Hi there,
I am writing regarding my 4 yr old boy, since age 1 he has had an obsession with anything electrical, and I mean anything, it started with constantly trying to climb behind the t.v to get to the cords and unplug them plug them back in,then as his climbing skills and curiosity grew so did his obsession, we have tried EVERYTHING to curb this, at first it was just plain dangerous, while hanging out the washing one day I came back inside to find he had plugged in the electric fry pan, the toastie pie maker and the slow cooker. another day it was the electric blankets on high all day while we were away. since the obsession started he has been able to flick out those outlet covers and would go to any means to ensure access to them. if you denied access to them he would nag until you thought you were going to loose your mind.
He is incredibly friendly and sociable but doesn't always get this right, he enjoys the company of older kids rather than his own age.
I read on here a number of parents think their child has a sixth sense, we have joked about this too, while away at a holiday home for a weekend with friends, (something we rarely do as its just a nightmare with him getting into every cord and plug in sight... or out of sight as it may be) our daughter was a baby at the time, without our sons knowledge we had packed the baby monitor, my husband communicated to me with no words, or gestures, just a grunt indicating he needed to set up the baby monitor, I took my son from the property on a bike ride so my husband could set up the monitor under the bed without our sons knowledge, as soon as he returned he went straight for the room and looked under the bed saying where is it.
He instinctively knows and has done from a very young age that USB cords are for the computer and ADSL is for the phone, he is constantly challenging theories and seeks more info until you are out of answers yourself.
He is sensitive to noise and struggles in places like swimming pools with lots of echoy noise.
He has bounds of energy and always has to be making some kind of obnoxious noise.
We sought help through the peads for some answers to his obsession in hope that we could get some strategies to keep him alive without putting him in a straight jacket, unfortunately when aged 2.5 he electrocuted himself while in the care of my mum for just 1 night, this had been coming for a long time and that day we/he got lucky, he was very shaken and covered in burns but still alive an in relatively good health, sadly this didn't curb his obsession....
Peads originally said Autism, then ADHD but have since said neither to both.
He has an amazing vocab and uses words and phrases beyond his years, even correcting his sister about using plural and singular.
He has always had an AMAZING memory and remembers things, people and places from years ago. His attention span is and always has been incredible, at age 1 he could sit to a task for over an hour.... heck he will play with his plugs ALL day if we let him.
Pre school have observed he is very bright but sometimes struggle with what I consider to be boredom, where he is just naughty for the sake of it even though he knows the rules. I have proposed to them that he is bored but they disagree.
What are peoples thoughts? Does he sound gifted? Does anyone know someone else with an electrically obsessed child because we feel like we are the only family in the world right now with a child that wants to get a plug painted on their face at the fair... not a tiger or a pirate!
I would push for a psych eval - what you are describing sounds to me like giftedness, but to the non gifted community could sound like ASD. You might want to beat them to the punch by getting a GT diagnosis first.
In the meantime have you thought about buying him a circuit breaker or other such electrical experimenting set?
Go with it instead of against it. Do you have access to anything he can dismantle and fix again? Try second hand shops for old toasters/dvd players, etc....teach him about circuits, voltage (different plugs, different countries), lightning, transistors, resistance, Ohm's law, etc... introduce him to great inventors/electricians, local electrician? experiment with paper clips, potato lights, etc...Turn his passion into safe fun. Use college text books if the children's version doesn't interest him. No one is too old/young for anything. Sounds gifted to me. Mine wanted a book, or a tree on their faces.
Also sounds gifted to me and I agree that you should get in with an assessment first. It is crucial however that the person who does the assessment is experienced in dealing with giftedness. You should choose your Ed Psyc based on this.
Have you tried toy electronic sets? Electronic BrainBox is a good one, you can get a super sized set that has heaps of components and an instruction book for making heaps of circuits.
Hi
he sounds gifted to me! But yes, have him assessed as this will bring clarity and strategies to help him when he begins school as that will be soon.
We had 3-4 years of trouble once our gifted son started school as no one realised that was what was going on for him and he was so under challenged (sensitive to the busy school setting too) and sadly I didn't think of giftedness either. Once the assessment was complete and the penny dropped, we fine tuned everything, including moving schools, incorporating 1 homeschool day etc. things have improved and he's happy. I would hate for you to experience what we did!
The most important thing for your little guy is to run with his passions, the suggestions above are great. He may flit to another passion some day, run with that one too! It's imperative he gets a feel of what he likes to do and what thrills him.
Instinct! I think you are aware he's probably gifted!
Thanks for your responses, he has a couple of those large brain box sets and loves playing with them. He has a work bench in the garage with and old motor and other 'junk' he can dismantle, however all of that only holds his interest if he can make it 'go'!
Enough is NEVER enough for him, from a very young age if you give him an inch he will take two thousand miles.
He is more and more starting to turn his interest to books, spending times looking at the world atlas and an old encyclopaedia, this is a good thing as previously he wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to be interested in books.
How would I go about getting a phyc eval done without going through my regular peads again, I lost all hope in them the day they tried to send me home with Ritalin when he was 2 after a 2 hour appointment being trapped in a small room and asked to play with Dolls. This was from a 'psychiatrist but I honestly felt like we were just a number to her.
And if we were to go ahead with a phyc evaluation what would this mean for schooling? would the teachers see this as credible? I really am out of my depth here and really appreciate your valuable feedback. Would we maybe finally get strategies to manage him better? Because at the moment life can be pretty awful at times when he is having an extra difficult day and we certainly would love to know how to manage him better.
However thanks 'Anon', I have been trusting my gut and to this day it has told me he is not Autistic, or ADHD and absolutely not to give him drugs and led me to observe that my sons entire life is just one big physics lesson, I don't want to loose this by being uneducated myself. Thanks for the reassurance to keep trusting my gut!
You don't have to go through paed, just find an Ed Psych (e.g., we went to Indigo in Auckland) and contact them yourself directly. Have a look at indigo.org.nz just to get an idea, even if you're not in Auckland or you choose someone else :)
It's expensive, but I'd suggest you only ask for the cognitive testing and not the educational, it's a couple of hundred cheaper.
As for whether schools take the info on board - that's variable. Ours has zero interest BUT we haven't pushed it as yet as we don't really have any problems. Other schools may be more evolved :)
Good luck!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your son's story. My energetic three year old is crazy about plugs too. He is always carrying around something electrical; fans, heaters, toasters, tablets, iPods etc etc. He has been crazy about electrical items also since he could move. No amount or type of plug cover was any hinderance to him. He is now old enough to be taught about safety, and will always turn off plugs before using. Also has uncanny knowledge of types such as USB, TV connectors, cameras, iPods, phones etc, and knows what goes with what. I was hoping it was a passing phase, but with your son still being obsessed at 4, perhaps it will continue!
Dear son won't look at 'conventional toys' and spends hours playing with his fans, radios etc. Any attempt to distact leads to meltdowns. Hiding everything also didn't work, as he seemed to know exactly where they were. He is social, loves talking to everyone and doesn't seem to have any hint of ASD or ADHD. Perhaps a little OCD. (if it has a plug, it must be plugged in). Will inspect all lights to make sure they all work at every place we go to. Drives me crazy!
What did you find kept him entertained? Was unsure if Brainbox would be too advanced just yet? What age did you introduce it? Any other things you found pique his interest?
Thanks.
While the logic side of a brainbox might be ok for a bright 3 year old, the physical strength required to click them together is likely to be an issue. I wonder if you could get more value from getting a local electrician to build you something custom. A board with different types of lights, switches and cables that can be connected different ways to do different things. Somewhat inspired by these sort of busy boards: http://millionayres.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/busy-board.jpg, https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/4a/f7/62/4af762158ce6fd99bd239f1f4f1a50cd.jpg, but battery powered with cables, lights, switches etc.
Hi TG
Wow thanks for your message, its funny, when I first posted on here my hope was that I would get a response from another parent saying everything you have said! I cant believe it!!! Our son is now 5 and has been at school for 2 weeks, so far its going well and he has taken his boundaries taught at home to school in terms of touching plugs, cords etc. As I type he is playing with an old laptop, cords of all sorts, USB, u name it! We have had a few 'wow' moments in the last while, we recently relocated and the man came to make sure the internet was working, it wasn't and our son was able to explain to him that 'I told Dad he had that plug in the wrong place it has to go in there so that can make that go and then that goes in there', the man from the internet place was just staring at him with his mouth open in amazement, he then said 'you are exactly right' and gave him a high 5, how does he know that stuff?
Where are you located in NZ if you don't mind me asking? I honestly thought my son was the only one.
We have recently had him assessed by a private psychologist and she is leaning towards him being gifted and his results suggested this however were inconclusive as there were stark contrasts in his abilities, beyond his years in most things but well below in other aspects. This assessment has been very beneficial for school however.
I look forward to your response and perhaps we can private message in future?
Hi Christine,
would love to have a chat to you about your boy and compare notes. My son was 3 in August, and feel we have a long road ahead of plugs, lights, fans and switches!
We are in west Auckland.
You can email me at tanya_oc@yahoo.com.au.
Look forward to hearing from you.
I am so glad I stumbled upon this thread! My 4 year old son is an electrical dude too. He loves all different cords, and knows so much more than me about each and every one of them be it LAN cables, AUX, USB, etc etc etc. He sees all the buildings he enters as though he can see the wiring in the walls and makes up an imaginary story as to where a wire goes and what it turns on etc. He loves to set up his 'doctors' with a DVD player, DVR, phone, fan (always with the fans huh?) etc and if it is not exactly how he wants it, a mammoth meltdown ensues. I must admit it is very challenging parenting a perhaps gifted child. I dear say he is twice exceptional as he was diagnosed with ASD at 2 years old, but at his next assessment he was 'a different boy' according to the psych team, and said he merely had sensory challenges, which he struggles with even now. I am starting to think about school for him now and realise how important getting the right school/teacher is. He is reading, like pretty much anything, and can do addition and subtraction. His vocab is huge and I worry that school won't challenge him at all (unless they 'get' that he is miles ahead of most of the other children). His kindy have not picked up on his intelligence, and that is a worry. I think he is very bored which means behaviour problems. Anyway, it is super awesome to know there are at least 2 other kids in NZ like my boy!!! Best of luck to you guys
Hello! Thanks for sharing your son's story, and actually, I am so glad I stumbled upon this thread! Also, my son is almost 4, and your personal experienced impressed my family: http://livecustomwriting.com/blog/different-types-of-kids-and-teachers-at-school
I'm sure ou will find the way out! [url=http://livecustomwriting.com/blog/different-types-of-kids-and-teachers-at-school]http://livecustomwriting.com/blog/different-types-of-kids-and-teachers-at-school[/url] will tell you about different kinds of children and teachers!
