How would an Ace 250 be for a child with Autism?

[88junior]

Hey guys and gals my son is 12 and has Asbergers syndrome which is a form of Autism. He started out using a Compadre and a now a newer Coinmaster both of these machines are single toned. He has been watching YouTube videos of the Ace 250 and hasn't stopped talking about wanting one. I am just a little worried that the tones may be confusing to him. If anyone has been around a child with Autism when they get their mind set on trying something they want stop until they do it. I just hate to get him the Ace 250 and it be over whelming to him. In order to get the Ace 250 for him I am going to have to sell his Coinmaster in order to be able to afford it. I just hate to know I do this and him and the Ace 250 don't click then he may decide not to want to go detecting with me. So if any of you have any input tell me what you think.

 

[Robert2300]

Good question and one I have NO idea how to reply to.
I can only say that if he can handle the machines you said he has
already used, he may well be able to handle the Ace 250.
Kids can surprise you, even kids with the challenges you
mentioned. I imagine you love the boy very much so you will
probably bit the bullet and buy it for him.

Good luck
Robert2300

 

[John-Edmonton]

My son had autism, and he did very well with my machines the few times he went out hunting with me, He really spent most of his time on the computer, and learning the language of Chinese along with the Chinese alphabet. If he is getting obsessed with the tones, my guess is that he will excel with a multi-tone detector, probably better then you or I. Please keep me posted on how he is doing.

 

[88junior]

Thanks for the info John I am going to get him one for Christmas and keep my fingers crossed hoping he clicks with it.

 

[jazzman58]

Just a thought........if multiple tones are too much for him you could notch out targets (for example, all but those that hit on the bell tone) and have him hunt that way. Maybe down the road add the different tones a little at a time as he gets accustom to them until he can hunt with all of the tones. I hope this makes sense. The 250 can be customized in all modes like no other detector I have ever used and along with the custom mode it can be tailored to do about anything you want it to. I'm sure he will do well with it. Again, just a thought.

Jeff

 

[88junior]

Thanks for the info Jeff I didn't think about notching out the other tones. But I believe he will be alright with it, he's watched enough YouTube videos now that he's about able to call what the targets going to be before they dig it LOL! He's read the owners manual a couple times that he had me print off for him. So he's pretty fired up for Santa to hurry up and bring it to him.

 

[ohiochris]

My son is on the autism spectrum and I have an ace 250. You are lucky your son has taken an interest in detecting , mine has no patience at all for it. What I know about the 250 is it has more than its share of quirks which can frustrate and even infuriate even those with the most patience. Quirks including the ridiculously slow retune speed , a lot of falsing , and its seemingly intentional lies that it tells with the target and depth ID in all but the best ground. With all that being said its a decent little coin hunting detector , just have to be patient with it and get used to the quirks. Not trying to slam the 250. Of course it depends on what things bother your child but I can only say that these quirks , if my son took an interest , would eventually probably set him off into one of his episodes. Of course all kids are different and you would know what your son responds well to and what he dosent. Just offering what would likely happen in my situation , not that it means anything. I think I would have to try a detector like the fisher F2 for my son if he wound up taking an interest. But then again , they can be unpredictable so I could be wrong.

 

[88junior]

Chris my sons autism is on the lighter side and he loves metal detecting. If he gets obsessed on something he won't quit till he figures it out. When he was young he was petrified of loud sounds and now he is hooked on tornado sirens and fallout sirens and fire alarms he can tell you anything you want to know about them,the manufacturer,model,and he can name them off just by the sounds they make. He loves music and has recently picked up a guitar and has been learning how to play it just by ear. He's borderline genius in my book and he amazes me at how he figures things out.

 

[ohiochris]

Chris my sons autism is on the lighter side and he loves metal detecting. If he gets obsessed on something he won't quit till he figures it out. When he was young he was petrified of loud sounds and now he is hooked on tornado sirens and fallout sirens and fire alarms he can tell you anything you want to know about them,the manufacturer,model,and he can name them off just by the sounds they make. He loves music and has recently picked up a guitar and has been learning how to play it just by ear. He's borderline genius in my book and he amazes me at how he figures things out.

He shouldnt have any trouble with it then. He should probably obsess with the ace and become a pro with it before long.

 

[ralph]

The 250 is a very good machine, and has surprised many with it's abilities. Pinpointing takes a little practice but isn't very difficult.

 

[Canine]

My less-than-informed comment is that I wouldn't worry about the different tones; in fact, as long as the machine is giving good and consistent tones, I suspect he will prefer the additional information the tones provide. Since the single tone doesn't bother him, a couple more tones should be fine. If you are concerned at all about the extra tones being an information overload, start out in non-trashy areas, areas with no EMI interference, or areas that could otherwise distract such as train crossings. As he gets comfortable with that, you can take baby steps to introduce more "noise". Please give us an update in a few weeks.

One thing that bugs me is having low batteries in my AT Pro. When that happens, the tones get wonky- frustrating! I can still get decent results on less than full batteries, but it is harder to understand what the machine is saying. Kind of like listening to someone stutter or slur. As long as my batteries are topped off, I am much happier with the crispy, more consistent sound.

Using topped-off rechargeable batteries may be a way to go to keep the Ace 250 that much more consistent. Like what has been already said, everyone is different, but autistic people tend to like consistency, so maybe this will help.

 

[Robert2300]

Don't forget to give us an update when he gets his new machine.
We would ALL like to know it goes with this lad.
Happy Hunting.
Robt2300

 

[88junior]

Well I went and got my son a Ace 250 it's been wrapped and is under the tree. He only asked for 3 things for Christmas this year and the last one amazed me here's his list.
1.Garrett Ace 250
2.GoPro Camera
3. For my family to all be healthy and not sick.

He has a heart of gold, he told me he asked for the Go Pro so he could record our hunts and we could put the videos on You Tube and become famous like NuggetNogin or Aquachigger. LOL

 

[tomcatchevy]

I'm brand new to the forum here and have just been reading a lot of the older posts when I found this one. My 9yr old son has been diagnosed with ADHD but we are now thinking he has Aspergers due to his constant obsession of a few things. He LOVES all things Star Wars, Star Wars Lego (no other Lego at all) and Minecraft. No other interests at all. We have an appointment with the specialist coming up soon. Back in June I decided to get an Ace 250 for a couple reasons 1. I have always wanted one and 2. to hopefully get my son out of the house away from the TV and computer. He was excited at first but gave up when I only pulled up nails and bottle caps from our yard. I have gotten better and am now up to approximately $11 in clad, half a dozen hot wheels, and some cheap jewelry. I'm thinking that if I can get him to see me finding more valuables he may take an interest. It's just getting him out there. I'm curious how things went for 88junior and his son. Maybe he has some words of wisdom I could use.

Happy hunting!
Tom