Is childlike behavior common in people with aspergers?

[I love roses]

I am 62 years old, and had a first time colonoscopy procedure yesterday at the hospital (stressfull, to say the least). I brought my pink foam kitty squishy toy with me and held it until they gave me the anethestic. The nurse then placed my kitty squishy toy under my pillow, and it was there for me to squish upon waking up an hour later. I am NOT ashamed whatsoever. I will be bringing it with me to court, and any other stress inducing activity from now on. I bought a bunch of different ones so that I will have them at work, in the car for traffic jams, on my desk, and in my purse. I am a fully normal functioning adult.

You could call that “childish,” or call it “self care.” I prefer the latter label. Foam squishies are my new “therapy.”

That is just a stress reliever like stress balls for office workers. We used to have dammit dolls to hit our coworkers over the head They were soft, floppy, and made funny noises. We were all stressed and our boss bought them for us. If we were really mad, It looked so comical we would bust out laughing. There is nothing funnier than a red faced mad worker hitting someone with something totally harmless with all their might.

 

[Mary Anne]

That is just a stress reliever like stress balls for office workers. We used to have dammit dolls to hit our coworkers over the head They were soft, floppy, and made funny noises. We were all stressed and our boss bought them for us. If we were really mad, It looked so comical we would bust out laughing. There is nothing funnier than a red faced mad worker hitting someone with something totally harmless with all their might.

That sure would not work in my workplace. But sure does sound cathartic. Some would call that “childish.”

 

[I love roses]

Yes but it made us start behaving better, we had a good laugh, and we got bored with the dolls. But one day after first getting them one lady really did get so mad she beat the tar out of a co-worker and was beet red in the face. It didn’t hurt any one. It shocked us so badly at the display that we all went, “ Boy, she must have really been upset!” It showed us we are all human and can’t tolerate extra stress put on each other with our attitudes so we did better from that day forward. The childish aspect is what made it laughable and acceptable and provided us with a lesson for change. Hitting someone for real even though we feel like it is not acceptable. We all knew it was temporary and for fun. Everyone was in agreement to hit our desks and such with them but since they were so flimsy we actually used them on each other.

 

[Mary Anne]

Yes but it made us start behaving better, we had a good laugh, and we got bored with the dolls. But one day after first getting them one lady really did get so mad she beat the tar out of a co-worker and was beet red in the face. It didn’t hurt any one. It shocked us so badly at the display that we all went, “ Boy, she must have really been upset!” It showed us we are all human and can’t tolerate extra stress put on each other with our attitudes so we did better from that day forward. The childish aspect is what made it laughable and acceptable and provided us with a lesson for change. Hitting someone for real even though we feel like it is not acceptable. We all knew it was temporary and for fun. Everyone was in agreement to hit our desks and such with them but since they were so flimsy we actually used them on each other.

Hitting even in jest is not something acceptable in my world. It just would be shocking and unacceptable. I can understand that certain environments might lend itself to it People would find it therapeutic.

 

[I love roses]

It was for short term play only. Actually we weren’t supposed to hit each other. We were just supposed to hit our desks with it to relieve stress. Just one day someone lost it. But we all all loved her as a person and understood it. It just worked out for us to the good. We decided we should try harder to get along.

 

[Mary Anne]

It was for short term play only. Actually we weren’t supposed to hit each other. We were just supposed to hit our desks with it to relieve stress. Just one day someone lost it. But we all all loved her as a person and understood it. It just worked out for us to the good. We decided we should try harder to get along.

I think it was therapeutic for all of you. Glad it worked out.

 

[SimplyWandering]

I see child-like behaviors in NT adults as well.

Child-like behavior is different than acting child-like and feeling it, and than feeling that you shouldn't feel like that. That would be a good example related to autism.

My sister acts like a petulant child but she feels like an adult (according to her).

 

[I love roses]

I don’t seem to carry myself with the sophistication of a lot of women. It’s like i’m a forever teenager just with more sense.

 

[MylarBratz]

I'm 27 and I still like Mylar Balloons and Bratz and I don't drink alcohol at all. a lot of people consider me childish for my age.

 

[inkfingers]

Well, I'm 19 years old, but all my sibling think I'm weird and I think I act younger than I really am. Inside, I feel like a 13 year old. This makes it really hard to relate to my peers. Also, I have an obsession with stuffed animals, and I just bought a new American Girl doll with some of my saved-up money. I even dress younger than my peers. I don't wear makeup, and mostly wear comfortable clothes like overalls, t-shirts, and jeans.

 

[SageRose]

I'm a male teenager with aspergers, and while I have almost all of the symptoms and behaviors of anyone with ASD another odd thing I've noticed about myself is that I behave a lot like a child. I'm very mature physically like most guys my age, but mentally I feel like a little kid between the ages of 5 and 8.

I also still really enjoy doing kid like things such as playing with toys, watching little kids shows like Bear in the Big Blue House and Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and I'm also obsessed with Disney, but a lot of people without aspergers love Disney too so I'm really not ashamed of that at all. I've also been thinking lately that I have Peter Pan syndrome because I match a few of the symptoms, which is funny because I remember being obsessed with Peter Pan as a little kid to the point where I wanted to be him lol.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I act like a child in a teenager's body just because I don't want to grow up or if it's common behavior in people on the autism spectrum. To anyone who also has aspergers, what do you think?

Yes, from what I've read and been told. I myself have been told that I appear and act child-like very often. I don't know if it's the fact that I still keep my favorite childhood teddy on its special spot in my room, or because some of my interests are child-like or due to other behavioral facts, but Aspergers does seem to have a big role in this.

 

[Nervous Rex]

Yes, from what I've read and been told. I myself have been told that I appear and act child-like very often. I don't know if it's the fact that I still keep my favorite childhood teddy on its special spot in my room, or because some of my interests are child-like or due to other behavioral facts, but Aspergers does seem to have a big role in this.

I've mentioned this before in a different thread: I have no problem with childish or child-like behavior, as long as it doesn't interfere with functioning. I hold a steady job, I do my best to care for my family, I help keep up the house, and I meet my financial obligations. If I also choose to play with Legos, stomp on crunchy autumn leaves, and make fart jokes like a 13-year-old boy (not all three of those at the same time), I feel no shame in that.

 

[SageRose]

I've mentioned this before in a different thread: I have no problem with childish or child-like behavior, as long as it doesn't interfere with functioning. I hold a steady job, I do my best to care for my family, I help keep up the house, and I meet my financial obligations. If I also choose to play with Legos, stomp on crunchy autumn leaves, and make fart jokes like a 13-year-old boy (not all three of those at the same time), I feel no shame in that.

Same Rex. I like to be an independent well functioning adult too so most of my child-like behavior is usually preserved for my safe zone/home. I feel no shame for them either though xD

 

[Aspychata]

When I was 16, I would go into my bedroom and close the door and play with my dollies. I obviously sensed that at 16, I ought to have "grown out" of playing with my toys, but I did not feel that age and so, it was a bit confusing to me.

I believe I got tired with toys when I hit 18 or even a bit longer, but that probably was because suddenly I felt a very adult emotion and did not realise it, until I was 19, that I had fallen deeply in love with my boyfriend, who I had started to date when I was half way through 18.

Now at a nasty age of 48, although I have no desire to play with toys; my behaviour with how I react to things that bring me pleasure, I detect is very childlike. I squeal in delight and jump up and down and from what I gather, chaps find this endearing, but females find it repulsive, but hey, I do not get on with females anyway.

l am so glad to read your reply. l was in the elevator with an attorney, and l jumped up and down because my divorce thing went through. But l also thought, (wtf), why am l acting stupid right now? What possessed me to be foolish. However l love that trait in this cool guyfriend l see. Go figure.

 

[Clueless in Canada]

There are so many good responses here I probably don't need to add mine but I will anyhow. I was a very mature child, the little professor thing, mini adult. By the time I was an actual adult though I began to feel like a fraud. I seem to swing between wise and mature and childlike and naive though few people see the latter. I like to think of myself as young at heart. I am 51.

 

[SageRose]

There are so many good responses here I probably don't need to add mine but I will anyhow. I was a very mature child, the little professor thing, mini adult. By the time I was an actual adult though I began to feel like a fraud. I seem to swing between wise and mature and childlike and naive though few people see the latter. I like to think of myself as young at heart. I am 51.

Omg SAME. When I was up to my teen years, nearly everyone would say how mature I look and act like...the minute I turned adult and on..it's like time went backwards. Ofc emotionally I had always been extremely immature. But this isn't obvious unless someone gets to know you extremely well. Almost nobody knew me too well, not even my own family. And I'd always show very specific things of me to my friends. But my behavior always tended to be a bit more..''professor'' like to my peers as you also say. Right now I feel that more than ever I'm still a child. I force myself to function as an adult because I learned in a very stressful way, that from the moment I'd turn 18, I'd have responsibilities, I'd need to work and make my money and so on. But when I'm not running around with obligations, the real mini me comes out and it's all over the place x_p

 

[Progster]

There are so many good responses here I probably don't need to add mine but I will anyhow. I was a very mature child, the little professor thing, mini adult. By the time I was an actual adult though I began to feel like a fraud. I seem to swing between wise and mature and childlike and naive though few people see the latter. I like to think of myself as young at heart. I am 51.

I'm 47, but have been 30 all my life. I caught myself up, then overtook myself.

 

[Nauti]

I became a parent young, wasn't very parented throughout my childhood and adolescence, and left home young, so my adult responsibilities started early. I definitely had to grow up too quickly, but my kid's tell me I still act like a child. Not in a spoilt way or a mean way, but I do act silly, squeal, jump up and down, try to please in a too-submissive way, I don't drive yet (but I've started learning) and although I'm a great cook, I don't have a job, nor do I make a great housewife. I still hug my stuffed toys (actually I recently started again, after not having any since I was 15-16, which is only shortly prior to parenthood, and I have 7 children). I like shows that are suitable for children and books for teens, sometimes, and my boyfriend and I play and joke and muck about like we are children A LOT. It's FUN!!!!

 

[Aspychata]

l don't judge myself, l don't consider myself a fake, l just make choices of who can come out, lol. At my job, l am in charge, have authority, make quick judgements. l allow my child like side out when it's appropriate, almost like split personality. There just aren't any Sybils in my personal paradise, lol. My child side can make stupid statements, feel bored, and roll her eyes, but that is the worse it gets.

 

[Ginseng]

especially when we include autistic adults who are on the lower functioning end of the autistic spectrum

Not sure what she is meaning with that comment. Yes, I play with toys, but I am intelligent. I remember once at church, years ago I was part of a “Secret Pal” (I think that is what it was called) group. We picked names out of a hat and every month we picked out a gift to secretly give our secret pal. Well... I thought surely everyone would want toys.

Every week I would hear the ladies commenting on the thoughtful gifts their secret pal had given them, but my secret pal never said anything. That was a baffler (apparently a made up word) to me. I mean, I really bought her cool novelty toys. And even if you don’t like toys, who would not want a little area set aside for when children visit with fun toys for them to play with? Apparently all the women in that group.

Yes, I have been told I am childlike. I see it more as inquisitive and explorative behavior. Another rhelm I can get lost in, but which has a purpose. My granddaughter put it this way “You are funner than me.” I took it as a compliment. I can get into play.