10 yr. old with Aspergers & Imaginary Friends

Mama - posted on 12/08/2012

I'm pretty dismayed by some of the comments and the parents who want to discourage their kids from having imaginary friends. They're an emotional coping mechanism that I believe to be particularly helpful for kids on the spectrum who have social anxiety and difficulties with social situations. They already have difficulty making friends and functioning in social situations, so the solution is to banish the "friends" they have, who also function as their internal (or in this case, and my son's - external) sounding board?



My 7 year old son does this, and did this in school, so my ex and I explained to him that not all kids have "friends" like his and some kids don't understand and that there are certain activities that are not allowed in the classroom as he needs to stay focused on the teacher and the lesson, but that it's perfectly acceptable to do this at home.



Sometimes he gets exasperated when I think he's talking with me and I respond to his chatter with his "friends".



I also found a great link where adult Aspies discuss this subject. IMHO, we should listen more to those with direct experience (adults with autism) than the so-called developmental disorder experts if we really want to understand and support our children with ASD.



http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt180316.h...

Ann Wambui - posted on 11/06/2012

My son also talks to his imaginary friend at home and it is just too much and noisy too. How can we stop this?

Anaquita - posted on 10/12/2012

If she knows they're imaginary, she's likely okay. Kids on the spectrum have a hard time making friends. However have a discussion on perhaps trying to save talking to said imaginary friends at home.

Diana - posted on 10/12/2012

Well my granddaughter who is 5 talks to them all the time and we are at a loss as to how to handle it. She gets upset with school because they are "mean to cats and wont let them come to school." She tells us that they are not her imagination. She sometimes has me convinced that she really sees them. Do They? Her cats started a long time ago, and I don't see them going anywhere any time soon. Any suggestions on how to handle and not hurt her feelings?

Thanks

Victoria - posted on 05/28/2012

I was looking up to see if I need to look into my son having an imaginary friend at 10 years old as I didn't realize he still had them until he told me the other day. I was thinking he is getting a bit too old for them. Then, I was thinking that maybe it is the fact that he has Asperger's. I feel somewhat relieved that he isn't only one. After reading on it some, I realized that his imaginary friends may have actually helped him to be as smart as he is today & that they comfort him when he feels he has no one else to turn to as he doesn't have many friends at school. I'm glad that he feels comfortable enough to tell me about his friend that he says is imaginary & the same age as him. :)

Mary Ann - posted on 02/11/2012

Yeah, she refers to them as her imaginary friends. She knows they're imaginary. I just think they bring her comfort.

Frances - posted on 02/11/2012

Does your daughter consider them imaginary friends? If not, she should be seen by her doctor.

Mary Ann - posted on 02/09/2012

Thanks. I am relieved that I am not the only parent that has gone through this. I've tried to explain it to my daughter, but I don't think she understands. I guess it goes with trying to teach her how to behave socially. Only my husband understands. I think I do need to be more consistent and try to relate to her how inappropriate it can seem to strangers, especially at her age.

Maria - posted on 02/09/2012

my son is Autism high funtioning, and he does play imaginary games, but he only does it at home, and not when other people that are not his family are looking, I told him straigh what people would think if they see him playing with weird objects, and he got it. After a few repetions, he is now very much aware that it can't be done in front of othrer people. He does not even want me to video him doing it or taking pictures, is a big family secret to him.