Imagining things/scenario & Making up stories "pretending"

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In anticipation of my FORMAL diagnosis from multi hour psych eval...tests, interviews, cognitive games/puzzles etc

I am doing some tests for the frst time ever I am reading Cohen's quotient and other tests they sent me to return to them before my eval in August.

I am coming across questions about games involving "pretending" or "making up characters" & imaginary scenarios etc

I am curious what this question(s) are implying. Is this a known trait? having difficulty w this?
I don't really remember playing like that...do they mean running around w a cape and pretending you are SUperman?

pretending what exactly?
I wouldn't say it was a difficulty per se
But I mostly played alone..organizing things INSIDE (not outside running around w other kids yelling, getting dirty etc)
I organized encyclopedias on the book shelf. Lned up my soldiers and categorized them by shapes & height etc (i did NOT play with them as in make them shoot each other and make explosions & noises etc)

So, I do have a sibling and I supposed we played "pretend games"
But I am not sure what they mean by did I have a difficulty doing that or I never even really DID that to know if I had difficulty or if I preferred that..I didnt really attempt it or have it interest me so I dont know what my thoughts are on this

can someone explain what these questions are even talking about?
thanks

I don't know what the standard autistic answer is for those questions, but here's my experience.

I didn't play make believe with other kids. The worst day of my life was when my teacher tried to force me to play "house" with the little girls who were all role playing characters. I didn't understand enough about personalities and interpersonal skills to be myself, let alone some character in group role play. I couldn't play dolls or Barbies or anything like that with other kids. I had dolls but I named them all the same thing. All I did was put them to sleep with a baby bottle. I didn't act out being their mother or anything like that, and I didn't involve other kids.

In contrast, I lived in my head. I developed intricate little worlds (e.g., I was married to Elton John). No one knew I was doing this because I did it alone and silently. I watched tv to try to understand the dynamics of relationships, rather than learning through play with other kids. For example, I watched The Flintstones to figure out what an argument might sound like. Fred and his Mother-In-Law gave me lots of good examples of how disagreements might sound. I didn't act them out or roleplay or share any of this with friends.

I played alone like you did. The characters I made up in my head were from my own personality (e.g., Elton's wife), rather than emulating Super Man or Wonder Woman or any of the popular characters.

I think we're on the same page.

excellent Isabella. yes, that was me too.
thank you for your suggestion of WRITING so I would not be misdagnosed or not heard etc
It is very time consuming, but I am breaking it down into chunks of years and events that stand out that would best signify my difficulties
then at the end i am going to address several of the subjects of questions on the tests I have been given...like:

eye contact
playing with others
small talk
etc etc

also going to include pictures and a chronology of developmental milestones (speech, walking etc) and earliest memories of distancing from "the group"
my mom told me things recently that i was too young to remember
example: in relation to the kids in kindergarten (age 4 for me because school started in sept and i was born in dec)
my other told me i would not participate in a dance and jump & clap game.
i sat by myself at the desk while the children reacted by jumping and striking poses and dance moves to different instruments.
i was allowed to sit at my desk and was given the HOUR GLASS that took 20 minutes to drain..the length of the dance game. i would watch the hour glass or tip it over etc while the kids danced and played...
which made ZERO sense to me !

so at the end i plan to hve a few paragraphs from mom mentioning things like that
and that should do it

also i paint and draw and wanted to include a half dozen images (i have slides scanned i can print on put on a disc)
i feel these pictures...many made as a youngster can best show where my head was as I was growing up and tried to express myself thru art

thanks for your suggestion of doing this ISABELLA

I'm glad you found the idea helpful and that you are doing well in your written anecdotes.

If you'd like I can look back through my developmental history to share the subtopics with you. I can't find the actual questionnaire with the doctor's prompts but I can piece the questions together by seeing what I wrote. Like you, I included photos from birth until current time, interspersed with each developmental stage. I'm sure you have done a great job and I wish you all the best. Let me know if you want me to check the subtopics because it's really no problem.

yes please
that would be great

the hardest part of this is organizing it and not have it come out as an overwhelming mess w repetition etc

Part 1
General Background
Existing Disorders (Primary, Congenital)
Medications
Allergies
Past Illnesses
Hospitalisations / Surgeries (about ten categories)
Speech, Psychology, Psychiatry, Social Work, OT, and Other Services
(several pages of history)

Part 2
Developmental History up to PreSchool
Birth Information
Mother's Health History
Difficulties in Infancy (Eating, Sleeping, Motor Mannerisms)
Language Development
Gross Motor Skills
Age of first words, phrases, functional speech
Repetition of Words (Echolalia)
Hearing
Pronoun Reversal and Neologisms
Use of Gestures and Eye Contact
Pointing to Objects
Following a Point
Responding to My Name
Social Chat
Initiating Conversation
Reciprocal Conversation
Giving and Showing Toys / Items to Others
Response to Affection
Offering Comfort
Sensory Issues (all five senses, each described in relation to sleep, eating, clothing, etc).
Stims
Engaging with Peers
Eye Contact and Face Blindness
Comfort Level with Strangers
General Fears
Family Dynamic
Playing with Cousins and Neighbours
Special Interests in Early Childhood
Other Info from Early Childhood

Part 3
School-Aged History until end of Uni
Names of Schools and Dates Attended
Then, described year by year:
Motor Skills
Response to School Setting
Initiation of Social Interaction
Imitation of Others
Describe Your Make Believe Play ***
Play Dates and Friends
Types of Interests / Toys / Games
Social Activities, Lessons, Clubs, Extracurriculars
Obsessions
Sensory Issues (all five senses, described in relation to sleep, food, etc., with examples)
Stims
Fears
Repetitive Interests / Behaviours
Response to Change in Routine / Transitions
Tantrums and Mood
Hand Preference
Written Language Skills
Special Education Services
Range of Achievement
Milestones of Independence (e.g., being home alone)
Strengths and Challenges (by age and subject)
Sleep Issues
Dealing with Responsibility (homework, chores)
Response to Travel including field trips and family travel
Holidays and Special Occasions
Reflections about my feelings, fears, friends, social clubs, each by year
Birthday Parties (mine and other kids)
Tertiary Education:
Areas of Study
Social Involvement

* Section 3 took me about 60 pages

Part 4
Body Image
BFRB, self-concept, etc.
Puberty and Sexual Development
Best Memories / Worst Memories

Part 5
Organisational Skills and Executive Function
Attention Issues (ADHD etc)
Applying Knowledge in Functional Ways
Problem Solving

Part 6
History of Jobs
Successes, Challenges
Need for Accommodations
Relationships with Colleagues
Financial matters (understanding money, budgeting)

Part 7
Relationships
Dating, Marriage, Parenting etc.
Interpersonal Conflict and Communication

Part 8
Current Life: Friendships / Relationships
Social Involvement
Making Plans
Current Activities (liked and disliked)
Sense of Humour
Echolalia and Verbal Communication
Affection
Expression of Emotion
Reading Emotions
Understanding Social Rules / Situations
Social Scripts / Safety Plans
Special Interests
Stims
Rigidity and Repetitive Behaviours / Thoughts

Part 9
Emotional and Psychological History
Ongoing Fears
Ongoing Sensory
Ongoing Self-Concept

Part 10
Family Summary
Paternal / Maternal Psychiatric History
Siblings

I think that's all -- lol -- you can see why I wrote 188 pages to include all of that with details and stories, and photos

I used a Table of Contents and SubHeadings, and at the end I put an Appendix with school records, employment evaluations, links to home videos, etc. It's massive but it was worth it.

incredible. i am glad ypou have that. i bet you like reading and referring to it too..to make sense of your life and have a history of it !
wow. that is what i am discovering as i compile all of this...seeing it all emerge and finally make a big picture sense of things.

** s on these headers or subjects would you start a section or chapter w a title page like
"adolescent years education"

and then write about your experiences for those years?
traumatic events, new schools, new friends, classes liked and disliked, achievements & struggles etc?

Thanks. The ten sections and the subtopics were provided by my doctor ahead of time. The actual question page / attachment seems to have vanished from my email because I recall it was time sensitive, but those are the areas that ended up in my response. I may have merged or added a few from the original questions but yes, that was the general outline.

The school years section felt really repetitive because she wanted all the topics reexplored year by year. I had to say my memories, my friends, birthday parties, special clubs, fears, emotions, academics, sensory, stims, etc., over and over again -- but of course I gave different stories or examples each time, even if I was expressing the same main ideas.

Maybe I should have lumped it more into chunks of time instead of one year at a time, but I'm literal and I followed her instructions to a tee. For each one I didn't just answer the question but I gave anecdotal stories and photos etc., so it was a lot of writing. Sometimes I did point-form lists but most of the time it was in paragraphs with subheadings. I really doubt she read all of it even though I sent it a month ahead of time, but she seemed to know pretty much all my basics when I arrived.

Sensory took a really long time because I did topics like "Sleep", "Clothing", "Food", "Interests", "Hypersensitivities" and "Hyposensitivities" and each one needed Sight, Texture, Smell, Taste, Sound, but also had to keep changing slightly as I got older.

You certainly don't have to write all of this and I'm sure most people didn't, but it's what my doctor asked for and I hope the questions will help. In retrospect if I hadn't received all these prompts I wouldn't have remembered much of it to say verbally during our meeting. It's hard to get into that much detail and reflection when you are in person with someone.

The assessment consisted of hours of objective testing, so I don't know how big of a role the developmental history played. I suppose a person could "fake" or exaggerate their history if they really wanted to, but the testing is virtually foolproof because of all the hard data they collect. In my opinion it would be pretty difficult to get a diagnosis if you weren't actually autistic, because it isn't just based on these "life stories".

It sounds like you are well on your way to finishing your History and the rest is easy-peasy.

Just show up and be yourself. It will be over before you know it!!

Yes autistic children are known for not being very interested in creative, imaginative play. Play that involves making up things that aren't real or true. I don't know how true this is of autistic children, but it is an idea that comes up again and again in psychology.

One of the traits that is often cited as an Aspie trait is "A lack of imagination".

From my perspective this Aspie characteristic does not strike true. I have a very vivid sense of imagination. I operate on 5 or 6 planes at once and seamlessly move between them. The best that I can make out is that they are referring to social imagination, such as trying to figure out what someone is feeling or thinking. If that is what they are describing, then I fit that particular definition.

I agree. I have a vivid sense of imagination too, and it seems like pency does. My imaginative play is all in my head. It's personal and silent reverie. I'd have a very hard time involving others or following their lead if they gave me a role to play, or they were setting the situation / theme. In that respect I don't seem "imaginative" like NTs would be. I have no way of demonstrating my imagination to them, to prove it exists. I can't verbalise my thoughts and wouldn't want to. Even writing stories on paper doesn't clearly articulate what's going on. "Social imagination" is an interesting term. We are normally weak in that area, just like we are with empathy. Likewise I can't be imaginative in social settings, which would involve input from other people.

By the way pency, I also experience Aphantasia, the inability to picture things. I think mostly in words with only vague imagery or visual recall.

I seemed to engage in imaginative play with other children well when I was a kid. The difference was if I had made up a game I would expect everyone to play it MY way and MY way only, BUT if I was playing a game that someone else had made up then I would play it THEIR way. Admittedly I did prefer everyone to play the games I made up, but I still had no trouble playing other people's games.

The only issue I had was fairness. The games had to be fair, otherwise I'd get upset. So if I sensed somebody was trying to hijack or derail the game, I would get upset and angry. I took imaginative games very seriously and hated it when other children started getting competitive in the game. I just wanted everyone to play evenly.

I never had any issues with playing pretend and I made up complex imaginary worlds with different scenarios. This ability actually acted as a way to connect with other children. I think I would've struggled if I didn't have my imaginary world. For a while, I was a loner and I didn't know how to initiate conversation. I just went off to do my own thing. However, this changed when I spoke to a girl about my imaginary world and she got excited because she had one too. It became a way to interact with the outside world by sharing the one in my mind. We'd swap stories and pretend to visit each other's world. Messing up social interaction in the worlds was normal, as each world had a different culture and rules to abide by. The important part was finding a way to make up for the mistakes you made with the pretend neighbours.

My imaginary play quickly became an obsession. I'd play all sorts of different characters and it became a way to practice such things. However, it didn't translate as well when it came to playing imaginary as a group. I usually got stuck with the least favourable role.

There were areas of socialising that I wasn't great at. Such as understanding when something is literal or not, reading tone, knowing when someone was bored and expressing my emotions in an acceptable way. Fiction became a way to deal with more complex emotions that I didn't understand yet. I wasn't great at explaining my thought process to others since I used to assume that everyone thought the way I did. When I ended up in counselling, I realised that the reason was because there were a significant amount of people that didn't understand my thought process of how I got from point A to point B. Once I understood that, I began to change my approach and find ways to explain myself. People realised that there was method behind my apparent madness.

If I couldn't determine what an emotion was, I'd compare it to a texture / sensation based on how it physically felt. This is something that I still do sometimes. It was difficult to move away from my impulsiveness (such as wanting to punch someone) and instead choosing to display negative emotions in more manageable ways. As a kid I used to act out a lot. I went through a significant amount of bullying and other damaging experiences.

Playing pretend was my escape. It was my way of connecting with others and learning about the world. Fiction was a medium I could use to express my frustrations and emotions that I didn't have a handle on yet, if I was angry I could just take it out on fictional characters in my writing.

I disliked sharing my toys. Each toy to me had a unique assigned personality and a name. When other kids played with them they'd change their names and the roles of each character. I didn't like that. Ruined the fun. I'd spend a lot of time making up backstories and to me the characters weren't just characters. They were a method of talking through an issue I was going through in real life, so if I felt misunderstood then I'd have a story arc based on that. Each character was an extension of myself and the people I knew in a way.

When I played with another kid, I'd follow their rules since I respected that. However, when they came to my world I wanted them to play by my rules and respect my established guidelines. I always disliked it when my sister would try to play with my barbies with me. Since she'd come in mid game and change the plot line. I'd get annoyed and yell "No! Barbie can't go to the salon right now! She's in a war with the evil Barbie!"

I took playtime quite seriously.