Are hypochondriac tendencies at all typical of autism-spectrum kids?
My 12-year-old stepson (Asperger's, nonverbal learning disorder) just seems to continue to amp up the drama in that department. Every little bump and bruise is a huge production.. he whines about not feeling well endlessly.. he always thinks he has a fever... he's always cold.. his thoat always hurts... the 1/2 in cut he has on his pinky is the worst cut ever in the history of the world... we take him to doctors; nothing's wrong. When he DOES have a real issue (he's had swollen tonsils and ear infections), he'll complain endlessly about it to people, farfarfar past when the issue actually exists.
It bores people. It ticks people off. He just doesn't get it. We don't know if it's an attention-getting thing or what, but it sucks in that department because the attention he gets for it is pretty much negative. It also sucks because we never know whether he's really not feeling well or not.
Extra note: til he was 9, he lived with his hyper-dysfunctional mother, who's a major hypochondriac/medication-seeker. She's take him to the doctor for a cold or a bruise. So, we're sure some it it learned behavior, but.. help?