4 year old totally obsessed with pipes,wires,furnaces,vents,connections!

[stressed mom]

Hi I have a 4 year old who has a speech delay.I took him to a developmental pediatrician when he was three,he was diagnosed with GDD.He is being given speech therapy and OT at school.He was v social when he started school ,he was then placed in a special classroom with only 4 kids due to his inability to follow instructions.Its been a year and a half since then ,he has no social skills left.He would talk to adults but refuses to play or mingle with kids his age.Also he has a huge obsession with wires,pipes,hoses,connections,furnaces,vents ,washer dryer and anything of that nature,paint boxes etc.It has become v v annoying to the point that he has started damaging my house big time and also when we visit friends he insists on getting into all this.We have tried so much but he just cannot control himself.Anyone experiencing this problem?Please help!!!

[avomama]

I'm new to this site but had to jump in here.  The speech delay, lack of social skills, and obsessions are all traits of autism.  Maybe you can get a second opinion or some extra testing done?

Good luck.

[earthmama4]

GDD is a global developmental delay, correct? Did they screen him for autism at that time? I know autism spectrum disorders are classed under Pervasive Developmental Disorder so I don't know how far apart that is from GDD. Children on the autism spectrum tend to "obsess" over really strange things (vacuums, train schedules, etc). My three boys interests were fairly typical but it was to the extent they focused on them that contributed to their diagnosis. 

I am here to tell you that once one of these kiddos starts focusing on their special interest, there is nothing, I repeat, nothing you can do other than to just go with it. They are like a train on a one way track, lol. I wasted a lot of my life with my boys fighting those interests and I wish I wouldn't have because 1- it didn't work anyway 2 - it created a lot of conflict in our home.

I would try to just guide it into the right direction. If he's wrecking things in the house like taking things apart, ect...provide him with things that are OK to take apart. Go to a thrift store or hardware store and load up on things he loves and give him a tool box or whatever and go to it (with supervision of course). Maybe take a tote of his new "toys" with you when you go visiting? Hugs to you mama. These kids aren't easy to parent, just try to love him through it and maybe find the humor in it. 

[stressed mom]

Thank you so much for the replies and advices.He did get tested for Autism at that time and they ruled it out,though as a mom i suspect him to be on spectrum.Pointless getting him diagnosed again if i know what it is,point is how to deal with it.I just started on homeopathic therapy have heard good things about it.Fingers crossed.