hsmum Report post Posted January 1, 2011 Hi, I have an 11 year old son who has a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. Frequently he asks me if this is 'real life' and he talks about a dreamy feeling. He has also asked me if I am real or if I am part of a dream. I am not unduly concerned because he does not seem distressed by these feelings, and he has asked similar questions in the past. However, I am very puzzled and wonder if perhaps I am doing enough simply reassuring him that this is real life and he is not in a dream. Has anyone any suggestions about what these feelings could be and how I should respond to them? Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley1590 Report post Posted January 1, 2011 i often feel the same feeling in dreamy state ....couldn't explain why though or how really! oviously got worse now my nans died! just want to know your son ain't alone in personally experiencing this! i feel like going mad crazy sometimes though due to it! could be MH probs anxiety , depression stress related maybe!?sounds like disassociation state? XKLX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trekster Report post Posted January 2, 2011 When i used to get angry (i still do but dont have this issue) i used to say "this is not me this is someone else". Maybe it is his way of trying to shut out the confusing world? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dana Report post Posted January 2, 2011 My son often mixes the real world with his dreams and he is not distressed about it apart when he has a bad dream and transfers it to the real world. For example, he had once a bad dream about spiders and now he kills every spider he sees because he is afraid of it. The second example is that once he dreamt that the picture from a coaster somehow covered his favourite picture. Since then he always terns the coaster upside-down because he is afraid that the same will happen in reality. I don't think you could do much more about it than what you are already doing. Danaxxx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coolblue Report post Posted January 2, 2011 I'd recommend a 'sensory diet' as described in Carol Stock Kranowitz' book 'The out-of-synch child has fun'. People with autism spectrum disorders often (always?) have sensory processing issues and I can imagine that low sensory awareness might resemble a dream-like state, so increasing sensory experiences might help to develop the distinction between the two. Make sure he always errs on the side of caution and if in doubt, assumes it's real life. To avoid taking health and safety risks. cb Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hsmum Report post Posted January 3, 2011 Hi, Thank you very much for your helpful and supportive comments. Happy New year. H's Mum Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anewman Report post Posted January 8, 2011 I have in the past experienced remembering things from a dream and had difficulty distinguishing whether what happened was a dream or reality. This was most distressing if the thing I remembered happened to be a nightmare. It never got so bad as to vocalise as if the dream really did happen though (but I guess it's part of my AS to think before speaking), or to query people if now was a dream or reality. However, this no longer happens, so I hope it is just a stage you go through and eventually he'll grow out of this. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
