It's like watching the same video over and over again!
Perseveration is the uncontrollable repetition of a particular response, such as a word, phrase, or gesture, despite the absence or cessation of a stimulus, usually caused by brain injury or other organic disorder (ASD). Perseveration is a lot like sticking with a subject or issue until there is a resolute answer to the topic at hand. It is not someone looking for a specific answer to a question, subject or issue but more looking to make sure that all possibilities of the matter have been addressed and that the end result solves the issue in such a manner that there are no longer any un-addressed areas. Example: Johnny learned a new fact about cats, so for the past week he has been talking about cats constantly. You let him know that you appreciate his knowledge but its not okay to talk about the same thing all the time, then ignore him when he talks about cats. Try to get him interested in many different things by introducing new topics. You might say, " I know you like cats, did you know a tiger is a kind of cat?" Once you get him interested in tigers you could talk about where tigers come from and what other kinds of animals live there as well as what kind of plants are in their environment. Let topics flow into other topics naturally don't let your child perseverate on just one aspect of it.
- Do not respond when your child talks about his obsession
- Pretend to fall asleep and snore when he talks about the same thing over and over
- Have him draw a picture or write down what he is perseverating on, then crumple it up and throw it away
- Remind him that he needs to talk about other things, because it is boring to hear the same thing all the time.
