Having inanimate objects conversing | Autism PDD

My son won't make objects talk with each other, but he will talk to any object, lamps, cars, the floor, anything. I've tried to tell him over and over that we talk to people, not things. It's just one of those things I've learned to deal with and not bother him about.But do you all think this is a concern for my daughter? See, I feel pretty much that she is NT - just has some of these little quirks. She does make her dolls interact with each other and have conversations, but she doesn't seem to see the difference between those and forks. Maybe she does - I can't really read her mind - but I'm just being very cautious and worried...

I think that your daughter sounds like she is doing just fine. I have learned that all NT kids have their own quirks. I would try to relax and just watch her for other behaviours that are more PDD specific. I actually think it is a good sign that she has good imaginative play; my son is totally lacking in this area and that is one of the most striking differences between him and my daughter.

Oh by the way, if you watch Blue's Clues there are all sorts of table setting objects that are characters...salt and pepper shakers and stuff... could she have maybe seen something on TV that she is copying?

Now that you mention it - one of her absolute fave shows is Handy Manny on Playhouse Disney. It is about a repairman and his tools (which all talk, move, etc.). She did start this behavior by having her tools talk (yes, she is part tomboy, part girly-girl!). WHY did I not think of this? Well, because she isn't going to sleep until about 9:30 every night and ds has been waking in the middle of the night (last night was 2:55, up for an hour then up at 4:30 for a few minutes, then up for the day at 5:45!). I'm a little sleep-deprived can you tell? Ds is starting to get sick, I'm pretty sure but right now it's just a bad cough...

Well, maybe I've solved this dilemma then - thanks for temporarily setting my mind at rest!

Okay - thanks. I am just being ultra-paranoid, as you can imagine. Trying to enjoy her childhood while keeping an extremely watchful eye on her at the same time - tough balance to keep up!

I don't remember doing this - I did a lot of playing with stuffed animals and dolls and had an imaginary friend as well. But, I don't recall having other objects talk to each other. The sort of good thing is that my son starts getting into it as well - dd is "little fork", I am "big fork" and ds is "medium fork' (his choice of name). However, at his age I do get concerned that that will be seen as quirky/strange to have inanimate objects conversing.

My parents also do not recall me doing this, so they have questioned it as well. I keep trying to remind myself that she is only 2 1/2 so there is a wide range of typical at this age. She is advanced in some things - particularly conversation. I mostly feel like I'm talking to a 4 year-old. But again, I have no frame of reference for what is typical when it comes to my kids! But, she talks in paragraphs and uses words like "although" and "difficult" and "comfortable" appropriately! She started using my red flag word of "actually" the other day. On another board there was an informal poll of how many of the kids with Asperger's had used the word "actually" at a very early age (before 3). 100% of them did - and now dd is. I know it's a small thing and the other things I worry about are pretty small in comparison. I am just pretty paranoid and wanting her to be NT in the worst way. I of course love her no matter what - I just worry about our financial situation if we have two kids with special needs. I know there are lots of people who do it and even lots who have more than two kids on the spectrum. I just don't know how I personally would be able to do it.

Well, sorry for the long post and thanks everyone for letting me vent!

When Briana started talking again at age 2.5, her hands had many
conversations with each other. I think it's weird.

My 7 yr old daughter has and at tomes still does this. I almost think it is a girl thing. I have no idea why she does this but that is how it is she does have adhd but I don't think it's a big deal.

Okay, this is probably a stupid question. My 2 1/2 year old dd who I believe to be mostly NT does this all the time. She has EVERYTHING interact and pretend to talk to each other. For instance, she took her toddler fork today during dinner and wanted to have it talk to my bigger fork. She had her toddler fork say "hi" to the big fork and then proceeded to have a conversation with it (me). Since I have no frame of reference for what is considered typical, is this just a little strange or is it me? She does this with lots of objects. I can understand dolls or stuffed animals - but forks? I just wondered if this could be an issue with understanding what is something that can talk vs. something that cannot. I totally realize that she is only 2 1/2, but in other ways she is so advanced (yes, I know that is not uncommon for kids on the spectrum to have a wide variance in abilities).

Well, since I'm a little loopy from ds waking up at 4:00 a.m. this past morning, maybe I should get to bed before everyone here thinks I've totally lost it! But, does anyone have any thoughts on this?

snoopywoman39063.9131365741

My six-year-old daugther (NT) has always been one to make all of her toys and varoius household objects talk to each other and have elaborate pretend parties with anything that she has available; and she still does.

Last summer she even had a cucumber from grandma's garden that was her friend and she pushed that thing around in her doll stroller in the neighborhood. It was actually kind of funny to see people approach her and then look into her doll stroller. I really don't think it is any sign of any problem...it is just a very good imagination because she does know that these objects are just "pretend" and that a cucumber is not really going to do any of the things that she attributes to it during play.

It sounds like symbolic play, whereby the child realises that one object can represent another. I think your daughter is probably imagining the forks to be people. Perfectly normal I would say, if a little advanced.

Fred, You actually reminded me of why this isn't sitting well with me. When my son was about dd's age, he used to every day want to carry around a banana peel. He called it "Snuffy" (from Snuffalupogus - sp? - from Sesame Street). The way the peel would hang down reminded him of Snuffy's long nose. We never, ever could understand it and would only let him play with it for a while in his booster chair. I would then leave it on the tray at his insistence (mama DON'T throw it out!) but of course, I HAD to throw it out a little later in the day when he had moved on to something else. Banana peels can really stink if you let them sit around too long (as I found out when I realized that he had taken and hid one from me and I found it a few days later - by the smell!). I should add that we weren't even suspecting a diagnosis at this point but we did know this was a rather odd behavior.

So for me, taking Little People dolls and teddies and having them interact is one thing. Even fruit snacks that are shaped like people - at least they are representations of PEOPLE or animals at least. And even drawing faces on a banana - you're making them look like a person or animal. But, she is using forks and pretty much anything to interact.

Again, I am probably being way too paranoid - but I think this is just really reminding me of that very odd phase with banana peels and Snuffy. You can imagine the looks when he would try to explain to family about why he wouldn't give up his banana peel (thank goodness we didn't get together often with family during that phase!). Sad to say, we still didn't suspect at that point - it was an odd, quirky behavior but most other things were "okay". Ds is our first child and he is very bright in some areas, so we didn't think that he could be delayed in other areas until he was about 3 and still not pedaling, not even close to dressing himself, etc. (BTW, he does all of that now without issue).

Fred, I do think that the whole "you're hurting them" thing is pretty typical. I never wanted my parents to carve a pumpkin for that very reason. I guess it runs in the family, huh? Part of it is imagination - which is great. But there are times I really think she believes that these things can actually interact. I know I can't get into her mind, but it's a gut feeling I have. Mostly, I think she is NT but then something like this comes along. That and things like she is focused on "making a teeter-totter for Ms. Danielle" who is a teacher at my son's school (whom she has never met). My son came up with the idea of making a card for Ms. Danielle because she was sick one day and dd helped with that. But then, DD wanted to make a teeter-totter for her - she had just watched the show Handy Manny (Playhouse Disney) where Manny helps put together a teeter-totter for a little boy. Anyway, she has now been focused on this for THREE days. She keeps asking me to help her, but then when I try she gets upset and tells me I am doing it wrong. I guess what scares me is her level of intensity about doing this. She can be distracted for periods of time, but not when her brother is around (and of course, he is encouraging this and telling her "good job! Ms. Danielle will LOVE a teeter-totter!" AAARGGGHHH!!!

I think maybe she is partly imitating her brother (who of course also gets stuck on topics) but it does concern me. And of course, she idolizes her big brother - so if he is encouraging her - that makes her all the more stuck on it!

Anyway, thanks for helping me realize what was really bugging me about the whole thing Fred! You didn't know that by talking about a face drawn on a banana you would help me out so much, huh?

But I never had to draw a face on a banana yet...LOL..I know u cannot peel it for him or he will get upset...LOL.

Sharlet constantly carries little people toys and teddies (like a little piglet and frog) around with her everywhere. She makes them walk along furnature and tabletops and edges of things, and babbles as though they are conversing

Mine does the same thing as Austin! He will just start busting out laughing out of nowhere. We could be riding along in the car, and all of the sudden there are these belly roll laughs coming from him! Or, he can be laying on the couch, and just out of the blue he laughs!

Unfortunately though, he does laugh at inappropriate times too. He has knocked things down that my 11YO has made, and when my 11YO gets upset, he laughs. As you can imagine, that gets my oldest even MORE upset.

Funny here ... my 4 1/2 YO opened a pack of Spiderman fruit snacks last night. He didn't eat them, but they sure had an interesting conversation with each other, fruit snack to fruit snack, last night. I couldn't understand what they were saying (he has lots of gibberish talk), but it really kept him occupied for quite a while.

I think it's perfectly normal behavior :)

One of my daughters used to insist that I draw faces on bananas with a magic marker and then she'd walk around all day with her "baby banana", taking care of it.

The other night, I was chopping up some potatoes, and she wanted to play with the "baby potatoes" (the small ones). I didn't let her, but when I started chopping them up, she started making crying noises, explaining to me that I was hurting them.

She also sleeps with a toy, plastic hammer. It's name is hammer. It's among her most prized possessions, and a dear friend to her.

She's so weird that it's adorable :)