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13 yr old teens whos hyper focus is Guns -Advice needed

Kate87

Hiya my son is 13 in Mainstream school

His current hyper focus has been WW1 Tanks  and UK War History in general - This is now merging into weapons and Guns specifically

I got called today from his school today after they raised a safe guarding issue after he typed in his school ipad Youtube something about children shooting Guns.

I told them i agree its not appropriate but his mental health is fine its not like he is going to shoot up the school its more of a history thing etc

They didn't seem to understand what i was saying and were talking about no punishment but help etc (Mental health / social services) I told them i understand the serious of it and will speak to his dad about reducing his screen time etc but he doesn't mean any harm by it etc.

Basically what im asking is any advice i can put to the school i am considering emailing the SENCO - Just not sure how to put it etc

and advice for at home - Tips to help move this hyper focus on quickly? 

He isnt officially diagnosed as we are 14 months into a 2 year approx. wait but he is under the local autism team and awaiting next app - School sent the initial referral so do know.

  • Kate87 said:
    and advice for at home - Tips to help move this hyper focus on quickly? 

    be prepaired for the posibility that it might not move on, or at least for some time.

    Kate87 said:
    I got called today from his school today after they raised a safe guarding issue after he typed in his school ipad Youtube something about children shooting Guns.

    perhaphs trying to look up how old you need to be to get a licence.

  • I would start where's he at. But shift his focus internationally. Children in Africa or other countries who are stolen and forced in to military operations. A global perspective can actually be incredibly mind-shifting. When a child is exposed to a war-zone, they are less likely to play violent video games. The second thing is to help him understand or even begin to engage with him about the larger picture globally right now and it doesn't need to be terrifying and overly violent. But this may be a part of why he's thinking about this.

    From my experience, this is often something most boys can be drawn to, thus the reason for all the violent video games, which redirect the obsession (autistic or not) into a fantasy where they can safely get it out of their system. 

    There are museums dedicated to war and weaponry. Might be good to remind the School. 

    I had a friend who couldn't stop buying books on WWII, the Naxi regime and how it started. He couldn't believe the horror of humankind and wanted to understand the psychology of it. 

    Most kids who are a threat will hide their desires. Could be good to remind the school that keeping a thing in the open and allowing it to be discussed where appropriated (some children won't be ready to understand this) is how we foster a mindset that doesn't repeat the past but creates awareness. Does the school have a philosophy group?