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How long will this obsession last?

ParentingAutism

Hiya, hope you're alright? My daughter, 14, has an obsession with bandages at the moment and I don't know how long it'll last and why it's bandages. I understand that people on the spectrum can have unusual interests but she takes them so far. 

I can recall that when she was younger she would make a cast out of toilet paper, tape, socks and paper. She would make them for her teddies as well. She would also put herself into situations just so that she could have a bandage. Yesterday, she went to the shop to buy some nails but also came home with a bandage she bought, which she is keeping next to her bed. She doesn't know what she wants to be when she grows up, but I suggested being a paramedic (or something like that) just like her dad, because she loves to help people and she wishes there was a car accident (or emergency) outside our house so she could help. 

I'm only asking how long it'll last because she had another interest of police and she put herself into situations where she required police assistance as well as paramedics. She loves first responders but at the same time doesn't and I'm trying to figure out what part she likes. 

What do I do? Do I leave her to it? 

  • in reply to Dawn
    Dawn said:
    Or maybe she'll be a world class surgeon, lol. 

    You never know, she could be, lol! Her brother is fine with it and I took them for a dog walk out in public with them both wearing bandages. I wander what people were thinking, lol. She wants me to buy her a first aid kit, but I think she's going to save up to but one herself for next week. 

  • in reply to ParentingAutism

    Or maybe she'll be a world class surgeon, lol. 

    How does her brother feel about being bandaged up? Does he ever lose patience with it? 

  • UPDATE: She's went for a walk to see how her new shoes were and came back with more bandages so she is putting them on her brother and herself and at the moment I believe she is performing 'surgery' on her teddies. Cutting them open, putting 'stitches' in (hair ties and string) and putting a bandage on. She loves it. Been doing it all her life so hopefully she'll get a career to do with it if that's what she wants! 

  • in reply to Dawn

    I definitely agree. I believe school is trying to get her on the right side of it all but I definitely think she'll be a great paramedic. She knows more first aid than me. She knows the phonetic alphabet and sometimes communicates that way, for example, when she says our number plate, her name and other pieces of information. It's kind of like she was born to do it. 

  • Obsessions with things can apparently be short lived or life long and are mostly harmless, pleasurable and can be converted into a meaningful career.  But, there are a couple of things in your description which would worry me a tad and may need a little bit of work to get her to add some appropriate perspective to her interest.  Those are the putting herself into situations where she needs a bandage or police assistance and the wishing the accident would happen outside.... sounds like you need some professional advice to keep her just the right side of the line on that one.  If she can do that, maybe one day she'll a darn good first responder.

    Peter's idea about St John's Ambulance is a good one.  Maybe if she can actually help, she won't need to create a situation in which help is required.

  • in reply to Peter

    Thanks Peter, I'll have a chat with her and look at their website. She may love to do that. 

  • I'd encourage her too.

    There's a whole lot to learn about the human body and how all the joints work for splints, casts and bandages -not just in first responder roles.

    This is probably going to sound weird but I met a lady called Midori many years ago - she was good with accurate placement of knots.....

  • Far better to encourage her to explore it. Not sure how though. If she gets enough of something she’s intrested in it’ll either become boring to her or she’ll find a way to turn it into a long term passion that’s more likely to be productive. Would st John’s ambulance take her as a volunteer?