Strong attachments to objects rather than people?

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This is apparently one of the symptoms of AS, and I just realised I used to get this all the time when I was a child.

I had a purple faux yaks-wool cushion that I would never go anywhere without (except school). When I ran away from home (long story, not as impressive as it sounds, etc), the cushion was the first thing I put in my suitcase. And even when I was quite a bit older (I was probably about 9/10), when we listened to that John Lennon song "Imagine" at school, I was thinking, "Yeah, would be cool, world peace and all..." then we got to the bit where it said, "Imagine no possessions," and I was like, "To hell with this communism, I need my cushion!" And for many years, the main reason I feared death was not for my family or anything, but because I probably wouldn't be able to take my cushion to Heaven with me.

Did you ever have something you couldn't imagine life without?

Well, I like my books quite a lot.

That's exactly what I was going to say! My books are like my children... except I have hundreds of children . I am deeply attached to every one of my books. Recently I had a nightmare that my mum burnt all my books and I woke up feeling like I'd had a heart attack. I'm not sure how I'd go on without them.

I like my video games more than I like people and my dvd box sets.

I have an deeply emotional attachment to my stuffed animals. My stuffed animals are my family and will always be my family. I am not emotional attached to any of my "real" family,including my mom. When i was younger, I only looked to mom to try to help me deal with family members, which I a "false" attachment(more like a security officer I can go to for help, rather than cuddle), so that I can appreciate what she was doing, but it was not a real one, like I have with my stuffed animals. My "babies" are the loves of my life. They are the only ones who understand me and not give me any problems.

I often find myself showing more concern and care for the plants in my garden than for my son or his mother. People beyond that aren't really even on my radar when it comes to establishing and maintaining "attachments". My plants seem to elicit compassionate responses from me, whereas human beings don't as much. I obsess over my plants when I'm not at home, even wondering if they're OK, or what I could be doing better in the garden. I suppose that other people might give the same amount of attention to family and friends. My plants are quiet, but very clear about their needs, and they respond with brightness and growth... Such an easy relationship that I find impossible to recreate with human beings.

This is certainly a defining characteristic of Asperger's for me.

Yes.. especially when I was younger.. stuffed animals mainly. But I also have a habit of anthropomorphizing things like that really badly. I guess since I was so lonely, I transferred that onto a fear of my stuffed animals being lonely. But also, something like that is more consistent.. you don't have to worry about it rejecting you, or getting mad at you, so it's easier for people with ASDs to connect to them.

yes to this day i care more about objects the any living thing sad i know, but if anything happens to my rubber keyboard, my rubber piece on my phone or my pans ill freak to all hell, my keyboard which i call keybo was was dropped by accidently on the ground and i freaked out started getting upset, even started to headbang, but when my bf fell on the ground i jus sat there staring wonderng why he was bleeding rubbing my keyboard lol, not good i know haha.

Same here. My glass-top desk is the great love of my life. And oh, how I loved my collection of rubber monsters and my green jeans jacket with the big zipper when I was a kid!

I prefer books, slinkies, stress relieving objects, blankets (bedding), play doh, etc. to people . To an unusual & extreme degree (at least this is what I think based on how NT's react to my fixations) .

I had this when I was a kid a lot. Stuffed animals, my blanket, my art stuff, etc. Not so much any more. I love animals more than I care about most people though, so maybe if I didn't have any pets I might feel more strongly about "stuff".

I can think of an exception though...my husband and I love our cars, we're very proud of them and obsessive about them. They have names, genders, and I talk to them. They are almost like honorary animals, lol, but I'd never put them above the needs of our real live pets.

yep, oh yep... ive spent my entire life saying i prefer things to people... i also have millions (6- 7? thousand? no idea) books. my flat looks like there's been an earthquake in a jumble sale...

so yes, individual items, as well as by catagory (currently have a bit of a cookery bowl buying obsession- interesting).

i think its pretty standard.
i cried the other day when i realised my parents threw out in 1982 a bookcase of mine in a house move. id only just realised it went, and i can make my self weep buckets thinking of similar lost items...
i am without hope!

And you haven't tried to organize and catalog and count them?

anyway yeah I have attachment to objects, especially when I was younger. I remember getting in trouble for carrying around objects with me at school. I still have the same problem but it's not as big of a deal now because I'm not trying to have conversations with the objects or anything and they're usually a bit more normal, ipod and an old key verses an action figure and a piece of lint.

There's lots of hope on eBay. I've bought back many things (mostly books) that I've stupidly thrown out in the past.

Yep my computer hehe or my books and gaamesbut if I was told your computer or best friend I'll give up my computer but yes I am very attatched to my certain possessions

Yes I can barely let go of anything, if I have to sort things out nearly everything stays anyway. And if anyone did anything to my laptop all hell would break loose, a few months ago the hole at the side of the laptop where the plug goes broke and I spent the whole night shouting and crying, and I had to wait 2 weeks for the bloody thing to be repaired.
Even though I do get attached to possesions I don't prefer them over people, I'd pick my best friends over my objects any day.