What is hyperfocusing?
According to Ayers-Glassey, S., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2021) in the psychology of consciousness, hyperfocus is periods of intense concentration, often during interesting tasks. It is when an individual engages and gets absorbed into a specific activity while tuning out their environment (Ashinoff, B.K.; Abu-Akel, A., 2021). We’ve all been in that state of being hyperfocus but for people with Autism and Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), it is amplified.
Why do people with autism hyperfocus?
For many people with autism and ADHD, focusing on their special interest reduces stress and relieve their mind of anxieties. In some cases, it may even be the start of discovering a talent or turning it into a profitable career! Just like Albert Einstein, Temple Gradin, Isaac Newton, Charles Francis Richter, and many more! Their contributions might never be discovered if they had not been allowed to obsess over their interests. Hence, encouraging our children when they display gifts and talents in a specific area could potentially lead down a profitable road and a healthy mind!
Now, here's a big question that many parents that I have worked with asked me - how much is too much? And should they let their child obsess and hyperfocus in that area of interest without restraints? Here are some questions that can help to guide you in deciphering.
1) Does your child’s fixation and hyperfocus is causing a negative consequence for themselves or your family activities?
E.g., being unable to disengage with the activity which includes neglecting self-hygiene and well-being. Or you find it difficult to disengage the child from the activity and it is disrupting family commitments and plans.
2) Does your child’s fixation cause imbalances in his/her social development?
E.g., If your child is overly fixated on mathematics, he might talk nonstop about new formulas (perseverate) and about math class in every conversation he holds. That can be off-putting for the people he might meet, especially his peers. Perseveration is described as rigid thinking or behavior (such as staying focused on one task or thought pattern with difficulties transitioning to another) that appears to be beyond an individual's control of attention. (Ashinoff, B.K.; Abu-Akel, A., 2021; Greenberg et al., 2012; Ruscio et al., 2011).
3) Is your child fixated on an undesirable trait?
E.g., Attracted to violent videos and video games which escalate to a him/her exhibiting aggressive behaviors.
Some examples of negative outcomes:
Some examples of positive outcomes:
Back to the questions!
If all 3 answers to the above question was "no", that is fantastic!
It means it might be a positive trait that you would like to cultivate :) Positive traits can also come in the form of seeing potential in what they do. If so, encourage your child to express themselves and provide opportunities for him/her to fine-tune their knowledge and skills in that particular area of interest.
However, if you answered "yes" to any one of these questions above, don't be dismayed,
here are some practical steps you can take which can change the situation around!
**With that said, what we are trying to do is NOT to eliminate their interest but to give it the right place and time to perform their desired activity. With a tiny adjustment, their hyperfocus activity can be a tool that benefits them such as regulating emotions.
1) Create a visual schedule! Set aside time for that particular activity if you are already making family plans that weekend. Not to mention how people with Autism and ADHD work better with a schedule, which gives them predictability and reduces anxiety.
Examples of a visual schedule:
*If your child can read, you could always do a written one as well and erase as your child goes along his/her day! Remember to be explicit on the timing they should stop the activity and move on to the next to avoid tantrums or meltdowns. Another suggestion is to use a timer. Allow your child to press start so that he/she is aware and mindful of the amount of time they have to work on their preferred activity. The sound of the ringing timer would act as an indicator that it is the end of the activity. This can reduce or eliminate power struggles with disengaging of the activities. Mindfulness has been found useful in reducing rigidity (Greenberg et al., 2012).
2) Talk to your child about perspective taking through social behaviour mapping! How others might feel if they talk about a specific topic all the time, and how it might impact them. Not forgetting observing nonverbal cues! After all, we want to encourage their interest while guiding them on how to balance their fixations with life.
Example of a social behaviour map:
3) Social stories - I cannot emphasize how much social stories put social situations in context and help children with autism understand the intentions and feelings of why things happen and what is expected of them in that given context.
Download your free covid19 in Singapore context social story here :
To summarize, if hyperfocusing produces a negative outcome, we should give it a time and place so that it does not interrupt their daily lives. However if it produces a positive outcome, then yes, encourage encourage encourage! :D
Empowered4life Pte. Ltd. | Early Intervention for Special Needs
References: Ayers-Glassey, S., & MacIntyre, P. D. (2021). Investigating emotion dysregulation and the perseveration- and flow-like characteristics of ADHD hyperfocus in canadian undergraduate students. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cns0000299
Ashinoff, B.K.; Abu-Akel, A. Hyperfocus: The forgotten frontier of attention. Psychol. Res.; 2021; 85, pp. 1-19. [DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01245-8] [PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31541305] Greenberg J, Reiner K, Meiran N (2012) “Mind the Trap”: Mindfulness Practice Reduces Cognitive Rigidity. PLoS ONE 7(5): e36206. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036206
Ruscio, A. M., Seitchik, A. E., Gentes, E. L., Jones, J. D., & Hallion, L. S. (2011). Perseverative thought: A robust predictor of response to emotional challenge in generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 49(12), 867–874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2011.10.001
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