AS child w/interest in classic horror films

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Hello,

I have a 12 year old son with Aspergers. I'm still learning about it all, however, from what I've heard it is not unusual for AS children to be very abrasive. Does anyone have a child who is on the other side of that...by that I mean one who is very sensitive and gentle? He quite honestly wouldn't hurt a fly. The problem is, it makes him a push over at school and he can easily be taken advantage of even by kids much younger than himself. The fact that he is so respectful and caring, I find refreshing in this day and age, however, I think that it may be hard to match him up with others who are on the gentle side like he is. By the way, his special interest lies in the old classic Universal horror films (Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, etc). No other kid is into this. For him to hook up with someone like this would be a dream!

Oh, Bela Lugosi, Boris.... I loved those old films when I was a child. Saw every one of them. Graduated later on to the "Hammer" films.

Your kid has good taste!

I don't have children but I was the child you are describing. I didn't throw fits or have noisy melt-downs, I cried. I am female, so that was more exceptable...it is very hard on the guys who are like that...I'm sorry.

Have you checked out any youth groups for aspies in your area ? I live in MN and I know we have one that several aspies get together and talk about all kinds of interests and play games together....I have an aspie friend who goes and he really likes the people there. If you don't have one...would you consider starting one?

I was also a horror movie lover as a kid (would sneak out of bed around midnight to watch them ). I also loved bugs and rocks and climbing trees...I didn't have a lot of friends either

I was ALSO the kid you are describing. I describe myself as a pacifist. You know when they say "Boys will be boys"? They often say that when BOTH are boys(Which is odd since it usually makes it clear the statement is WRONG), and I even heard it yesterday in a nice movie. Well, ***I*** was a boy, and am male, and straight, etc.... Yet I wasn't like that!

I was probably between that, and your child.

BTW I liked/like some horror movies also. It was never an interest of mine though.

my son used to be like that.....until the bullies got to him............

I too was also like that, luckily for me i found someone to be friends. one thing my parents tried was go into something like the scouts. sometimes you can be surprised how many special kids are in them. it built my confidence aswell

I wouldn't describe my son as abrasive. He can be very reactionary and fly off the handle when frustrated, but he's extremely sensitive and he cares about other people. I recently have had the chance for him to meet other kids on the spectrum. They get along very well even though they each have different special interests. It's interesting to see. I guess my son can understand another kid's need to talk non-stop about Warhammer, even though he's never seen or played that game. The other kid will "listen" to my son's monologue on lizards.

Well I'm not a kid anymore but in college I had a fascination with the golden age of German Cinema which includes many classic horror expressionism films. I recommend getting Das Kabinett Der Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) (1920), Nosferatu (1922), Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem) (1920), Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (Waxworks) (1924), and Der Muede Tod (Destiny) (1921). Destiny is not really a horror film as much as the former films, but it's absolutely beautiful and I think it's still one of the greatest films of all time. These all can be found on DVD, and I think if you have a Netflix subscription they should be easy to get. They might not be exactly what he's into, but those films are very important when studying the history of the Universal horror movies, especially the vampire ones!

I wish I had advice as far as him making friends with people his own age, but to be honest, I really didn't have any sort of social life until college. School is really tough...

Another meek and mild one here. When my parents decided to raise chickens one year, butchering time was not pleasant. It was kind of like Clarice in Silence of the Lambs, I saved a chicken I had affection for that I had named "Rusty." They also purchased a BB gun for me but all I ever shot was an already-dead crow.

I was a terrible pushover and my parents would say to me, "They wouldn't pick on you if they didn't like you." If that was the case, I would rather they had not liked me at all. I wouldn't suggest using that line.

Also loved horror films. They came on kind of late, and it was hard for me to stay awake, but I loved watching classics on "Creature Feature." My interest in the films started when I was about three years old and saw a couple of episodes of the daytime drama, Dark Shadows, and also caught part of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds while hiding behind a chair in our living room.

Z

I'm a girl, but kinda like your boy..... I loved scary movies when I was little.... Bela Lugosi was just fun... My favorites were the ones that just had music and words across the bottom telling you what happened.

Nosferatu and Waxworks I will second, I didn't like Dark Shadows (too much like a soap opera).... But the black and white Frankenstein was awesome, and I had the DVD of the original black and white Sweeney Todd: the Butcher Barber of Fleet Street, before the newer version came out.... Now I have both.

I grew up when Freddy and Jason and Aliens were in their prime. So I have the entire collections of these on DVD now as well.

I watched the Dark Shadows remake in the 90's and I loved it. Never saw the original.

My mother loved Dark Shadows... I've probably seen all the old ones.... It starts out so nice with the black and white of the house and the narrator's voice, but I just can't get past the soap opera.