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I am super worried as it is becoming bigger than any obsession that is known to me. Please share any strategies that has helped.
So over the past 1.5 years, we've learned a few things that have worked for us. First, we tried to limit his time focusing on fans without making it feel like a punshiment during times when it inconvenienced the rest of us. For example, when we went for walks, we'd start by saying "On our walk today, we are going to stop and look at 3 fans, ok? We'll count them as we go." So we'd remind him at each one that after 3 we weren't stopping anymore. And we would not allow him to play with other people's fans when we were at their house, by warning him in advance before we even got there that it wouldn't be allowed, so there was no melt-down later.
We also tried exposing him to other things that could satisfy his curiosity for how it works (gravity, motion, air, etc). For example, we found a fun toy for cheap at Walgreens (just looked it up on Amazon "Discovery Kids Extreme Weather Tornado Lab") that he could turn off/on and it would spin the water into a tornado. We even put drops of food coloring in the water so he could watch the water change colors. I was able to get him to be entertained with this toy for long periods in the kitchen at the table while I cooked dinner. (This one does require supervision). We also bought him a marble maze and watching the marbles run down through the tubes entertained him as much as fans. (This one also needed supervision until he was past the age of putting things in his mouth...i.e. marbles). And now that he's 4, he's starting to really love building Legos with dad.
The big key is to make sure he is getting stimulation elsewhere. My son tends to gravitate toward his obsession with fans when he's BORED. So I tried as much as possible to get him outside playing (if the weather would allow).
It's difficult not to stress/worry about your child when they like to do things that don't seem "normal" for other kids. Mine never cared about cars or dinosaurs like other kids his age. He just seems to have a more scientific mind. Once he started preschool, he had no problem interacting and playing with other kids. So we've just accepted that fans is his "thing". In fact, we decided to embrace his love for it and installed a bright colorful ceiling fan that had a remote that he could turn it on and off with. His excitement for this was so worth the 4 hours it took 3 guys to get it installed...haha. (He "earned" this ceiling fan with a sticker chart for brushing his teeth, bathing, etc).
My advice is to just try exposing him to other things, which will automatically limit his time with fans. But don't criticize his love for fans. They will grow out of it being so much an "obsession" and it being more of just one of their favorite things. As our son as gotten older, his interests have expanded. And as they get older (seems like it was around 3 1/2) they get a lot more social, and he spent lots of time outside playing with other boys.
I hope even just some of this is helpful! You mentioned your son is on the autism spectrum, so if he doesn't show any interest in anything new you introduce, you may want to seek professional advice on what to do. Good luck and hang in there!
He is very passionate about his fans and is rewarded with the little handheld fans after having a good week at school. He has a small collection of different types of fans which he loves to talk about in detail to friends and family. He found out at around 3 years old that air conditioning units have fans in them, boy that was stressful trying to keep him away from them and explain to them that they can hurt him. He loves to take fans apart and attempt to put them back together. He for sure has the mechanical mind and wants to know how things work. He actually gets excited if I find a fan that is broken and let him have at it as far as taking it apart and putting it back together goes.
I also have discovered what we call "fan time" and give him specific times of the day that he is aloud to play with them or watch them spin (part of his sensory diet). His therapist has given us the okay to keep fans around and that he is actually receiving good stimulation from them.
There is a windmill farm about 30 minutes from our house and once a month his "treat" is to go drive past them and watch them spin. Also, we will go to Menards or Lowes and go to the ceiling fan displays so he can see what new ones are out. These types of things are his version of "heaven" so to say. If he is good at the store we will swing past the fan isle and let him take a peek. He loves to watch fans on Youtube and usually will watch those rather than cartoons. Much to my surprise there are children on Youtube that are showing off their "fan collection".
We have all accepted the fact that fans are going to be a part of our lives and that as I am passionate about certain things in my life, he is also but just in a different concept.
He is currently being evaluated for autism/sensory disorders and has been diagnosed with ADHD and OCD. It is good to know that I am not the only parent going through the fan obsession!

He seems completely normal in every other way, very social, extremely verbal. He has great eye contact and a wonderful sense of humor. He has other interests such as electricity, trains, and wanting to know what every vehicle is on the street.
But it always comes back to fans. Is it possible these kinds of obsessions can be completely normal or should I be worried? Almost every conversation we have is about a fan or lack of a fan wherever we go. When we Skype with people, he wants to see their fans and can barely have a conversation with them at times because he's just begging them to see the fan.
If we're coloring, he wants me to draw a fan that he can color. He constantly refers back to places that had fans he either liked or was scared of. He will tell the same stories about the fans over and over, even though I respond to him. It's definitely not for lack of attention or anything.
I'm really not sure how to handle the obsession, but I'm hoping it is just a phase. If not, I will try some of the methods you've described. We do have some OCD in the family, so I'm a little nervous!
So far in my experience, he's just fascinated with mechanical things and loves to know how they work. He never gets tired of watching fans go around, or see how the cyclones on certain vacuums work. My husband and I have made sure we never criticize or make fun of his love for fans (and now vacuums). We want him to feel confident in the things HE likes. Grandma even made him a shirt that had a robot on it with fans for hands. Who says all boys have to like trains or dinosaurs? I don't see anything wrong with him having a difference in his interests. He is completely "normal" in all other aspects of being a 4 year old boy. He interacts with other kids great and does great in preschool. So we've never worried about getting him tested for anything.
@Jenny7Ruth General fears seem to appear in children when they are around 2, so his fear of the black ones and not the white ones to me seems normal to me for his age. Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. However, if he shows any other signs of autism, you may want to have him tested. (I've read babies that love to watch fans is one of the early signs of autism). However, if your son is like mine and this is the only thing that is "different" about him, then you may just have one of the many boys that love mechanical things

My son has just turned 5 and his obsession with fans has not faded one bit, in fact I'd say its getting worse.
It started at a few months old with clocks where he would watch the seconds hand and everywhere we went he would seek out the clock. This then moved onto fans, mixers, hoovers .....anything that spins tbh but mainly fans.
Saying that though he loves hoovers and attachments and will spend hours playing with a hoover, changing the attachments over and over, he loves to watch the brushes spin. He also loves the sound things make and can do a hoover sound to a T!
We can't go into a supermarket without him seeking out the freezers/fridges and he drops to the floor to look through the grids as he can hear the fans. He also knows which shops have the industrial fans on sides of buildings and as soon as he is out of the car he races to them.
It's quite funny that as soon as he hears the sound of a fan or hoover his head spins to seek where the sound is coming from.
In his swimming lessons his concentration is next to zero he will be looking anywhere other than at the instructor and even when his name is called he will carry on. He also spins around in the pool looking at the ceiling as he can hear the fans but can't see them!
He watches youtube video's on baking just so he can see the mixers, he bakes a lot at home so he can use the mixer.
We went into a toy shop and they had small hand held fans, he screamed the shop down because I was trying to get him to have a toy and he wanted the fan....needless to say he got the fan!
His behaviour is horrendous, some may say he is just a typical 5 year old boy! but I have a daughter who has Asperger's so I've been through all this with her so I am concerned my son is going down the same route. like her he is exceptionally bright and exceeds in his speech and language.
I don't know if I'm seeing these things as an issue because of my daughter!?
I haven't sought help/advice from a professional yet....should I?
And since your daughter has Asperger's, you would know more about the signs and what that all involves. I just looked it up and found this: http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/mental-health-aspergers-syndrome If your son shows 2-3 or more of these symptoms, you may want to seek professional advice, just to be sure. It never hurts to know for sure! My son only exhibits 1 (the Limited Range of Interests), and seems to interact very well with other kids, so that's why I decided to relax about his intense interest in the fans and vacuums.
Good luck, I hope you are able to find out. Sometimes it's so much more stressful just not knowing!
As far as the ceiling fans go, they are fascinating. Maybe this is a sign of what your child is going to do when he grows up.....electrician or fixing/making things that move.
I myself would not be too worried about it. If it's a phase, he'll grow out of it. If not, he'll make money from it.
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