Grandma Jean’s house. He cried for me to take him to see it up close so that he could touch it, hug it, ask what its purpose was, and then he would demand to stay with it as if it had become his new best friend. Each time we visited Grandma Jean, he insisted upon this ritual as if his life depended on it.

Soon this obsession with fire hydrants expanded to all hydrants in the city. He would flip out (screaming, hitting, head banging) if he spotted one on the roadside when I was driving the car. He would not stop his tantrum and self-injurious behavior until I pulled over to the hydrant. He was satisfied with remaining in his car seat with the window rolled down as he greeted the hydrant and described it in detail. It would take about five minutes for this exchange to be complete regardless of my many efforts to redirect his attention. Were these signs of Aspergers syndrome?

It became necessary to plan my driving routes away from highly visible hydrants. I was constantly wiping his hands and face with anti-bacterial wipes, and embarrassed by the stares of drivers passing by as they watched my son hugging doggie-dripped fire hydrants.

Some of his other obsessions included: fire extinguishers; trains and train routes; trucks with big wheels; wheels turning, moving water; bubbles; cement trucks; all construction sites and equipment; fans, and “Wheel of Fortune” on TV.

His reaction to each of the above mentioned obsessions included frantic hand flapping, hysterical insistence that he be allowed to get as close as possible to the object of his affection and refusal to transition to another task. He was fixated - all probable symptoms and signs of Aspergers syndrome.

If we were out in public, perhaps watching a job site (construction), when it was time to leave his behavior included high-pitched screams and very, very loud and insistent demands to remain. It was necessary for me to carry him, kicking and screaming, biting, and crying, to finally get him belted into his car seat, drive away quickly, and redirect his attention. The temptation to stay at home and away from the public stares and unwanted attention we received during these episodes was enormous.

Every single day, I lived in hope that with time and my consistent reactions to his behaviors, my son would ultimately accept the fact
that when I said it was time to leave the object of his affection, he
would leave willingly. After months and months, he finally got it and he
got it in the broadest all-encompassing way, in the cause and effect kind of way that continues to serve him in life today ... life with signs of Aspergers syndrome.

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