caution and curiousity in children on the spectrum

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When I was a little girl I was often so curious and fascinated by what was going on around me when they took me anywhere that it's a wonder my parents didn't put me on a leash to keep me from wandering off. I had virtually no fear of strangers or animals except maybe dogs that weren't friendly. On the other hand, I had developed a somewhat abnormal fear of toxic household substances that peaked around my early teens where if I accidentally got even a drop of bleach on my skin I would completely freak. One time my dad kept a bottle of some kind of motor oil that had a warning that prolonged contact with the substance caused cancer in lab animals, so I was sure just touching the container it was in without scrubbing my hands afterwards meant certain doom. I heard most kids smoke or drink alcohol because they're curious and it doesn't matter if parents tell them why they shouldn't. They'll do it anyway because they want to find out if it's true. I, however, saw nothing appealing about smoking or drinking and I still don't.

But I'm a female with "mild" autism, so what I believe doesn't matter. I act "normal" enough that people think I should be able to handle anything that an NT can, and when I can't it's *my* fault. I can't always read or understand NT people. That's my fault. They can't always read or understand me, either. That's my fault, too. I have something of a fear of cars and traffic, partly because almost almost everyone who gets behind the wheel of a car seems to turn into a monster full of road rage who run over pedestrians just for fun, like that Goofy cartoon I saw as a kid, and partly because I have trouble guessing the speed and distances of cars coming at me. That, of course, is also my fault. It's probably even my fault the wildfires in California burned the house of Charles Schulz down, even though I don't live anywhere near there. *sigh*

I was curious but not very cautious. I think most kids are like that aren't they? I annoyed my mother with it but she was over-cautious herself. These days I'm often over-cautious but still very curious - it's probably my curiosity that made me feel so at home as a science worker........I want to know why and how things are the way they are, what's in the box, etc.

Like the proverbial cat, curiosity can override my caution, I think. Most of the examples of my being over-cautious happen when I'm considering doing stuff that will put me into situations I'm unfamiliar with (especially when such activities are suggested by others, who rarely my vulnerabilities in the depth that I understand them).

Interesting variety of experiences in the replies. I was insatiably curious myself but I satisfied it with reading. I read a LOT. Often a book every few days. I would stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning, even on school nights, reading because I couldn't sleep. I thought I was being sneaky. I found out just last year my mom knew the whole time. She told me, what's was I going to do, tell you not to read? I was, however, very cautious when it came to exploring my environment. Weird because I'm a bit reckless now. Go figure.

was an unusually strong crib escape artist, and could be found in alarming places... like observing the world upside down hanging by knees upon a tree branch in the backyard.