Do you remember when I wrote about mirrors? He sees his reflection, and a positive feedback ensues, which magnifies his insanity ten fold. We use to cover our mirrors with newsprint. We don't need to do this any more (fortunately), and much of the credit goes to John, who understands the phenomenon and averts his eyes when necessary.
It's obvious in retrospect, but the same thing happens with sound. He loves microphones and speakers; always has. He will turn up the volume until the house rattles. I use to attribute this to ego and self importance, and that may be part of it, but it is also another form of positive feedback. He hears his own voice and it gets him going.
The other day John was out on the driveway with a portable amplifier, talking to the neighborhood in general. He spotted one of our neighbors out on the porch for a smoke. With John's amplified voice circling back into his brain, his fascination with smoking, the police, and all things taboo took control. "Drop that cigarette and come out with your hands up!" Now this is not going to win friends and influence people. Wendy jumped up from her work, ran outside, and reeled him back into the house.
John usually receives high praise from the neighbors. "He plays so well with our kids." ... "He's such a nice boy." ... "So smart, and not a bit shy." ... "So polite." Putting an adult under arrest for smoking hardly seems consistent with this behavior. When John calms down I talk to him about positive feedback, and mirrors, and microphones, and I ask if he would have said anything like that to an adult without a microphone in his hand. He thinks for a moment, and then says no. He knows I'm right. We need to avoid self-feedback, in all its forms.