10 Reasons Autistics Love Lego
1) The sorting through pieces is satisfying. It utilizes our pattern recognition skills.
2) The visual directions are appealing. Many of us have Auditory Processing issues and benefit from visual aides. Plus, you don't need sight reading skills to get the job done.
3) There is a clear "script" to follow, but you can vary it, add onto it, and make changes to suit your needs.
4) It's a great parallel play activity. Everyone can work on their own build.
5) If you have proprioceptive issues (knowing where your body is, in space, and how much force to use) and are prone to clumsy mishaps, you can put it back together again, or reuse the parts.
6) Many Lego kits come with a Brick separater....the accomodation for weak fine motor grip strength is built right into the activity!
7) The Lego company is great at making kits that build on niche interests, like The Titanic, Dungeons & Dragons, Biplanes, Muppets, and Hobbits.
8) It's a multi generational activity. There are Duplo for younger folks and Technic for older folks. Autistic people who have friends outside their peer range, can use Lego building as a way to bridge generations.
9) Lego offers a bridge into fields like computer programming, which appeal to many Autistics, because of the independent nature of the work. My local library even allows families to check out Lego We-Do kits, so they can program kinetic Lego models at home. I'm hoping they will get some Spike Prime sets, soon.
10) Lego is considered a socially acceptable thing to collect because sets increase value with age... so Autistic folks can display their models proudly, without pressure to hide their niche aesthetic.
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As always, the Autistic community isn't a monolith. There are plenty of Autistic people who dislike Lego or simply aren't interested.
And that's okay!!
But if YOU have a Neurodivergent Lego fan in your life, tell me (or SHOW ME!) what they like to make!
I loved reading this — thank you. I wanted to offer another side, too.
For most of my life, I thought I was just ADHD. All in. Chaos, speed, distraction — the works. LEGO wasn’t really part of my childhood. Too many pieces. Too many steps. Nothing about it called to me.
But then I became a parent. And I did what so many of us do — I went overboard. Bought a huge mixed box of LEGO — thousands of bricks, no instructions, just a rainbow of chaos. And to my surprise… I liked it. Not the building. Not the sets. But the sorting. The tiny act of creating order out of mess.
I didn’t follow instructions. I couldn’t. Still can’t. But I could sort. I could group things by colour, shape, feeling. And that was enough.
My kids are still little — four and seven — and just starting to discover LEGO in their own way. One of them might love the structure. One might hate it. That’s okay. I just want to build what they need, not what the box says.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is: LEGO can be wonderful. But it doesn’t have to look like instructions or finished models. Sometimes, the magic is just in the bits. The sorting. The freedom. The shared time on the floor.
Thanks again for sharing your view — it made me reflect on mine.💜
My guys love all things wheels! If it can go, they're free-building it!