14 yr old ASD son - plays and watches programs for 6 yr olds

[donutqueen11]

My 14 yr old autistic son is quirky and different and is really happy being himself. I love this about him and let him embrace who he is. Some of the things he likes and enjoys are things that a much younger child would enjoy. Family are saying now he is 14 I need to stop encouraging him liking and enjoying things that a 6 yr old likes. For clarification he is high functioning in a mainstream school and very academic and able to write and converse in very formal literary language but socially he he at the level of a 7 yr old.

Members of the family are saying by letting him still play and watch tv like a 6 yr old I am making him susceptible to bullying and I need to ban all child like play and TV . I am setting him up for failure in the adult world.

My opinion is very different. He is an ambassador for the school he talks at open days and runs tours round the school. He also has set up his own community litter picking group and organises litter picks. In these settings he is more like a 16 yr old. He is exceptionally confident and articulate in everything he does. So surely if he wants to play and watch TV programs that are aimed at a 6 yr old it isn't the end of the world. He is so happy being him.

To people who know about autism it is very obvious he is autistic by the way he behaves and converses - people who don't know about autism perceive him as odd as do most teenagers (this is what my family don't like!!). However he has a great group of friends all autistic like him but all are very unique and when they are altogether they are like a breath of fresh air - they all really appreciate each other and each others quirks. Can't I just let him be him?

Oh let him be! He sounds amazing tbh. My DS is 18 and still playing Lego and reading Lemony Snickett when he is home from Oxford Uni, being incredibly immature hasn't held him back. Let him be who he is and deal with problems, if they arise at all, by building resilience and confidence.

Yep, tell your family to back off.
I'm an autistic + adhd adult halfway through a degree and living alone, I talk to my teddies, watch kids' netflix more often than not, I can spend an hour just swinging beads in front of my face (visual stimming), and more "childish" behaviours. It makes me happy, and helps me cope with all the time that I have to pretend to be neurotypical just to get through the day.

DD is 20 and loves cbeebies. Some days we have the whole family totally engrossed in something like 'hey duggee'.

I think it's sweet.

Your family are talking bullshit. Children's TV or books (in my case) are pure relaxation and escapism. If I am feeling fed up then out comes my Mary Plain or Malory Towers and peace is restored again & I am more than a few years older than your ds. My dm does so too & she is 85 and as NT as it gets.

Please tell your family that it's common for neurodiverse kids to have an emotional age around two thirds of their chronological age.

They need to leave him alone and keep their misguided opinions to themselves.

My adult DD with ASD and me, (NT) love to watch Shaun the Sheep.
She collects soft toys and throws and loads of sensory/fidget stuff. It makes her feel calmer and helps her, why would any parent or anyone who understands stop that?

I think it's a way of switching off from all brain power stuff.

I know I'm a bit late here, but just thought I'd offer a different point - young kids shows have a lot in them about social skills and relationship building, and maybe he is trying to improve those skills he knows he struggles with. If you ask me, that's bloody mature and clever. Or, maybe they're just fun and an escape for him! Either way, your family obviously don't quite 'get' him, or his autism, unfortunately, so their opinions aren't really valid. (SEN mum)