aspergers and imaginative play at 3 years old

[star]

Do children with aspergers show much imaginative play? If so, is it supposed to be different from that of other children there age? or slower to develop? or less involved/more restricted (i.e. would they they pretend a piece of lego is some food, or that they are another person (mummy, another child, teacher etc)) , have pretend cafes and shops etc etc ...

 

Any information from parents of similar aged or slightly older children would be a big help. Thanks...

[Tylers-mum]

Hi star and welcome.

I can't really help much as my son is HFA and has no imagination other than copying scenes or scripts from TV.

I know that imagination was a big topic on this forum recently so I'm sure that if you did a search, you'd dig out that thread.

 

HTH's.

 

TM x

[lindy-lou]

India is 3 and a half and she doesnt have any imaginitive play skills,we do try to encourage her to play but she's just not interested ,she doesnt play in the home corner at school either,she does use toys occasionally but not in the correct "play" way,she would much rather go on the pc or watch a dvd,play dough is the only play activity which she really loves.

[Paula]

Our son is now 12 and doesnt have much imaginitive play.

 

At first glance if say hes playing with his toy sword he looks like its all comeing from a imagined place in his mind but when you look a little closer hes just reinacting stuff from either a ps2 game or a scene from a filmand trying to copy what theyve done.

 

when he was younger hed no interest in anything .He did have a toy traine that went round on a track but all he liked to do with that was hold it agaisnt his head with the wheels spinning round he did that none stop 24 7 for weeks on end it drove us mad but he must have got something out of it.

[star]

Hi star and welcome.

I can't really help much as my son is HFA and has no imagination other than copying scenes or scripts from TV.

I know that imagination was a big topic on this forum recently so I'm sure that if you did a search, you'd dig out that thread.

 

HTH's.

 

TM x

 

 

Thanks. I'll have a search for that thread!!

[star]

India is 3 and a half and she doesnt have any imaginitive play skills,we do try to encourage her to play but she's just not interested ,she doesnt play in the home corner at school either,she does use toys occasionally but not in the correct "play" way,she would much rather go on the pc or watch a dvd,play dough is the only play activity which she really loves.

 

 

Thanks. Has India got a diagnosis? I'm not sure if there is a difference between autistm and aspergers with imaginative play (at a young age)?

[star]

Our son is now 12 and doesnt have much imaginitive play.

 

At first glance if say hes playing with his toy sword he looks like its all comeing from a imagined place in his mind but when you look a little closer hes just reinacting stuff from either a ps2 game or a scene from a filmand trying to copy what theyve done.

 

when he was younger hed no interest in anything .He did have a toy traine that went round on a track but all he liked to do with that was hold it agaisnt his head with the wheels spinning round he did that none stop 24 7 for weeks on end it drove us mad but he must have got something out of it.

 

 

Thanks for your reply. I'd heard that imaginative play was limited or non existant. Do you know if this differs between AS and autism. I'm not sure if children with aspergers show more imagination than those with more classic autism? Not sure if you know the difference?

[nvapid]

My son has a dx of Aspergers and has EXCEPTIONAL imaginative play. In fact he is pretty much locked away in his own universe most of the time. Having or being autistic does NOT exclude this ability. His play is often rule bound, even if these rules are of his own making.

[clintess]

hiya my twins are nearly four and they will play by acting out they are other people ie.an old lady etc.they will play rough and tumble,the draw and colour.the will build things togethr or seperately.they dress up thats kind of ting on theother hand my asd son whom now is six still only plays with cars by lining them up,putting them in colour order,he will dress up but only in his scully outfit then goes off and plays with his cars with the outfit on.he doesnt really play with his siblings asit causes fights and wont play with other children,he perfers to play on his own.however my aspergers nephew is very socialable but lacks the social communcation ability to interact with others like other average children do,ie he thinks everyone wants to play with him even when they have said they dont that kinda thing.his play consists of dinosaurs and nothing else.with both children ou also have to watch what you say as they will take things literally.ie mum going to cook herself tonight not dad.(he thinking she actually going to cook herself not he dinner)

[lindy-lou]

Thanks. Has India got a diagnosis? I'm not sure if there is a difference between autistm and aspergers with imaginative play (at a young age)?

 

She has not got a firm diagnosis of AS yet but the paed is just being cautious,they are 95% certain she is AS,and have started the ball rolling i.e-earlybird,OT and education referral,the lack of imaginative play seemed to be a big factor in them thinking she is AS.

[kirstie]

My son has a dx of Aspergers and has EXCEPTIONAL imaginative play. In fact he is pretty much locked away in his own universe most of the time. Having or being autistic does NOT exclude this ability. His play is often rule bound, even if these rules are of his own making.

Hi Star,

My son has a dx of AS and as nvapid said, my son also has great imaginative play skills. He does tend to play alone as he can be very controlling and it can cause problems, and it hasn't always been the case either. When he was at Mainstream nursery he would play out what he had seen on TV and often talk jargon. It was a security thing for him i think. It was a safe place to go to in his own mind- maybe if he was feeling stressed. But he can play with his dinosaurs and farm animals and other things in an imaginative way that transports him to his own little world. It is solitary, but it's how he likes it.

we did a lot of play sessions in groups and pairs with his OT and at the time he had some difficulties with it but i would say it has helped in some ways.

I hope this helps?

[star]

My son has a dx of Aspergers and has EXCEPTIONAL imaginative play. In fact he is pretty much locked away in his own universe most of the time. Having or being autistic does NOT exclude this ability. His play is often rule bound, even if these rules are of his own making.

 

 

Thanks. That is what I was wondering. I thought it was unusual in autism but more common in aspergers to have imaginative play. What age did he start getting interested in imaginative play?

[LizC]

My son has a dx of Aspergers and has EXCEPTIONAL imaginative play. In fact he is pretty much locked away in his own universe most of the time. Having or being autistic does NOT exclude this ability. His play is often rule bound, even if these rules are of his own making.

 

 

Hi yes my son is like the above. he defiently can play and does with his sister/brother or anyone he knows but can get very frustrated and end up fighting more or less right away. he is much better on his own but then he is locked into his own world and no one can get through to him lol. he tends to play things that include super heros or has death in it (as this is somethign that has had a big impact on his life since his grandad died a yr ago) he tends to get very wild when play and very noisey but can imagine stuff! He is diagnosed with Aspergers. also my grandad had AS and he could make up stories as he would tell my mum when she was a young girl, it would always be thigns like the Fat man and the thin man!

[Stephanie]

My HFA son who is 4 is using his imagination more and more, whereas at 3 he just used to line things up, do jigsaws and other games that didn't need to use imagination. We had a play therapist (provided through the HV service) come once a week for 6 weeks, not only did she help him, she helped me in how to show him to use his imagination (you think you know, but when you haven't had to play 'Pirate Adventures' etc for 30 years, it's amazing how much you forget!). Also now he is at school, he copies other children and does lots of pretending.

 

He does a classroom register of his toys everyday now, although there is the part where he lines up all the toys exactly to his specification, if I leave the room and listen through the door, he is actually entering into a lot of imaginary dialogue as well as giving them a right old ear bashing "sit up teddy, you are slouching!" He prefers to play those kind of games on his own - for fear of his brother coming in and knocking the toys over.

 

It's interesting the differences between my two boys play behaviour, when Asa was a baby, a toy car was to be picked up, looked at and then lined up with others, whereas my 13 month old has never even thought of that, to him it has no other purpose than to be rolled over the carpet and "driven". Like with toy telephones, the baby instantly puts it to his ear and says hello, whereas Asa would never have dreamed of that.

 

There is a good book called something like "Lauging Playing and Learning With Children on the Autistic Spectrum" if a play therapist isn't to hand.

 

Maybe give him some more time, the difference between what my son did at 3 and what he is now doing is amazing.

[nvapid]

Thanks. That is what I was wondering. I thought it was unusual in autism but more common in aspergers to have imaginative play. What age did he start getting interested in imaginative play?

 

always, in the crib he would babbled and play with whatever was at hand - conversly his sister is classic non imaginatve play AS. Both have high maths skills (his sister has a gold award from UK Maths Challange and her brother will be entered into the Challenge this year for the first time).

 

You have bee reading Simon Baron Cohen? That school of AS thought is that lacking imaginative play is a key factor in dxing Aspergers. In fact so much so that if your child does not classically line up cars they would be loathe to think AS at all. Aspergers can be incredibly creative, a common example is Tony Atwoods book which highlights the poetry of AS sufferers.

 

I think the problem lies in the research that has been done to catagorise AS. The reseacher's end results are coloured by what he/she whats to prove. And AS does not fit into neat boxes so easily.

[meemo38]

My stepson is almost 13 and has never been imaginitive with toys, or done roll play according to his dad, he has been with us since age 6, and my son then 3 used to play on the floor with cars ect, pretend people, chatting away, and Chris, my stepsonb wpould think he was mad, and ask what he was doing and why was he talking to his toys and himself.

my son is 9 now, and we now have a son together who i have watched for aspergers signs, nothing seems aparent yet, he plays, likes other kids, is imaginative ect the only thing when he was smaller that he did was line everything up, apart from that so far we havnt noticed anything else.

We watched as we think hubby and his dad also have aspergers, although milder symptons than Chris.

Michelle

[OPooh]

My son (who is finally being diagnosed at 9) was told he didn't have it because he had imaginative play at 2 years 9 months. But he was just copying what he'd seen on the tv.

[microsoft_admin]

right up untill i was 13 me and my mum used to play games like fire man and police man and bording school and hospital of course i was always the best person in the game and i would either put my mum in jail or make up wired names for made up conditions that my mum suposidly had (all imaginary) and make up wired souloutins

 

my fravrit game was boarding school i would be student and my mum would be teacher

another game i liked was fireman i would pretend my mum was on fire and i would put her out

 

(all imaginary_