seeing in numbers

my grandaughter is 5 years old and is autistic. she knows and says peoples names easily, but everyone is categorized by a number, such as, I am a number 5, her mom is a number 2, her dog is number 20. how do you go about determining why she numbers everyone and on what scale she uses?

[Rachel Thompson, Ph.D., BCBA]

The numeric coding that you describe is not universal to all individuals with autism, and I suspect that only your grandaughter can help with the decoding. Rather than play along with the codes, you might consider just encouraging her to use peoples names, a skill that will be expected of her in the long run. If the family finds it enjoyable to play along, consider teaching her the conditions under which number codes are acceptable (e.g., at home) and those under which she should use peoples names.