Why Do People with Autism Like Trains?

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a wide-ranging neurodevelopmental disorder that can affect people from all walks of life in all different ways. There are many things that define it, including challenges with social interactions and communication, sensory sensitivities, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors.

Not every person who’s on the autism spectrum will experience all of these characteristics. In addition, the severity and frequency of these common traits can vary quite significantly as well.

Some of these characteristics are what attract people with autism to certain things or objects.

One thing that often fascinates people who have autism is trains. This is a common interest for many people who are on the autism spectrum, as they seem drawn to them.

Why is this the case? We’ll explore why people with autism like trains in more depth below.

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What is the Link Between People with Autism and Trains?

To understand the link between people with autism and trains, it’s important to understand how some of the common characteristics mentioned above work.

First, the challenges that people with autism have with communication and social interactions can sometimes make them feel like outsiders. Children with autism, for example, may prefer to play alone, in large part because they have trouble fitting in with their peers due to these challenges.

Trains are something that people with autism can enjoy on their own, whether it’s watching them on TV, seeing them in person or even watching or playing with toy trains.

Second, people with autism often experience sensory sensitivities. They could be adversely affected by loud sounds, strong smells and bright lights, for instance.

At the same time, they might good sensory input from repetitive movements, soothing sounds and different colors. Trains offer a wide variety of sensory inputs, from sight to sound to even smell.

Finally, the fact that many people on the autism spectrum have either restrictive interests or repetitive behaviors draws them to trains. Real trains operate on repeated schedules, and toy trains go around in predictable circles.

There’s also a lot to observe and learn about trains, which plays in perfectly to having restrictive interests that are also often intense.

What Sensory Appeal to Trains Provide People with Autism?

The sensory appeal that trains provide people with autism is a main reason why they are so attracted to them.

There are a number of ways that this manifests itself, including …

• Auditory: Trains offer a variety of different sounds, from a blowing whistle to how it rumbles on the tracks. Some people with autism actually might find enjoyment or comfort by the sounds that trains make.
• Visual: There are a lot of visual elements that trains provide, too. They can be very engaging from a visual standpoint with all their parts and components, with the smoke billowing from the top, with the intricate details of all the different cars and so much more. Toy trains provide other visual inputs such as the scenery that’s set up, and real trains provide changing scenery for people on board.

What About the Predictability of Trains?

Both real and toy trains are very predictable, which can appeal to people who have autism

In terms of real trains, they operate on consistent and repetitive schedules. This is something that people on the autism spectrum might study and enjoy, since they tend to migrate to things that they can predict and are in their control.

If they’re riding on a train, they can predict that it’s going to keep moving forward and then stop on predictable patterns. There likely aren’t any sudden stops or turns like in a car or other mode of transportation.

Toy trains offer some of the same predictability but in different ways. They travel around tracks over and over again, providing people with autism a way to watch them go round and round.

They can watch their wheels turn, watch different aspects of toy train villages react and so much more.

Trust Blue Gems ABA With Your Child’s Autism Treatment

People with autism often love trains, and there are many reasons why this is so. The fact that they can develop special interests plays in perfectly with trains, which offer much to study and learn about.

At the same time, they’re predictable and their various sensory appeal makes trains the perfect attraction for people with autism.

At Blue Gems ABA, we help children on the autism spectrum embrace their special interests while also building their communication, social interaction and daily life skills. We do this by administering applied behavioral analysis.

Also known as ABA therapy, this gold standard treatment for autism relies on positive reinforcement and repetition to teach these skills.

To learn more, please contact us today.