child believes in magic

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We bought my 7 yo son some drumsticks that make sounds when you drum them or when you hit them together. My son now believes that they react to people who are in the vicinity of the sticks.
He is adamant that they are not toys but they are "real". He thinks that when certain people are near- the sticks react differently. We had a lengthy discussion about this and he maintains his stance stating "you have to believe". Is this cause for worry about schizophrenia or is it a symptom of aspergers ? Please advise us- I' m very worried. Paul

It sounds to me like a symptom of childhood.

I agree, normal childhood magical thinking, albeit with an Aspie logical twist thrown in. I think it's very cute.

I've read here on the forum other adults who as kids would imbue their favorite toys with an imaginary will and personality. I did it myself, as does DS. I think we all know that it isn't really real - just something we kind of hope.

When DS was 7 we worried a lot about this, too - and then at some point I realized that he was mirroring what a lot of play might look like to him: people insisting something clearly crazy was real (e.g. "I'm Batman!") NT kids in the middle of a game of pretend must sound like they are insisting the fantasies they are acting out are real.

Sounds completely "normal" to me. Up until about the age of 10, I thought some of my stuffed animals hated my brother. I also thought they had to sleep in specific places on my bed or else they would be upset.

Granted, I'm not NT...but I am definitely not schizophrenic, either.

At the age of 7, perfectly normal. At least he is not insisting the tooth fairy is real and he is going to replace the tooth fairy and constantly jumps off things to perfect his flying ability because one time he fell he felt like he was flying and is now convinced for then next 9ish months that he can fly. That is what I did when I was 7.

There's a video games rating of G-8+, suitable for children 8 and over. This is because children under that age still typically have trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy.
In other words: don't worry, this is normal 7-year-old behaviour.

Thanks to all who responded- I feel better. We know our Caleb is autistic but ( after working on a psychiatric floor for 30 yrs.) I would still love him if he was schizophrenic , but be very worried about his future, Thank you all for your knowledge and input. This is a great site! Paul

I think I mentioned on another thread that I saw a program that talked about magical thinking. This totally sounds inline with this, to me. Also remember that autistic kids have delays so even if he persists in magical thinking a little longer than you think he ought to be, that it does not mean anything.

I honestly know adults who believe in magical thinking about superstitions and the like; and as far as I know, no one thinks they are schizophrenic. Maybe Nts often believe in magical thinking that is traditional or cultural whereas autistic people make up their own as they see their own patterns where others don't.

If he was 25 it would be a sign of schizophrenia. ^^ With 8 its a normal sign of childhood, and for asperger kids you can also add some years to it, because of their slower emotional development.

"A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men"
"We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of the dreams" - Mr Willy Wonka (both)

Magical drumsticks, what a lucky kid!

What, specifically, are you concerned about?

AH! Cool, I'd have loved to have had those kinds of sticks as a kid, but now I use real sticks from Innovative Percussion and Vic Firth.

Anyway, no worries, it's normal. NT kids act the same way. My NT kid brother used to introduce himself to everyone as Conner "Darth Vader" when he was that age.

I insisted that the Yeerks from Animorphs were real, and were possessing my least favorite teachers.

Ditto. Embrace it. Imagination is important and is one skill that transfers over well in various areas of life. It supports social play, art/crafts, critical thinking (problem solving) - etc. Just go with it.

I have friends who still engage in magical thinking in their 30s. It doesn't impede their ability to function and helps them get out of bed in the morning; ergo, they aren't schizophrenic either.

They do, however, give one Hell of a tarot reading. Uncanny, really.

Uh-oh. Sounds like I still engage in my fair share of magical thinking.

I don't think it's anything to worry about.