[That Is Nice]

My toddler for a while now has been lining up toys in rows, and also lines up other household objects (shoes, food, dishes, etc). I have read that that is one of many signs that a child may be Autistic. My toddler is also a late talker, and may or may not be high on the Autism spectrum.

I have also read that children who go on to exhibit talents in math and music, etc, later in life, also have a propensity to line up toys.

Do any of you have experience with your children lining up their toys when they were toddlers?

 

[kundemama]

DS lined up toys when he was almost 24 months. We had fabric letters that he would line up from one wall to the other. He would fix the spacing between the letters when they didn't quite reach wall to wall.

 

[Mama_in_Maine]

DD who has Autism lined up videos and video cases a few times. Maybe 5 total. She was never obsessive about it. Her thing was spinning items. She will be 5 on saturday and no longer does either.
My son who is 27 months and has Autism lines up cars. He has about 12 cars of different varieties and shapes and sizes and will find them throughout the house and line them up. He does this about once a day and doesn't seem obsessive about it nor gets upset if they get out of line. He will also occasionally line up similar food items on his tray and he had a nice tower of carrots going last night..lol.
Lining items up can be a symptom of Autism but it needs to be in combination with several other characteristics. All three of my children are late talkers as well.

 

[AuntG]

Here's my anecedotal evidence: both my boys lined things up starting at an early age -- cars, books, pillows, shoes, etc. (I have a photo of the middle one lining up food containers from the pantry)-- and neither is autistic (I thought it was just a boy thing!)

My oldest actually still lines thing up! He collects drink cans and every week he rearranges the line (won't stack! must be in a line

: ) He is also a music prodigy, able to play any instrument within just a few minutes of being shown, and able to sight read any song or play by ear proficiently within minutes.

I guess my point is, the "signs" don't always point to this or that. Then again, sometimes they do. Just go with your gut.

ETA: I just saw that about lining up videotapes! OMGoodness! I remember those days of having a videotape highway running through the house! And, BTW, my oldest son's favorite activity was and still is taking all the videotapes/dvds out or books from his bookshelf out and then putting them back up, alphabetically.
In fact, I recall once when he was 5, having to take his bookshelf out of his room when he was in severe trouble because it was too much fun for him to rearrange books.

 

[2 in August]

My little guy just turned 2 this week and he loves to line up his cars. He's also not talking much, but he has no other autistic characteristics.

 

[lunar forest]

my asd ds never really did. Well, I guess there was a short time when he liked to do it, but it was more to just have things in order. My NT dd loves to line things up, and did it a lot around age two. I know several boys who are not asd and who do this/did this as preschoolers.

 

[JessSC]

I think my ASD son has only lined up books and plastic toys twice ever! Yet I know a little boy (who in my opinion is not on the spectrum) who LOVES to line cars and trains up. Just that characteristic, in and of itself, isn't too cause for concern.

 

[fanniefarkle]

Sid lines things up, or at least goes around placing them in a fashion that is pleasing to him. He does this with kitchen utensils, crayons, cars, Mr. Potato Head parts, whatever he is interested in that day.

 

[QueenOfThePride]

You have to look at the whole picture. A lot of kids do one or two autistic things and are not autistic. My 4yo son is normal and when he was between one and two he would line up all his toy cars, trucks, and trains from one end of the room to the other. Anything with wheels went in the line. But he was/is sociable, talkative, and played with all different kinds of toys.