Social Question

Dutchess_III's avatar

What's your "theory" on why my grandson always has to be holding something in his hand?

Asked by Dutchess_III (46811points) April 25th, 2013

Aden is 6, almost 7. Ever since he was old enough to grasp things he almost ALWAYS has had something to hold in his hand. When he was 3 I found an old eye lash curler and set it aside for him. It was perfect to hold in his little hand, plus it had moving parts. The more moving parts, the better. He loves trying to figure out what makes things work.

A couple years ago Rick and I snagged Aden and his sister to go road tripping, to see what there was to see. We found ourselves walking in a rocky ravine. It really required some balance and climbing, and rocks would move under our feet. Aden was making me nervous because he had something in BOTH hands and would not put them down!

His mom said that one time he got a hold of a rock that looked like a submarine. It was a pretty good sized rock. He tripped on the sidewalk, and instead of letting go of the rock to catch himself, he took a face plant!

Here is a picture I took yesterday. He’s holding a root out of the way so his sister could dig a hole for a new rose bush. He has some rocket thing in his hand that shoots discs. Later on he set that down in favor of this punched tin candle lantern thing I had on the deck. He liked it because it had a door that opened and closed. It wasn’t very holdable, 1) because it had the texture of a cheese grater, only worse, and 2), it was about 8 inches in diameter. But it had a handle. At one point we went to the front yard to scatter some flower seeds. I told Aden he’d need two hands, so he put it down. But the instant he was done with the seeds he asked if he could have the lantern back.

He has an amazing memory. When he was 3, 4, he’d recite entire movies that he’d only seen one time. He’d speak each character’s lines, sing the songs, and make the sound effects, from beginning to end. He do that, just lost in his own little world. His mom and I would often glance at each other, with our mouths open.

Currently he’s in love with the solar system. He’ll recite obscure facts, reel them off like a recording. He’ll talk atmospheric densities, composition, temperature, everything. We recently got into a discussion about whether or Pluto should be considered a planet. I said they should have left it a regular planet because it was mean to change it after all these years. Poor little Pluto.
He looked at me and said, “No. It’s too little. It is a dwarf planet, Gramma. A dwarf planet. A big rock. And it doesn’t have feelings.”

He talks ALL the time. His mom said once that he’d never have to be worried about getting kidnapped because they’d bring him home in an hour because he would drive them crazy with his chatter! Aden said, “You’re probably right, Mom.”

He’s really smart, but he can be ditzy too. Yesterday I walked to the school to pick him and his sister up. His sister’s other mother was there. We were standing right next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, when Aden came out the door (doors lead to the outside) he saw Amanda and said, “Hi Amanda!” then started looking allll around for me. “Where’s gramma?” he said. Amanda goes “Aden?” He looks at her questioningly…and never saw me RIGHT THERE! RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! I finally started waving my arms and jumping up a down! He goes “Oh! There you are!” Amanda and I just looked at each other and grinned. Trust me…I exchange glances with a LOT of people when Aden’s around!

On the way home, talk talk talk talk, not paying any attention to what was around him, which is not such a good thing when you’re on foot.

Whew. I get tired just talking about him! But I’m telling you all of these personality traits, wondering how it all ties in with him always wanting to be HOLDING something.

As an aside, his mother is ¼ Oriental, and his dad is 100% Wetback, and that is how we wound up with the best looking Beaner in the WHOLE WORLD! This one’s for you, ETPro!

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51 Answers

janbb's avatar

Don’t have an answer but he sounds like a wonderful kid!

Dutchess_III's avatar

Did you really read all that???

Dutchess_III's avatar

I kind of thought of that @tom_g. But isn’t he a little old for that? It seems like more of a mild obsession….?

JLeslie's avatar

Awww, he sounds adorable!

As to having something in his hand, I have wondered this about many many adults. Can’t be in a bar without a drink, can’t walk down the street without a bottle of water. Some sort of security blanket or something. They feel naked without it. Some people are alcoholics, and that is why they always have a drink, that Pepsi actually has alcohol in it. But, I don’t think that your grandson preferring to carry something means he is likely to be an alcoholic or anything, it’s just a side observation. But, I think there is something to maybe feeling naked without something in their hand.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Good thoughts @JLeslie. I almost always have a 32 oz of diet coke or water with me where ever I go. Not to mention smoking. :( And he is adorable. Want me to put him on the phone with you? Mwuhahahhaaaa!

Pachy's avatar

Maybe it’s just a tactile thing—he likes the feel of something in his hand. At any rate, he sounds like one smart little boy to be mighty proud of.

SadieMartinPaul's avatar

He sounds like a marvelous child with a tactile curiosity about the world around him.

gorillapaws's avatar

Could he have a mild form of Aspergers? Has he ever been checked out or evaluated? How is he in school, does he interact well with other children, does he engage in ritualistic behaviors (e.g. not stepping on cracks)?

Dutchess_III's avatar

Oh, these are some good answers you guys!

Yeah…Mild Rainman comes to mind often @gorillapaws! But since I’m not a doctor I’ll just call it a genetic blue print for a superior race of humans. :)

SpatzieLover's avatar

@Dutchess_III Rainman didn’t have Autism or Asperger’s.

When I read it all, he sounds to me like an Aspie. A person with Asperger’s Syndrome. The non-stop talking and the special interests when added to the distractions and the need for an object in hand all are quite familiar to me.

The moving parts: Has he done this since he infancy or early toddler years? Does he line or stack objects? Have a need for order or sameness, particularly with his life at home (parents)?

Dutchess_III's avatar

Well, according to Wikipedia Rainman was an autistic savant. But he wasn’t a real person, so I don’t know how that could be debated. And yes, @SpatzieLover, ever since he could make things move. Yep, he likes things orderly, except his bedroom is a wreck, which I find a little odd for him. My son and daughter shared a room when they were younger. You could draw a line down the middle of it. My son’s side would be perfectly neat, all his boxcars lined up. My daughter’s side would be a wreck.

No, he doesn’t have other ritualistic behaviors.

Why would we want to have him “checked out and evaluated” @gorillapaws?

SpatzieLover's avatar

Without ritualistic behaviors he could be considered PDD-NOS. The reason his family may want him evaluated would be for necessary accommodations in school and for therapy to increase his flexibility of mind.

The tendency being without therapy certain rigidity of mind patterns set in. Special interests can be used to his advantage by tapping into those further.

JLeslie's avatar

@Dutchess_III I have often wondered if oral fixations and maybe even this type of tactile fixation is genetic. My husband’s niece played with her mom’s hair when she was little exactly how my husband plays with his own. Twirls it, but mostly wants to feel the ends of his hair against his fingertips. That is exactly what his little niece said, “I like the points of mommy’s hair.”

Dutchess_III's avatar

I think we’ll just let him be Aden. Mom does a pretty good job. Don’t know about Dad.

Hell, my son, Chris, could probably have been diagnosed with ADHD based on his behavior and we could have made all kinds of “accommodations” including putting him on drugs. But I never did. I just let him be Chris (and he got himself in trouble a lot!) and he’s the most wonderful man you could ever want now.

I agree @JLeslie.

SpatzieLover's avatar

@JLeslie Yes, sensory is genetic, as is Autism (ASD). The distractibility is not necessarily ADHD, @Dutchess_III.

bkcunningham's avatar

I don’t know, @Dutchess_III, but can we borrow him and his sister to go road tripping with us and our granddaughter? You are really, really blessed. How freaking beautiful are those kids?

Dutchess_III's avatar

Or “something” @SpatzieLover.

Going to look now @cheepdragon.

Thanks @bkcunningham! They really are. :)

Dutchess_III's avatar

…Why are people calling it a “disorder,” like it’s something that needs to be fixed or changed?

cheebdragon's avatar

It’s just a word really, looking thru the list im certain that I fall into the “Hypersensitivity To Sounds (Auditory Defensiveness):” catagory. It’s nothing bad.
I can’t stand the sound of electricity running through a house sometimes, I deal with it, but sometimes I will shut off the power breaker. My boyfriend gets so mad at me, everytime he leaves the house I turn off his computer because it drives me insane, it’s just too loud. If I vaccuum I have to wear headphones and listen to loud music while I do it, and I very rarely use blowdryers without doing the same thing.

SpatzieLover's avatar

@Dutchess_III Both husband and son (both Aspies) have SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder). Why is it labeled a disorder?

It means it’s not the typical neurological layout of the brain. Same for ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)....And the same for ADHD. These are all differently wired brains.

In our case, we can clearly see the genetic links on both sides of our families. There are many links to neurological disorder: Seizures, migraines, SPD, ADHD, ASD are all present on both sides.

In many cases with ASD family trees are littered with out-of-the-box thinkers. Engineers and artists…people that are well ahead of their time in the IT field.

JLeslie's avatar

He just sounds like an energetic curious boy to me.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Can’t wait to see what profession he chooses when he grows up @SpatzieLover. :)

Actually…he’s not all that energetic. Look who’s digging the hole for the rosebush vs who is holding a root out of the way!

bkcunningham's avatar

There was a dinosaur teacher when I was in high school. The kids called him T-square Bandy. He walked everywhere with either a slide rule or a T-square in his hand, rubbing it mindlessly as he walked the halls mumbling to himself. I think he may have been an Aspy. He was a a genius and talked nonstop about math. His influence veered many a girl and boy into some wonderful professions, careers and lives.

janbb's avatar

@Dutchess_III I, too, thought of Asperger’s but then decided why rush to diagnose anything as a problem unless it shows up as one?

SpatzieLover's avatar

His mom said that one time he got a hold of a rock that looked like a submarine. It was a pretty good sized rock. He tripped on the sidewalk, and instead of letting go of the rock to catch himself, he took a face plant! <—-BTW: This is very typical. Does he feel pain? Too much or too little pain?

That’s where an OT evaluation might come in handy. If he’s constantly getting injured. If not and he’s doing fine, then they can just watch over him a bit more closely.

Seek's avatar

I’m sorry… Oriental? Wetback?

Dutchess_III's avatar

You know….it might be some sort of autisim/asperger genetic mutation that hit our species a few million years ago, transforming us in to relative geniuses.

No, he doesn’t get hurt a lot. And how would I know if he feels too much or too little pain? But I’ll stick him with a pin when he gets here after school and let you know the results. (I AM JUST KIDDING!!)

LOL! Yay @Seek_Kolinahr! :) Mom is 1/8th Indonesian, Dad is Hispanic.

SpatzieLover's avatar

And how would I know if he feels too much or too little pain?

He would be crying at paper cuts (like my son)...even invisible paper cuts. Or might avoid things at the playground due to fear of pain (might be fear of noise or unknown added to that).

Or, he’d not cry or react but you’d notice bruises…People that are hyposensitive risk getting concussions, broken bones or more serious injuries (burns/scalds), as they typically feel very little pain.

Seek's avatar

For a second I thought this question was written in 1947.

Dutchess_III's avatar

:) No, I don’t think they allowed interracial marriages of any kind in 1947. I was just playing off of the “Oriental” thread. Also, posted a pic of Aden with his ball cap on backwards, in honor of ETPros question.

Here is my favorite pic of Aden to date. I see a young man in the future, Starbucks coffee in one hand, technical manual in the other, evaluating the merits of what another astronomer is saying in the meeting he’s chairing. He’s in his mom’s hospital room after she had twins, and it’s water in the cup. :)

Seek's avatar

With any luck, Starbucks will be a long-gone institution, but that look plainly states,

“Yes, Pluto is a fricking planet, and if you say it isn’t again we’re going to have more than words.”

Seek's avatar

Seriously, though, he’s gorgeous.

Dutchess_III's avatar

LOL! Except the other way around. “Pluto is a DWARF planet, a giant rock, and if you call it a planet without the dwarf AGAIN I’m swat gonna you with it!”

Yes. He’s gonna be a heart breaker. All my grandkids are beautiful. His sister Brande They don’t match! :) And she’s a poser. Always has been. Probably because Gramma has had a camera in her face since she was born!

Dutchess_III's avatar

Gotta go! Gotta go get the poser and the savant from school and plant more flowers!

YARNLADY's avatar

It could be a way of trying to connect with the world around him. From some of your descriptions, he might need help with that. My son always needs something in his mouth. He usually chews straws, but sometimes the edges of plastic cups or a piece of leather.

gorillapaws's avatar

@Dutchess_III “Why would we want to have him ‘checked out and evaluated’”

If he does have a mild form of Aspergers or is somewhere along the Autism spectrum, he’s probably going to face some unique challenges. Getting a diagnosis would help his parents and teachers better understand his unique circumstances and allow him to reach his full potential. There are likely some well researched techniques and strategies for helping him succeed. It’s not like I’m saying he’s somehow “damaged” or “broken” but it’s possible he has a different set of strengths and weaknesses than most people, and knowing more seems like a healthy thing to me.

I was diagnosed with Dyslexia in the 2nd grade. I think documenting the diagnosis made the difference between me being put on the right track and eventually attending a ridiculously competitive gifted public high school or being in special ed/remedial classes. I feel like my dyslexia has certain gifts associated with it. Ideas tend to be more loosely organized in my brain and I seem to connect things that others have a hard time seeing until I point them out. This helps me with being highly creative. I would probably be in jail right now if I’d been stuck in the “dumb kids classes.”

mandy892's avatar

Hi Dutchess there are a couple of traits there that could very well be autism, but don’t think if it was that, that it is a bad thing it’s not. All though some people think autistic are kids are not very socially talkative this is right in a kind of awkward way but this is because they only see things in black and white there’s no shades of grey in other words they see the logic in things and if they cant they don’t understand it. If there talking about something that there interested in and know about it they will talk till you ears drop off, but if there not interested they don’t want to know. They also have repeated behaviour were if they play with a certain thing they will do it the same way each time. My son is 13yrs old and has classic autism and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Hope this helps in any kind of way.

Dutchess_III's avatar

“So, Aden. What did you learn in school today?”
“I learned about SHARKS and I got a book about SHARKS!”
“Did you like it?”
“Oh, yes!”
“So, do you like planets or sharks best?”
“Both. It would be called a shlanet.” (There is never any hesitation in his answers.)
“What would?”
“If you put a shark and a planet together and when I grow up I’m going to be in charge of a space vehicle that studies Saturn!” (Only he pronounces it Sat er en.)
“Cool.”
“And here is what I learned about sharks (takes a deep breath) well sharks are fish not mammals but the whale shark is ACTUALLY a mammal and there is an oceanic white tip shark and an oceanic black tip shark and the bull shark is the most dangerous shark and a cookie cutter shark has razor sharp teeth and there is this thing called a pickle shark it has fins but it doesn’t have the top layer fin it’s only like a small bump oh look! An old piece of newspaper!” Tears it in half, gives half to me and…voila! We’re finding our way home via a treasure map. Nonstop “Ok, now this map shows that monsters live in that house so don’t step on the bricks because they’ll get mad lets look for another Robin’s egg like we found yesterday and there are space monsters in THAT house…..” We finally get home. “X MARKS THE SPOT!”

Then Brande and Aden were “talking” on two old landline phones I keep in the toy box,making plans for a picnic. Brande (who’s standing in front of us) says, “What are you going to bring for us to eat, Aden?”
Before he could answer I pulled a small, square styrofoam box out of the fridge. “Here. You can take this.”
“What is it?”
“Worms,” I said.
“NU UH!!” They yelled. I opened the box to show, yes, worms. (Fisherman in my house.)
They declined.

cheebdragon's avatar

I hate how they changed Pluto’s status..(even a small dick is still a dick, right?)...why can’t Pluto still be a planet?....I learned the damned solar system song in 1st grade, I can’t unlearn it now, and the new one doesnt even rhyme….fucking lame. It’s like “miss suzie had a steam boat, the steam boat had a bell…..” but without the freaking steam boat, the entire song just blows.

bkcunningham's avatar

Okay, forget it. He’s too smart to hang with Addie, Papa and me. We just got off the playground pirate ship taking turns seeing who could give Teddy the Bear the best toss in the air to the person sliding down the gang plank slide. We are just getting our pirate arrrrrrs down. Yep, he’s cute but too smart for us seaward pirates.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Mom just picked Aden up. He said, “I got a new book!”
I said, “Sharks,” and made a yakking noise with my fingers at my ear.
My daughter, who just got off work and is exhausted turned desperate eyes at me and said, “I am so tired of hearing about sharks.”
I said, “At least he isn’t talking about planets.”
She said, “He still talks about planets too!”
Then she told me that the other day he went to his dad’s for the first time in a week. He was supposed to stay until 3, but his dad called at noon and said Aden wanted to come home.
When he got home she said she asked him why. He sighed and said, “OK. I will tell you the truth.” :/ “I missed my Sateren.”
Yeah. I bought him a mobile of the solar system for Christmas. He never put it up though, because he likes walking around with the planets, especially his “Sat er en.” “Gramma! I have PLANETS in my POCKET!”

He needs to get lost in more fantasy, @bkcunningham!

bkcunningham's avatar

I’ve got a lump in my throat, @Dutchess_III. That made me tear up for some reason. “I’ve got planets in my pocket!” Remember that book, A Rocket in My Pocket? It was poems and rhymes? I love your Aden. He’s perfect.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Aw, thanks @bkcunningham. :) PS..did you know you can fit 64 Earths in Uranus? It’s true. I checked. And he gave his mom this tid bit of information when she was about 8 months pregnant with twins. She was speechless! loll!

bkcunningham's avatar

He has to hold something in his hand to keep himself attached to the gravitational pull of the earth. Otherwise, he’d be flying off to play in the stars and bounce around in the galaxy teaching the stars how to shoot and the moon beams how to smile.

Dutchess_III's avatar

To that he’d just stare at you Gramma. Then he’d tell you that you can’t play in the stars because they are flaming balls of fire and nu cle er explosions. Then he’d tell you the composition of Sat er en and why it isn’t possible to live there, much less bounce around. :)

YARNLADY's avatar

My 4 year old grandson was handed the Sam’s Club receipt to show the clerk when we left the store. The clerk drew a picture on it, so now JJ won’t let it out of his hand. It’s HIS. He allowed grandpa to make a scan of it, but insisted on the original one back.

Dutchess_III's avatar

Ha ha! Picked Aden up from school. He came out clutching a short but thick cylindrical object. “Whatca got now?” I asked.
“It’s an umBRAYla!” (Umbrella, but I tried to catch the nuance of how he pronounced it.)
“Oh, cool,” I said.
“Yes and LOOK!” And he whips the cover off, like a magician.
“Well, neat! What is it?”
“It’s a COVER for it so it won’t get WET!”
o_O

Then he started naming off all the sharks he knew, and I had to tell him if I had ever heard of that kind of shark.

AND we drew a rough map of the route home, with an eye toward landmarks. That’s going to be our after school special today—to make an antique treasure map, the treasure being my house. :) :) :) :D.

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