My weird behaviour as a child

Post Reply New Topic

My mother told me that I used to be so obsessed with toilets when I was younger. And I remember going outside to sit in trees when I was 10 and making bird noises, even when my friends were around. They all thought I was strange!
I haven't been diagnosed with AS (my parents just think I'm shy and I need to 'get over it') but do you think it's normal for NT kids to be obsessed with toilets and make bird noises?

NO, but that doesn't mean you have AS either.

Oh gosh I used to pretend I was a dog. No at first it was a cat, then later it was a dog. I used to make frog noises in my throat. I used to sing songs out loud on the playground. I used to talk out loud to myself.
I would probably climb a tree and make monkey sounds while puffing my cheeks.

NO, but that doesn't mean you have AS either.[/quote]
I know. I was probably just a weirdo. haha

LOL me too. I was very interested in dog breeds. I liked to walk around on all fours a lot. One of my most vivid childhood memories is of this large house we were visiting. There was a really long corridor where I loved to practise going as fast as I could. Also I loved to imitate barking and such.

Then it was parrots at one point. And dinosaurs, especially carnivores and mostly velociraptors (the movie Jurassic Park had much to do with it).

I was scared of flushing toilets though. When I had to flush I would run away as fast as I could.

(BTW I'm not implying any of this couldn't be NT behaviour)

Last edited by Mortiferus on 18 Apr 2009, 6:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

Anyone, NTs included, can look back on their life and find things they did that were weird. It's just human nature, we're all a little weird.

For those on the autism spectrum, years of abuse by others can make us very self-conscious. So we tend to see all the little weird things we do.

When I was a kid I did many crazy things. Like sing really loud to music in shops, spend hours in toilets talking to myself and making stories.

I still do that...


um..

I agree that most kids participate in behaviour that could be seen as being "weird"

I would sit in the back yard and wait for the easter bunny...and it was no time near easter...when he appeared, he was gonna be a giant cartoon rabbit...

I was obsessed with Pinnochio and would go around in character as Pinnochio.
I identified with male characters most of the time, and rather than pretend play....I more likely internalised these characters and made them part of my identity...

but I don't know how weird that would be considered.

Um...

I would secretly take off my pants in the movie theatres...it was when I was really little, but it is fairly common for kids to take off their clothes/shoes/etc..

It's hard to know what is 'normal' for NTs - and indeed if there is such a thing. You'd probably get a more comprehensive response if you asked this question in a forum full of NTs (and omit the word 'NT' from the question!).

I used to pretend I was a dog, LOL, I got told off for it on my first day of school. I was making dog noises in assembly, so the teacher made me stand up in front of the whole class and listen to why my behaviour was unacceptable.

little kids are not constrained by the same artificial social boundaries as are older people... they can be a bird one day if they want to be one. too bad so many people have forgotten how to do that.

Okay, let me take a crack at this.

1) The first thing to consider is this: do you have any difficulties that you cannot sort out on your own? Remember, the first thing you learn in a psychology class regarding psychopathology is the criteria, 'deviancy, danger, or distress,' for determining whether something warrents being labelled as a disorder. If you don't suffer from at least two of those three criteria, remember, you can be like a person who has AS in every other respect yet NOT have a disorder. You may have the same genes, and you may behave very similarly, but some people who are possessed of these qualities seem to cope better than others. I firmly believe that you can be 'Aspie' without being considered to have a disorder.

2) It is very well possible that you are 'just shy' and can 'get over it,' and you should consider this possibility carefully before concluding that you have a disorder. Besides, one of the characteristics of AS is that most youths who have Asperger Syndrome DO eventually either 'grow out of it,' or learn to cope without extra help. They may continue to exhibit a lot of the traits they had when they were younger, but most children and teenagers who have Asperger Syndrome will eventually develop healthy friendships and become successful adults.

3) Don't make up problems just for the sake of justifying seeking help. If you find yourself doing this, THAT is a problem, and you may suffer from some underlying anxiety that can be dealt with through adequate counseling IF YOU CAN CATCH IT EARLY. Going to see a counselor is a lot cheaper and a lot less stressful than dealing with pill-pushing psychiatrists, and they tend to be a lot more compassionate. Just like highly specialized doctors tend to have a very poor bedside manner, sometimes psychiatrists can be very inattentive to your emotional well being. You would take yourself to a family doctor if your throat felt scratchy because, even though it could be something harmless, you never know when it's going to turn out to be some life-threatening cancer. By the same token, don't neglect your psychological health under any circumstances.

4) My advice for right now is to write down a list of things that are actually substantial problems for you or others, and put a header at the top, saying, "Things To Change Or Accept." Put your signature at the bottom of it to make it a binding contract with yourself, and put it somewhere that you can always see it. Whenever you accomplish one of these goals, strike it off, and start working on another one.

5) If you must know, yes: a fascination with running water and making animal sounds are identifying marks of certain Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Fortunately for you, being weird or eccentric is fashionable :D.

6) Here is a mind-trip for you: I am not a shy person. I am outgoing, and I am very friendly. Far from being anxious, I have an almost hedonistic personality. However, one of the strange things about me is that I do not 'make friends.' I simply do not have the inclination. I enjoy people's company, but I am incapable of getting 'cuddly' or 'developing relationships' with most people. I can't even remember people's names because they don't matter to me after I have finished talking to them, even if I really really liked them. I have always had that weird blind spot, but I am the furthest thing from shy. A lot of things about AS are very weird and seemingly self-contradictory.

7) Most importantly, I got myself diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome because I wanted to do something to help myself. I have always had certain problems, some worse than others, and I have decided to make it a goal and face them down, one at a time. I have been attending a support group, meeting with a supper club, and seeing a therapist who works with me by setting goals and helping me to work toward them. I had known for five years that I had a lot of the identifying marks of AS, but I did not see someone about it until I had talked to a few counselors and made the decision that I want to help myself in any way that I can. I want to be a success, and I want a bright future.

Good luck!

Last edited by ThisisjusthowItalk on 18 Apr 2009, 12:36 pm, edited 4 times in total.

no that is not normal.
it sounds like you have it especially with the bird noises.
this one sub teacher at my old school said this one chick had AS cuz she meowed like a cat all the time.
it was before i even knew what asperger's was.
but yes i was a weird kid too

I did things that were far more embarrassing. Don't think you're the only one. Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not your fault.