Published on 12, July, 2020
I am currently supporting a 13 year old child in school who has a fixation with weapons, particularly guns. How do I distract him away from this as he is disrupting the class as well as himself? If I ask him to stop he apologises but will continue within a few minutes. Do we ignore or try to divert?
Why dont you encourage it rather than dismiss it? Just because he likes guns does not mean he intends anyone harm. Perhaps he could join the Army cadets, they fire weapons regularly under supervision. Maybe bursting that bubble of the unknown and actually realising firing a rifle isn't all that interesting after a few times will cure him.
Clay pigoen shooting, range days,
perhaps you could indeed make a project out of it, use it in maths velocity equations, penetration depth calculations at different ranges etc.
Weapons of history, history of the rifle, the 95th rifle regiment, the use of rifling in barrels, you could even put on a sharp episode do a napoleanic era history lesson.
I was fascinated by guns at a very young age, i know everything their is to know about weapons nato uses, velocities, range. i cured my obsession by joining the army at 16 and firing some very mixed and varied weapons systems.
You will not cut off his interest, and if you try to, it will only make him uncomfortable and rebell. boys like things that go boom, you should realise that even boys without autism