Child Putting Things in a Row

I think it's just an age thing....My older kids did it too...But here is a great chat with mom's that might be able to help you out some more.... http://www.a-mommys-world.com/chat.php

My nephew and my son are only 5 weeks apart and my son never has done this, but my nephew does it constantly. We did find out that my nephew has a few developmental delays and they thought he was borderline autistic, but since working with the First-steps program, his delays have improved and he is speaking a lot more. If there are no other signs, this is probably just a stage!! Just watch for other signs, and I know ou would not want to offend this person, but sometimes it takes an outside opion for someone to realize there might be a problem, but wait to say anything until you see another sign or this becomes more severe.

I think all two year olds have OCD to some extent :) It is age appropriate. My dd did it, and she is a perfectly normal 4yo now. I wouldn't be concerned unless you see other red flags.

It's great that you are concerned about your friend's child but I am not sure if it would be appropriate for you to make suggestions about her son unless she has asked you. There could be a wide variety of reasons he is lining his toys up. If she has some concern, I would suggested she have her son evaluated by the state.

My son used to do this when he was young. He is now 7 and perfectly normal and healthy. It is just part of his personality, he likes his room clean and everything in order. Personally I think it's a great thing. It doesn't have to mean there is a problem so unless she has voiced her concerns to you I probably would'nt say anything. Hope this helps!

My 16yr old daughter used to do that at that age. She loved to line things up, not only her toys, but soap, candles etc. She was developmentaly fine, actually very advanced. She is now an extremely intelligent girl in all advanced classes. She is also very organized. As long as your friend's daughter is not showing any signs of delays, I would not worry at all.

No, it's an age appropriate thing to do.

Sounds like she's just being two..my daughter used to do that a lot - it passed.

Lots of kids do this, including my own. My daughter is a typical 4 year old child and does not have any OCD or autism. I would not look at this behavior in isolation--rather look at other things in conjuntion with this--the bigger problems would entail problems with speech, eye contact, socialization.

Sometimes that's just kids being anal. usually they say that if they don't PLAY with the toys and only line them up, it's more signs of autism. But some kids just like to line things up so don't rush off to extremes without looking at other things as well.

I have actually read what you that lining up items is a sign of OCD, but it was not a very reilable source. If I were you, I would call your pedi about this.
Also you can also talk to other moms on TheNest.com (go on the parenting board), that are going through similar experiences. The Nest is my favorite messageboard, that is why I mention it. It is a great resouce for me.

My son does that because he likes to make trains out of everything. Perhaps it's something like that? He does not have any other issues that cause concern, but he does get really mad if you mess up his train.

I always hear moms freaking out about this but it's totally NORMAL. You want to be concerned if it doesn't happen! Pretty much all 2 year olds go through this 'organization' stage. They are making order of their world. They are sorting -- by color, by size, by lining things up, by stacking things up, etc. Some kids are in this stage for a few days and it's barely noticible, others are in this stage for months.

Just relax and enjoy... and start thinking about potty training because this is a good sign (putting things 'away' where they belong and bringing order to her world). It means she'll most likely be more receptive to putting pee/poop where it belongs - in the toilet. :-) My older kids were potty trained completely within a week and I started as soon as they hit this stage. I'll wait for this baby to get to that stage, too.

Hi M.,

My son did this and also has some signifacant language delays. I had him tested and asked several times about Autism. They said if he got upset when I messed up his line, that could point to Autism. My son right now is seen once a week for Speech Therapy.

I would suggest to your friend that she have her daughter tested. It is free, through the state, and she can find out where the local facility is through her peditrician. I can't stress enough how valuable Early Intervention is!

Good luck,
J.

Unless you see other signs of concern (not talking a lot, not interacting with others, not playing with toys appropriately, etc) you may just want to sit and wait. If that is the only "unusual" behavior she is displaying then chances are she just likes to line things up at this particular time. But if you do see other red flags and she is a close friend then you should bring it up.

not sure since its hard to diagnose someone over the internet but it could just be that she's learning pattern recognition and the differences in size/shapes, neatness, such like that. both my kids did it for a long time

This is very normal and developmentally appropriate for her age :)

You would not see OCD in a child of 2. It is more likely
1) totally normal- kids lines things up and get upset when you stop them from doing anything that they are doing!
2) early signs of autism/autism spectrum disorder. How are her social skills? Language skills? Motor development? Any repetitive motor behaviors, etc? If you see any other problems in these area, I would strongly suggest getting an evalaution. Early intervention is key in autism.
Good luck

I've read that's a sign of autism so you may want to encourage your friend to have her checked out by the pediatrician. Diagnosing it early can make a huge difference.

If there is nothing else to raise concerns then I think you can be pretty comfortable that this is a developmental phase that all children go thorugh to some degree... despite tv sitcoms and starbucks on any Saturday kids really do like order and tidiness.

That was one of the first signs we noticed of my step son's Asperger's syndrome (a form of autism). I would google autism and look at some other signs/symptoms of autism and maybe suggest to your friend she have her daughter tested.

I don't think it is anything. I use to babysit kids 15 years ago and they did that sort of thing all the time and nothing came of it.

I would not worry about this. My nephew used to put things in a line - trains, toys, kleenex squares, anything. Now he is a very intelligent and well-adjusted 13 yr old. When he was little and did that, I just thought he was really smart and did not look at it as a negative.

The worst thing you can do is "wait and see" if you notice a red flag and that's exactly what has happened, that is a red flag. It's very possible that there is absolutely nothing wrong with her but wouldn't it be nice to find out and get early intervention if she does have a disorder? Just google autism signs or ocd signs and see if she relates to ANY other red flags, print out this info and give it to her mother when you approach the subject. It can be traumatizing to find out your child is different, but I have firsthand experience that early intervention can do amazing things. If you have any other questions about this please contact me.

It could be a sign of autism, but it could just be that your child likes to play this way. If you mess it up of course she is going to get made because she took all that time to make it that way and you messed up her game. I used to do the same thing my mother used to tell me and I don't have autism. Give it some time don't just jump into it and think something is wrong.

i've never seen this. wonder if it's ocd, autism, or anything else. probably she should ask a doctor. good luck!