Autism, Lego, Duplo and even Lego’s cooler, younger brother Minecraft, are all things that come hand-in-hand for the autistic community. In fact, Lego is so loved by autistic people that it has: given rise to its own form of autism therapy, received its own category in special interest surveys and, more recently, been a union which resulted in a Guinness World Record – for largest Lego Titanic replica.
However, while Lego’s popularity amongst people on the spectrum is something that is highly publicised (although not always true), it seems that few people understand the positives these Danish-born building blocks provide for people on the spectrum and so, today, I plan to fill these gaps by asking the question: Why do Autistic People LOVE Lego?
(Photo Credit: Brynjarkarl)
Why Do Autistic People LOVE Lego?
Okay, so we all know that stepping on a piece of Lego is a sure-fire way to ruin your day. However, other than this minor drawback you’ve got to ask yourself: ‘why wouldn’t an autistic person love Lego?’
It’s common knowledge that autistic people love to delve deep when it comes to any topic as, unlike the average mind, autists favour building up lots of little connections in isolated brain regions. This is the reason we can really get hooked on certain subjects and, given the simple fact that as little as 6 pieces of 2 x 4 bricks (the classic pieces) could have as many as 915,103,765 combinations, it comes as little wonder why we can become so obsessed.
However, while Lego is seen as a great interest for autistic people, it can also be a great assistance for us too – as interacting with Lego has proven to provide two huge benefits for autistic people:
- A Sense of Control: While the world can at times seem unpredictable/terrifying for autistic people, the activity of building Lego can often ease these feelings as, by being able to interact with something which plays by an unchanging set of rules, we can remind ourselves that, even when everything is moving at lightning fast speed, there are still some aspects of our life that we can count on.
- An Opportunity to Win: Similarly, for autists with sensory issues (who may feel overwhelmed by all the colours of the bricks) Lego gives us a chance to be able to overcome and resolve challenges which we often struggle within day-to-day life. This can be done by arranging the hazards into neat non-threating rows or easy to process shapes and, as such, we can be rewarded with a feeling of success which so rarely comes in similar circumstances.
Lego Therapy for People with Autism
The benefits of Lego for autistic people don’t end there however as, in recent years, many advances have been made into the use of Lego as an educational tool to teach autistic people valuable social skills like sharing, turn-taking and problem-solving. This practice has come to be known as Lego-based therapy and, considering how successful it has been, the actual techniques are remarkably simple i.e.
During Lego Therapy, a group of autistic people gather round in a club-like setting and assume the role of either:
- An Engineer: The big boss men/women who give the demands but don’t get their hands grubby
- A Supplier: The heart of the operation who sift through the pieces that are required for the engineer’s grand scheme
- A Builder: The muscleman/woman who puts the pieces, provided by the supplier, together and completes the trilogy of Lego Therapy roles
Together everyone involved in the Lego Therapy will cooperate with each other to come up with grand creations. To achieve the optimum outcome, autists must learn to develop the many social skills previously mentioned.
Thanks to the natural setting that these workshops usually take place in, the lessons learnt during Lego Therapy have an extremely high attach rate: with many autist being able to adapt the skills taught into modern day circumstances which may arise on a playground.
Is Playing with Lego a Sign of Autism?
While this is something I hoped I wouldn’t have to clarify, before finishing I feel like it should be stated that, NO, playing with Lego isn’t a sign of autism and, on the flip side, even if a child doesn’t play with Lego, they may still be on the spectrum.
This is a strange myth which I have seen scattered around the web while researching for today’s article and, it seems to stem from the fact that, every other article discussing autism diagnosis seems to feature a picture of a child playing with Lego (something which this article will likely only add fuel to… my bad).
In reality, playing with Lego should only be considered a sign of autism when the behaviour surrounding the play falls in line with diagnostic criteria. For example, if the play becomes ritualistic, with a child building the exact same things in the exact same way without venturing into new areas (and becomes visibly stressed if you try to interfere), then perhaps this could be a clue to a potential diagnosis.
However, it’s also important to consider that most children will begin their journey into playing with Lego by matching colours and creating similar lines, as naturally this is the most logical step after spending years of playing match the shape with the hole games.
As such, it can be tricky telling what is a sign of autism and what isn’t, so just remember to make a mental note of the behaviour and monitor how long it lasts. It may be an opportunity to spot an early diagnosis. However, it could just be that your child loves Lego because, really, what’s not to love?
Carry on the Conversation
Want to hear more about autism and special interests? Then follow this link to my article: Why do Autistic People LOVE Dinosaurs?. Or, if you’ve still not had your fill of Lego, why not check out Daniel B. LeGoff’s (the founder of Lego Based Therapy) new book:How LEGO®-Based Therapy for Autism Works.
As always, I can also be found on Twitter @AutismRevised and via my email: AutisticandUnapologetic@gmail.com.
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Thank you for reading and I will see you next Saturday for more thoughts from across the spectrum.
