do any of your asd children do this?

[shaz71]

Hi can i ask if any of your children become animals literally, my daughter is 6 and half and for the past couple of months she as started becoming an animal, on way to school, she is either a galloping horse or a bird and flaps her coat sleeves for wings, she also becomes a dog, tiger or a dinosaur. When she is a dog, she goes on all fours obviously we get some looks, she licks things, sniffs things and even cocks her legs up for weeing. We go to a local club on a Friday and i regretted it as soon as we walked in there were a group of men that obviously came for the party that was in the other room, well Melissa became a dog and went mental running on all fours until the men went into the other room and she calmed down so i am now thinking it is her way of coping or letting me know when she is stressed, then later on she was jumping all over a lad of 19yrs old he kept saying he had had enough, but Melissa being Melissa totally ignored him and then sunk her teeth into him and ripped his t shirt , so i went mad and i asked why she had done it she said she was a tiger and that is what tigers do, i had to pay for the t shirt as it was an expensive one, i took her xmas money �15 and then added to it at first she carried on about me taking the money after a while she said grandad will give me some money in her defiant tone . It can be embarrasing she even tried biting my mums dog, and she bit her little sister, i am at the end of my tether, her behaviour as gotten worse and i think it is since i moved the furniture around, she hasn't been diagnosed but i do suspect she is on the spectrum, she is also struggling at school. Sharon x

[pookie170]

Oh...errr.....I used to do this, apparently! And I was a bit of a biter, till I got bit back, then I stopped, oddly enough!

I'm afraid I don't have any experience of my own kids doing this, but I would deal with it in the same way I'm dealing with my sons current #1 problem of constantly trying to argue his case....

Be firm, extremely basic and clear in what you tell her and if she will not listen, remove her from the situation, not allowing her to return until she stops. If it reoccurs, remove her again and take her home.

Something along the lines of 'You cannot be a tiger/dog/bird here, its too busy/you might hurt someone etc. I want you to stop being a tiger now and sit down in your seat.'

Make sure to warn her there will be a sanction if she won't stop, though.

'If you keep being a tiger, you will sit out in the hall for 5 minutes.'

And above all, follow through on your warning. Don't let it go, until she gets the message that under such circumstances, she cannot be an animal.

I might be coming over all Supernanny here, but in an awful lot of cases, this approach is very effective, and is especially good for many kids on the spectrum, depending on their communication and suchlike. Its clear, no mixed messages, the sanctions are always the same and warnings are always given. Visual aids are often employed which can be pivotal for some kids.....

I know one size does not fit all (Boy, how do I know that!! ) but this could be well worth trying with your girl, if all adults involved will follow the same pattern....(Ny ex was not singing from the same page in this regard, and it really hampered us!)

 

 

That said, you can then set boundaries as to when and where she may let it all hang out, (IYKWIM!) and can gallop and flap and roar and stalk and stomp to her hearts' content. I think its important that she knows the behaviour itself is not unacceptable, its the intensity and the environment in which she displays it thats the problem.

I confess to taking my sons to local woods and playing at dinosaurs/jungle beasts (and on one really bizarre occasion, insects!!) for a good couple of hours, snarling and stomping and roaring with carefree abandon....

I don't know who had more fun! But I think that kind of thing could be a really enjoyable thing for both of you to do, and could turn a problematic behaviour into something that's pleasurable for all involved. Actually, you could even flip this behaviour into a kinda social behaviour development type thing.....Big monkeys look after smaller monkeys, young tigers do what adult tigers tell em, they have to wash/take baths etc.....

Or is that too off the wall?

 

Anyhoo, I hope you find something that helps you out with this,.I have known quite a few children who have done this (most of them 'NT', too!) but it did pass...

Take care,

Esther x

Edited February 8, 2009 by pookie170

[Kazzen161]

My son used to pretend to be a dog (even in class). Luckily he never bit anyone, and he grew out of it (seemed to be once he was less anxious).

 

Re: moving furniture. I decorated my son's bedroom when he was 6 (pre-diagnosis), and he has never forgiven me. He would still like it back the way it was!

[shaz71]

My son used to pretend to be a dog (even in class). Luckily he never bit anyone, and he grew out of it (seemed to be once he was less anxious).

 

Re: moving furniture. I decorated my son's bedroom when he was 6 (pre-diagnosis), and he has never forgiven me. He would still like it back the way it was!

 

 

Hi thanks for the replies, pookie 170 i have tried everything she is just so defiant and like Kazzen as said she does the behaviour more so in environments that stress her out when we are out in parks, woods etc she doesn't show this behaviour but not as many people about and noise. She as only started biting recently the last week so it is a new behaviour, she has been licking things for a while, i know it is the furniture as we were looking at photos and in one the big computer desk was there i got rid of it as the room was cluttered and then moved the chair and sofa and this is what she is moaning about she said can we put the desk back there i said why she couldn't explain herself apart from she doesn't like it. I have got her on video camera where she went a bit pete tong because her sister had put the other light on in the room, normally we have the light on near the door, well she went mad and i asked why she couldn't explain herself, the light is slightly brighter so i wondered wether it was that, or it could be a change that she isn't used to i don't know. I am going to cahms on Thursday to talk more in depth about Melissa, i don't know wether to mention that i think she is on the spectrum, did you tell the peadiatrician or the proffessionals that you thought or did you just wait for a diagnosis, did you suspect if your child was on the spectrum before diagnosis, i don't know what to do for the best. A lot of the behaviour she is doing is autistic, she is monotone, defiant, immature, touchy feely, sensory issues, obsessions, doesn't like change the only thing is she is social but she is ott, in peoples personal space, misreading people and social cues, unless she sees a specialist normal professionals will say automatically that she isn't autistic i have already had the speech therapist tell me she isn't because the teacher said she is social, i have seen her in the line queing to go into school in girls faces and the girls stepping back to give themselves space but Melissa following them And again making people uncomfortable. I told the speech therapist about her mishearing and saying similar words etc but she said her speech is ok and the teacher said she is fine so all ok. I am a bit miffed as the teacher has tried to make me out to be a neurotic mum even when Melissa is struggling in school, i get the she is a little behind. I thought right i am going to leave it until she does the SATS then i will have evidence then, they keep saying she is one of the younger ones she will catch up, she probably will later on but how long do they tend to leave her for struggling. I am even questioning myself now am i making a mountain out of a mole hill so to speak, should i leave it, she as started taking things from school as well, her behaviour is getting worse. Sorry for rambling Sharon x

[Kazzen161]

I wouldn't mention asd to start with, just give the psych. a list of all the things she does which you think are unusual (do write a list as you will forget some of them when you get there). If he doesn't mention asd, you could say at the end "I have been wondering if she has some sort of asd....".

[shaz71]

I wouldn't mention asd to start with, just give the psych. a list of all the things she does which you think are unusual (do write a list as you will forget some of them when you get there). If he doesn't mention asd, you could say at the end "I have been wondering if she has some sort of asd....".

 

 

Hi thanks for the advice i will do that this is the second of three appts with cahms after 3 they decide what to do wether to refer her to someone else or to a group for behaviour management, so i won't say anything this time i will just take all my scribblings down and a lot of them there is that much going on with her. Thanks again. Sharon x

[Special_talent123]

yes i act like a monkey, chicken and hyenia

[Lucas]

I'm still doing it.

 

After having this GIF image for a long time, I've become convinced that Pandas drink like this, so I do it often.

[aro]

My dd will only drink water at the moment as that's what beavers drink (thank god she's not eating sticks) We have huge tears when I have to insist that she is NOT a beaver, she is a little GIRL who LIKES beavers.

 

A x

[Esty]

Hiya

When we went to CAMHS the first couple of meetings were with a non-ASD specialist but she listened to the problems and gently asked - 'do you think it could be social communication disorder?' I hadn't thought of it at that point (because R appears social) but did my homework and a light came on. She referred us to her colleague who IS the ASD specialist. He asked me what I thought it was and I said (by this time convinced) that I thought it could be Asperger's. After meeting R for half an hour, the specialist spoke to me on my own and said he would say that in his opinion R does have AS and has put us forward for neuro cog tests and DISCO. So even if you don't tell them immediately what you think, they may ask you and then it feels much more comfortable putting your view forward. The other reason I say all this is that they don't all fit the pattern. I had taught students with AS myself as a non specialist (they were in my A Level classes) and still didn't see it in my own son because he doesn't have the most obvious traits - but when you look at the scores of other traits, he has nearly every one in some form or another. Definitely take a list of behaviours/ concerns with you because we all forget otherwise

Best of luck xx

[shaz71]

Hiya

When we went to CAMHS the first couple of meetings were with a non-ASD specialist but she listened to the problems and gently asked - 'do you think it could be social communication disorder?' I hadn't thought of it at that point (because R appears social) but did my homework and a light came on. She referred us to her colleague who IS the ASD specialist. He asked me what I thought it was and I said (by this time convinced) that I thought it could be Asperger's. After meeting R for half an hour, the specialist spoke to me on my own and said he would say that in his opinion R does have AS and has put us forward for neuro cog tests and DISCO. So even if you don't tell them immediately what you think, they may ask you and then it feels much more comfortable putting your view forward. The other reason I say all this is that they don't all fit the pattern. I had taught students with AS myself as a non specialist (they were in my A Level classes) and still didn't see it in my own son because he doesn't have the most obvious traits - but when you look at the scores of other traits, he has nearly every one in some form or another. Definitely take a list of behaviours/ concerns with you because we all forget otherwise

Best of luck xx

 

Thank you for that you have put it down quite plainly, well the meeting went well but i couldn't stop myself i said i have done some research and i think she may be on the spectrum, she said that she can have a lot of traits but still not get a diagnosis, i said i know, but she kept going on about her being social, which she is and i can't deny it but she is ott, in people personal space and shouts and drags them, but also she has got a bit of an imagination, she doesn't play with toys as such but she acts out like a teacher etc. Well i was reading up on the NAS sight as it was getting to me, and i found something that fits Melissa like a glove, it is PDA apparantly it is also on the spectrum, and apparantly a lot of kids are diagnosed with aspergers but parents can't understand that it doesn't quite fit with their child. These kids still have a lot of the traits but also are more sociable and have vivid imaginations which would explain why she becomes a dog, horse, bird, tiger and dinosaur, and why my mum thought she had imaginary friend, i am going to phone NAS helpline up now and see what they have to say i have written down the info and am going to ask the lady to put me in touch with a specialist who deals in autism, as she has all the traits even though she struggles more socially with the cues but she is social. Read up on it i couldn't believe all the research i have done and i have only just found this. Take a look, some of you may have seen it but even on the forums i have not seen it and trust me i do some forums....Lol. Sharon x

[lbj]

Well i was reading up on the NAS sight as it was getting to me, and i found something that fits Melissa like a glove, it is PDA apparantly it is also on the spectrum, and apparantly a lot of kids are diagnosed with aspergers but parents can't understand that it doesn't quite fit with their child. These kids still have a lot of the traits but also are more sociable and have vivid imaginations which would explain why she becomes a dog, horse, bird, tiger and dinosaur, and why my mum thought she had imaginary friend, x

 

I have a niece who pretends to be various animals and has, for nearly a year now, insisted that her name is Janet (it isn't) and is leader of some kind of Janet "cult" etc. When I read that same thing on the NAS website I sent the link to my sister who immediately recognised her daughter from it. She's clever, sociable, HIGHLY imaginative and does quite well at school but she's bossy, controlling and prone to huge meltdowns. My sister's family are all colourful and as my niece seems to save all her problem behaviour for home rather than school my sister isn't seeking diagnosis (she's got enough on her hands trying to get help for her younger daughter who has dyspraxia and dyslexia). Good luck with trying to get to the bottom of your daughter's problems, I'll be interested to hear how you both get on.

 

janine

 

[shaz71]

I have a niece who pretends to be various animals and has, for nearly a year now, insisted that her name is Janet (it isn't) and is leader of some kind of Janet "cult" etc. When I read that same thing on the NAS website I sent the link to my sister who immediately recognised her daughter from it. She's clever, sociable, HIGHLY imaginative and does quite well at school but she's bossy, controlling and prone to huge meltdowns. My sister's family are all colourful and as my niece seems to save all her problem behaviour for home rather than school my sister isn't seeking diagnosis (she's got enough on her hands trying to get help for her younger daughter who has dyspraxia and dyslexia). Good luck with trying to get to the bottom of your daughter's problems, I'll be interested to hear how you both get on.

 

janine

 

Hi Janine thanks for that, i also think she has dyslexia as well or some kind of processing problem, i have just phoned the NAS sight and the lady is sending the info out to me for how to get support, as i haven't just got her, if she was alone then i would just about cope, but i have 2 older children and a younger child, when i just had 3 children it wasn't too bad as the two older ones are ok ish typical teenagers, but i could cope with Melissas behaviour as such but now her younger sister is 2 and showing signs of an horrible temper which i am hoping she will grow out of but i can't cope with both her and Melissas behaviour Melissa behaviour is getting much worse, she is becoming more defiant, but i am coping better knowing that maybe she can't help most of it, but i am still getting worn down with it all, the pair of them together are like whirlwinds, they literally tear the house apart, climb in cupboards, turn chairs upside down, take covers off furniture, pull furniture out so can go behind it, then i start to tidy that up they run upstairs and start on the bedrooms, in my bedroom they strip the bed so they can use it to bounce on or sometimes just do it with covers on, they climb up onto their sisters top bunk bed and wreck all her teddies that she has lined up the fifty million of them, obsessed with teddies and cuddly things at the age of 13yrs bless and then get all toys out without playing with them, they don't play with toys they prefer to play with the toy boxes instead, then the defiance of tidying up, Melissa is i haven't done it it was Zoe it is the constant battle that wears you down. It is like they don't understand that they are making me upset. Sharon x Ps also family outings as such are now down to 2hrs tops sometimes if that as both Mel and Zoe both spoil it by carrying on i am used to the looks of disgust and pity now but it is knowing what moods they are in and where to go, they are fine in parks and feeding birds and walks etc, mind you sometimes with parks we have issues with younger one pushing and pulling hair of other children as everything is hers but it is in shops that their behaviours start. She as got a lot of autistic traits but she is more social and imaginative which is more in line with the pda dianosis, going on the 2nd of March for next meeting with cahms so will take the info that NAS send me with me to show them as she said sometimes if they aren't autistic experts they don't understand about it properly. Sharon x

 

[lbj]

Does sound like hard work! I hope you do get a good "expert" because I think PDA is not that well understood or widely known (as compared to standard ASD and that's not even all that well understood!). As I said I will watch out for your updates, fingers crossed that CAMHS are understanding and supportive.

 

janine

[hsmum]

Hello,

 

My son plays at being a horse called 'Nayus Payus'. He walks on all fours and sticks his teeth out (like a horse, I suppose). He also makes rather irritating neighing noises when he gets bored. It is all great fun until his school friends try to ride him! The game shows that H can play imaginatively, that he enjoys social interaction (he loves it when other children join in), that he has a lot of ability with language (e.g. the horse's name) and, that he is years behind in terms of emotional maturity (he is nearly ten and his friends are talking about football, computer games and --- girls!).

 

 

[Mad cat lady]

*Ahem* cough

 

As a child I would only eat out of my blue Snoopy Dog bowl, because I was a dog! I did bark at people but I didn't bite because I was a friendly dog.

 

Not much help I know, but I did grow out of it.

[shaz71]

*Ahem* cough

 

As a child I would only eat out of my blue Snoopy Dog bowl, because I was a dog! I did bark at people but I didn't bite because I was a friendly dog.

 

Not much help I know, but I did grow out of it.

 

Hi i know they grow out of it as my eldest daughter also did this, i definately think she is asd as she is very eccentric, she wears ribbons to bed and same pyjamas i have to force them into the wash hence the 500million teddies she sleeps with, she is obsessed with shiny things to the extent of having lots of collection of jewellery doesn't wear it just wants it, and marbles she is so artistic she will sit for hours and hours doing it but you should see how good she is. When growing up she was also a dog until the age of 10 but she started younger in nursery, so i am panicking if she did it for that long that will mean Melissa will be doing it in high school which won't be too good for her, i am just hoping that she grows out of it quickly. Melissa is more immature than what Lisa was. I have been reading up like you do on rhesus negative mums, there is a lot of info on the anit d's given i know it is all under wraps as with the mmr, but my partners mum was rhesus negative as well as my mum and me and the small head thing as well Melissas when born was 25th centile and now is normal they are saying that can be associated, and allergies and intolerances are linked which Melissa as, so she is totally buggered.....She also has bad digestion as well she had 2 hernias one removed due to stomach aches, she still has them, so it wasn't the hernia. I meant to ask Nas about the links and see if there is any proof but forgot Sharon x

[Natbasher]

Hi can i ask if any of your children become animals literally, my daughter is 6 and half and for the past couple of months she as started becoming an animal, on way to school, she is either a galloping horse or a bird and flaps her coat sleeves for wings, she also becomes a dog, tiger or a dinosaur. When she is a dog, she goes on all fours obviously we get some looks, she licks things, sniffs things and even cocks her legs up for weeing. We go to a local club on a Friday and i regretted it as soon as we walked in there were a group of men that obviously came for the party that was in the other room, well Melissa became a dog and went mental running on all fours until the men went into the other room and she calmed down so i am now thinking it is her way of coping or letting me know when she is stressed, then later on she was jumping all over a lad of 19yrs old he kept saying he had had enough, but Melissa being Melissa totally ignored him and then sunk her teeth into him and ripped his t shirt , so i went mad and i asked why she had done it she said she was a tiger and that is what tigers do, i had to pay for the t shirt as it was an expensive one, i took her xmas money �15 and then added to it at first she carried on about me taking the money after a while she said grandad will give me some money in her defiant tone . It can be embarrasing she even tried biting my mums dog, and she bit her little sister, i am at the end of my tether, her behaviour as gotten worse and i think it is since i moved the furniture around, she hasn't been diagnosed but i do suspect she is on the spectrum, she is also struggling at school. Sharon x

My 6 yr old becomes 'Pickle' the cat now and again and has done this since he was 3. When he is pickle I have to put down a water bowl for him to drink from and stroke him etc or he gets quite upset - He keeps it up for about 1/2 hour, then goes back to being himself again. Thankfully Pickle isn't a bitey scratchy cat unlike your little 'dog', but it makes me wonder if they do it as a way of expressing a side of their personalituy that they don't feel they can let out as themselves (or perhaps I should just leave the psycholgy to the experts!) The funny thing is my son started this after my nan called him 'Picklepuss' once as a term of endearment when he was about 2 1/2, so I think that's what put the idea in his head.

I agree with Pookie about consistantly using the Supernanny style time out thing - I hate doing it as it makes me feel like a complete harriden, but so far it's been the most effective way to deal with our son's more troublesome behaviours. We also made a laminated ladder chart with velcro on each of the 7 rungs. Then we have a laminated picture of our son (which is a badly drawn cartoon style picture of him in a climbing position with a photo of his face stuck on!) with velcro on the back. When he does something 'good' he moves himself up the ladder, and when his behaviour is bad he has to move himself down. Reaching the top gets him a gold star on the chart that's on the wall next to the ladder, and reaching the bottom gets a black mark. Again he has to stick these on himself. At the end of the month if he has more stars than black marks we go to the toy shop and he chooses a reward. Not all kids will get on with this as the gratification of the reward is deffered until the end of each month, but we've found this to be the best style of reward chart yet for our son.

Also, our son who has recently been diagnosed with HFA is a very sociable little boy and like your daughter a bit too over the top for many peoples liking.

Hang in there, hope things get better soon, Nat.

 

[tjw]

my son age 6 likes to be a cat or a dog he tryed to eat of the floor once but we seem to have sorted that one out thank the lord but i find he likes to behave like a little baby more than anything doing the ga ga noises ect pretending to have bottles,

theresa x

[shaz71]

my son age 6 likes to be a cat or a dog he tryed to eat of the floor once but we seem to have sorted that one out thank the lord but i find he likes to behave like a little baby more than anything doing the ga ga noises ect pretending to have bottles,

theresa x

 

Its funny what they do, i have tried the star charts but she is very immature for her age and it worked one day but not the next which suggests she needs rewarding on a daily basis so i am going to try that, as like with asd you can't tell them off later as they don't understand same with rewarding she doesn't understand. I have noticed a lot of positive praise is working, but she is still doing the furniture and bed thing but obviously due to anxiety and stress but her younger sister doesn't help, pulling her hair and both screaming over same toy, the volume in the house soon goes up which is pretty stressful in itself. When we go out again both of them are at it and Melissa egs her little sister on all i get off family is they will grow out of it, yes ok it is ok for them to say that and the best is when mum says she is ok but then won't babysit as she can't cope i said how do you think i manage everyday her attitude is you had them, nice mum. Their Dad is the same nothing wrong with his kids they just need a good telling off, WELL HELLO been there seen it done that he has and that hasn't worked so what planet is he on, and again he can't cope when he babysits i have to make sure they are both in bed, good eh, so good support i have, i just get by but it is wearing me down, i have good days and then bad days, but i suppose we all do. Thanks for replying. <'> Sharon x

 

[edith simon]

Hi can i ask if any of your children become animals literally, my daughter is 6 and half and for the past couple of months she as started becoming an animal, on way to school, she is either a galloping horse or a bird and flaps her coat sleeves for wings, she also becomes a dog, tiger or a dinosaur. When she is a dog, she goes on all fours obviously we get some looks, she licks things, sniffs things and even cocks her legs up for weeing. We go to a local club on a Friday and i regretted it as soon as we walked in there were a group of men that obviously came for the party that was in the other room, well Melissa became a dog and went mental running on all fours until the men went into the other room and she calmed down so i am now thinking it is her way of coping or letting me know when she is stressed, then later on she was jumping all over a lad of 19yrs old he kept saying he had had enough, but Melissa being Melissa totally ignored him and then sunk her teeth into him and ripped his t shirt , so i went mad and i asked why she had done it she said she was a tiger and that is what tigers do, i had to pay for the t shirt as it was an expensive one, i took her xmas money �15 and then added to it at first she carried on about me taking the money after a while she said grandad will give me some money in her defiant tone . It can be embarrasing she even tried biting my mums dog, and she bit her little sister, i am at the end of my tether, her behaviour as gotten worse and i think it is since i moved the furniture around, she hasn't been diagnosed but i do suspect she is on the spectrum, she is also struggling at school. Sharon x

I fully agree with pookie`s answer so I cannot write sg new.

My son was biting like mad and was actually bitten back /a big one/ and he stopped it at once.Supernanny ideas are good /it is on TV sometimes on the freeview channels/ and be very firm ,stick to what you said.Difficult first could be a few hours screaming but then it is reduced /the time/ and you will see results.

Best wishes,

Edith <'>

[aliwoo]

my son used to be a chicken

 

also when i was about 9 i used to pretend to be a dog or a dinosaur lol. i once went to bite my cousins clothes but managed to sink my teeth in...deep...into her back. that was 18 years ago and she still has the scar we recently spoke about it and for all these years she thought i did it on purpose..but i didnt, i was being a guard dog

Edited February 23, 2009 by aliwoo

[mom]

my son used to be a chicken

 

 

Ah the dreaded chicken, my son has been talking about "chicken" for 2 years now... in every 3 to 4 word sentence we have the word chicken.. yet produce a picture of a chicken and he hasn't a clue what it is:D

[aliwoo]

Ah the dreaded chicken, my son has been talking about "chicken" for 2 years now... in every 3 to 4 word sentence we have the word chicken.. yet produce a picture of a chicken and he hasn't a clue what it is:D

 

 

lol! my son doesn't go on about chickens as much now, he used to be obsessed! he wanted to be a chicken farmer, he had loads of cuddly chickens, and easter chicks (he LOVED easter..and not for the chocs lol). he made the noises all the time, mostly when stressed i found. still does that a bit but not nearly as much. now he just likes the words bum, pants, poo,mariooooooo....and saying chickens poop eggs and cows wee milk (he wont be told different lol)

[CEJesson]

Yes, I did this frequently. Cows, Sheep and Horses were very frequent.