To wonder if my 6 year old thinks in a strange way

I wouldn't think on it's own it would be enough to say.

there's a lot of factors and other things that could indicate ASD, it could be a peice of the puzzle if you're already noticing signs or thinking along those lines. Or she could just be a logical thinker?

I honestly didn't think anybody went to bed on Christmas eve actually believing they could hear Santa, so that's a bit of an eye opener for me.

I never did believe in any of those things and always looked at the logical pragmatic angle as well.

It didn't make it seem any less fun or exciting, it was just more "this is a fun "let's pretend" game we all play by consensus" than "this is actually magic".

And I also played a lot of let's pretend and imaginative games. I don't think this is at all an issue. She enjoys it differently to you. It doesn't make her way of enjoying it wrong or lesser.

And my DD is NT, just very inquisitive and wants explanations.

I wouldn't think of autism in your case at all unless there's a lot more going on elsewhere? She just sounds like she has a questioning nature.

You’re sad she doesn’t relate to fantasy things/santa in the way you remember from your own childhood, but she seems to find her own pragmatic enjoyment and has an imagination - so she doesn’t seem to be missing out.

Possibly but there would need to be a lot of other signs. My son isn't autistic (we did query it and it was ruled out). He's just wicked smart.

Are there other signs? This reminds me of my ND son alot. But this alone isn't enough. Do you see other things that feel different.

DD1 is 5, said last Christmas that she knew the Santas we met out and about weren't the the ones, and she point blank said a few weeks ago 'I don't think Santa exists'. I didn't respond and she didn't ask me, but if she does I won't lie. She's totally unbothered by it and still mad about Christmas anyway.

We also had a chat just tonight tooth when she would get her first wobbly teeth and I said something about the tooth fairy visiting when she does and she said 'Mummy! It's you!' 🤷‍♀️

Just raising a sceptic I think! Plus she's like me in that I don't like not knowing things.

"Magic" is over rated.

I am autistic so possibly not getting it at all. But... as I child i never believed in any of the "magic" or really understood it. I kind of accepted it as a game everyone played (like we did make believe play in the play ground) I had assumed everyone thought the same.

Like... everyone knows there's no Santa and if there was he certainly wouldn't be hanging round my local garden centre during the busiest months of his life. But people like to pretend because they think it's fun. I can't say I had less joy in my childhood because of it.

One of my kids was like that. The Home Alone comment is exactly type of thing he would come out with. He's an adult now. With the benefit of hindsight, he was (and still is) academically gifted.

She sounds very similar to my son, who is 5! It makes it hard because I don't want to lie to him, but I also want him to believe in santa for at least another year. 😭

He knew straight away the elf of the shelf at school was done by the teachers.

He is not silly enough to believe the Santa's at grottos etc are real eithet. But that is fine as there's ways you can get around that. 🙂

Childhood is about lot of things. I never believed in the crap told to kids neither did my kids. All fully functioning happy successful people with big friendship groups.🤷‍♀️

So I wouldn't be worried because she the intellectual ability to see through things.

This is a huge advantage in life and gives her skills which will also keep her safer than the children who believe a lot of 'fantasy'.

I don't remember ever believing in Santa or the tooth fairy or anything. I've never felt sad about my childhood not being magical enough.

Don't you just love kids😂

Be grateful. She's never going to be taken for a mug by anyone. She'll see straight through the bullshit every time.

Sounds like she's a great critical thinker.

My daughter thinks very much like this. She is autistic but I don't think that signifies. She just has a great bollocks-o- meter.

Aged 4 asking a Santa in a department store "Why are you wearing trainers if you've come straight from the North Pole?"

Aged 6 "Well if there's a dinosaur egg hatched in school I'm not bloody coming in" (to her teacher who had.tried to set up an immersion fun activity and lure her in for it)

Aged 7 "Being a Disneyland dress up person must be a very lonely life. No one ever sees you."

Aged 9 "I haven't got you a present because really what's the point in buying you something that's not quite what you want, in a swap for something that's not quite what I want?"

And on and on and on. She often comes across as rude now she's 13, whereas it was seen as cute or, more accurately, precociously endearing, when she was younger.

I have a 6yo who is similar. He is interested in Greek myth (saw a book in the library…) so we’ve been talking about what is “real” and “magic” a bit. He “knows” that magic isn’t real.

This year he says he thinks Father Christmas is a story like Athena and her magic helmet. This seems a reasonable leap to have made! I’ve said well what do you think and he said oh I think it’s you and Daddy. I have reminded him that lots of people like to believe in magic so not to spoil things for his friends but I didn’t want to lie to him when he asked me directly.

She's clever , I love this 🤗

You find having an intelligent child sad? Em ok.

Did you seriously swallow everything up out were told, now that's sad.