ASD rambling and fantasy and reality

[claw3]

Ds seems to be able to follow a simple conversation, but quickly starts to ramble, using made up words and talking about imaginary places and things endlessly.

He also believes that he is an Alien. He told me the other day, he wanted to tell me a 'secret' and i wasnt allowed to tell anyone. His secret is that he is an alien. When i asked 'you mean you are pretending, like Ben 10', he insisted that no in 'real life', he actually is an alien underneath his skin.

He also wants to spend lots of time in his room, lining up cars (which i know is common) but he is always talking to himself (well to his 'friend' who is also insists is not 'pretend' but 'real life')

He is always hiding and 'spying' on us and walking round the supermarket the other day he was 'hiding' from the 'cameras' which were watching him.

Is this common ASD behaviour, an overactive imagination or more a mental health problem?

It sounds perfectly within spectrum behaviour to me. I've known children who believed they were a specific animal and wanted to be treated like a dog or cat. Giving clear verbal instructions as to how this should be done.
My boy is HF, he does the lining up, talking to himself and creating entire fantasies based on his games. Hiding and spying and believing that others are watching you at all times is also something a lot of spectrum individuals do.
Mine closes curtains and checks if there are people around before doing anything he doesn't want overlooking.
By all means monitor his behaviour and ask others about it, but to me you are not describing anything out of my ordinary experience.

I wouldn't worry.. well unless he's doing it for the first time at 15 or something..(that would be a bit more unusual!)

I have known quite a few children who stick in particular phases for a long time and REALLY only want to exist within their created role..it does pass eventually I think it's really positive when children with ASD can have that leap of imagination and where I work it's usually the more cognitively able children on the spectrum who can do that, which is a positive thing.

I'd be quite pleased if my own DS role played anything.. he's still lining up!

Yes, my ds2 (hfa/adhd) thinks he is a puppy and woofs at me. We have special woofs for 'hello', 'good morning', 'I want something' and 'I need a cuddle'. He's done this for a while.

It sounds like your ds has a wonderful imagination and ducking and diving from the cameras in the supermarket probably makes shopping more interesting for him! x

Thanks everyone that is reassuring.

Ds has an appointment at a feeding clinic on Thursday and they sent me some questionnaires to fill out.

Under the heading MANIC SYMPTOMS it lists symptoms as excitable, rapid speech, lose inhibition, believe they have special powers.

and also HALLUCINATIONS, it lists when a child hears imaginary voices or sees visions.

and PARANOID THOUGHTS, when a child is suspicious, believes others are laughing at them or they are being followed.

Having imaginary friends and talking to yourself, thinking you are an alien and being followed etc, etc, sounds so different with headings like that. It sounds so different in black and white, ive always thought he just had a good imagination.

I remember once the Paed asked me whether ds speaks to himself and i replied no (he doesnt he speaks to 'George'). She said i thought you said he had imaginary friends, that would be talking to himself!

yea: fun times trying to work out weather osmetihng is just spectrum behaviour or indictitive of a more severe phych problem

paranoia, anxiaty talking to ones self....

fun

im almost willing to bet that when they ramble on and such theres some logic to what there saying in relation to the original topic, there is with my own aspergers even if the logic is tenousous at best

best of wishes working it out....