DS doesn't like other children, and only talks to adults. Is this weird?

[Dottoressa]

I think it probably is weird, but am I the only one who has a child who insists on collaring every available adult so he can hold a monologue on the internal workings of the pipe-organ (or whatever his latest obsession is)?

He is 6.5 and has never liked other children - he seems to find them threatening (not least because they probably tell him to stop banging on about pipe organs). He doesn't share any of their interests (football, rugby, Star Wars and so on), and thinks they're all silly and pointless.

Adults do tend to be very tolerant and kind, which gives him an audience. Anyone else have any experience of this?

Dottoressa, I hope it's OK with you that I laughed as much as I did about your DS's playdate greeting when he was three! Classic.

My DS (4.5) is just the same. For most of last year he lived in a world only inhabited by people and lawnmowers and he'd go up to random adults and ask them if they had a lawnmower, if it had a bag on it, if it was a petrol or an electric mower, etc. And ditto on the mills.... we a memorable chunk of our holiday in Devon visiting the watermill in Totnes and giving the curators there countless opportunities to rehearse their spiel! His current thing is to go up to anyone elderly and say 'why did you die in the war?' D'oh.

I don't know, sometimes it worries me other times it doesn't. I love all the positive responses you got early on and think that's a lovely way to see it.

I worry about our DS at school but I also try to indulge him as much as possible in home time (by enduring endless repetitive, scripted conversations or by providing adult 'friends' for him whenever possible, going to the watermill for the millionth time) so that school won't be too much of a strain/disappointment.

Our DS is being assessed for other aspergers-related issues but that doesn't mean adultcentricity means he has AS.... the positive responses to this thread have made me realise there are other lovely ways to look at it.

Pipe organs though..... poor you!

Ds in many ways is more happy talking to adults than children. He always had plenty of friends at primary school, usually those who shared his interest in Pokemon or Yugioh.
One of his teachers used to give him a few minutes at the beginning of break for an "adult" chat.
At secondary school he now seems to gravitate towards the older boys. One of the lunch time clubs he goes to he is the only Yr 8 the rest are 6th formers and from what I can gather he spends a lot of time bending the ears of his teachers, although I don't think they mind too much.

Have you tried your ds with top trump cards, lots of boys (and girls) like those and it indulges their need for facts as well as something to talk about/play in the playground.

Duchess - it is nice to find the funny side of it all. I laughed in return about the lawnmowers and Totnes watermill!!

I don't know if it's a coincidence, but a lot of these children seem to be boys.

Christy - Top Trumps would satisfy his need for facts, if only they came with scintillating information about cathedrals/pipe organs/textile mills on them...