Voices?? | Autism PDD
I have a strange question. Has anyone ever heard of a child with autism or PDD hearing voices? I ask this because my 10 yr old son, chris, has heard voices, so he was hospitalized and dx Bipolar, ADHD, Psychotic Disorder, and ODD. He later was dx MR and Bipolar. His little brother is DX MR and autistic, soon to be taking ADOS test. Chris' psychiatrist thought he may have PDD, so i asked her "what about the voices?" and she responded with "it is not unusual for people with PDD to hear voices" I have never heard of this, has anyone else? I just really want to know what is going on with my son(s). Thanks for any input.I never really heard voices per se, other than being able to "play back" in my mind words that I've heard said (or having my mind randomly "play" things back without me doing it voluntarily). A friend of mine that I mentioned early in my very long "Hi everyone" thread has an autistic daughter (the one who gave me the nickname "Stick boy") and she has said things to me before like "these voices keep saying...." and other similar comments about voices that she sems to hear out of nowhere. I can't relate personally, but thanks to her, the concept of associating that phenomenon with autism is not alien to me. But it's not something I can explain because it's not in my head.
Yes, I have heard of this. I personally know of an individual with traits of Asperger's or HFA/PDD, who was misdiagnosed with schizophrenia as a child because she claimed to hear "voices". I know a couple others who were misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder as young adults.
Kids with ASD traits often have very powerful imaginations. They also may have poetic minds and have unusual ways of describing how they take in and process stimuli and information. They also have meltdowns and mood swings, which is (in my humble, non-professional opinion) too readily misdiagnosed as "bipolar". But we should be cautious because individuals who experience true psychotic episodes can often appear autistic in some ways.
My son is 13 years old and we have always joked that he has a secret friend. When he was little he would talk (gibberish) to the wall. Today, there are times when he stares into the mirror and seems to be arguing with himself. He will say things like, "they won't understand" or "stop talking". My sister (somewhat religious sister) says that she thinks a mean spirit is haunting him. I am more analytical and suppose that there is so much going on in his head that he replays a situation over and over in his mind. I find him reciting things I have said to him especially if they were things I said in frustration or anger. I think looking at himself in the mirror is like being able to talk to himself. I try not to overanalyze him, but sometimes his behavior can be disturbing. I have talked to his Psychiatrist about it and he just gave him another medication for anxiety.
I usually try to re-direct him when he is engaging in this behavior and usually he stops. Sometimes I try to make him aware of his behavior and he apologizes. He is such a complicated individual sometimes, but a lot of the times he is just amazing Boy, am I confused. Thank you so much for the input, i really appreciate it. Chris, like I said is dx Bipolar and MR. I really wonder if he has PDD. It is so hard to tell. I want to get him another eval. He is taking depakote and abilify, and has not heard voices due to the medication. He has many, many symptoms of aspergers. I really wonder if the BP dx is wrong. He is unhappy most of the time. He can have major meltdowns/aggression, He has little interest in anything, except cooking and food, he has speech delays, sensory issues, he will shut down when asked to perform certain tasks, when he was a baby he cried constantly, he has no friends, he can be very sweet and caring, he rocks back and forth most of the time he is talking to someone, he will often repeat himself, he cannot sit still, his attention span goes from one thing to the next, he has no concept of personal space, he constantly interrupts people, he is defiant, and oppositional, he is very rigid, he needs routine or he will meltdown, he is like a little mother hen with his little brother, he often tries to act like an adult (bossy) and boy do I love him. He is a good kid despite all of this. I just wish I knew what was going on. Thanks again for the input.My son was DX with bipolar first and then it was changed to Asperger's when he was eight. When we were treating him for bipolar he got worse, and the medication was not working. Does he have any obsessions or topic of interest that he wont stop talking about? any sensory issues? My son is asperger's, adhd, broad language learning disibilities, high superior language, HE talkes like an adult, preferes Adults. I think you need to check the Aspergers thing out. a good book is ( Parenting Your Asperger Child) by Alan Sohn and Cathy Grayson. When my son was 6 he would say that Jesus would talk to him, but he dosen't say this anymore. he is now 12. my son nonverbal but sometimes when i ask him a question he will write on his speller, " the ghosts say ok" does not give any other indication of listen or hearing voices.
Here's a similar question that we discussed recently.
http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14814&am p;KW=did+you+say+something
Thank you so much. That is what I thought might be happening. Like I said, he usually repeats things that are said to him like he is trying to understand what happened or what went wrong in a particular situation. When he is talking in the mirror it does appear that he is talking to someone else, but at the same time it is like he is reprimanding himself. I try to get him to verbalize his feelings, but so far he has only mastered "I am angry". It's a start.I usually try to re-direct him when he is engaging in this behavior and usually he stops. Sometimes I try to make him aware of his behavior and he apologizes. He is such a complicated individual sometimes, but a lot of the times he is just amazing 
. Try not to worry about the voices too much like I said he may be replaying in his head a situation that bothered him or he didn't understand. Going over and over it may help him understand.
What you are describing sounds like his way of rationalizing interpersonal interactions. He may be stimming verbally and/or he may need to hear his own explanation out loud so that he can process it his way. I know it's strange looking but it may be necessary for him to successfully interpret some aspects of socialization and word exchange.
Sometimes I see my "autistic self" as a separate person because I will often be able to rationalize what I should do or say, but my body will not respond, almost as if I'm instructing another person who will not cooperate. When I am alone, and even sometimes when I'm with other people, I find myself "thinking out loud" in order to complete a complex task, and even reprimanding myself sometimes when I just can't seem to get it together physically. It helps keep my mind from drifting into shutdown mode by bringing out some of the thoughts that would probably be racing through my mind if I actually did go into shutdown.
Again it may look strange, but it may be necessary.Yes Nick, my son does not like to wear clothes. I have a pair of his Dad's oversized boxers waiting for him when he gets home from School and he will wear them, that is it, no shirt or pants or Reg shorts. I am going to try the oversized shirts and pants for him, maybe they will be more comfortable. Did you have any problems with shoes? I just can't keep them on him. At School they let him take them off, Teacher said he does better at school work with them off. He only wears a coat when I make him and I only do that when it's really cold out. He always tells me he don't need a coat. If I take a nap or am busy with something and not checking on him alot he usually is naked when I find him. My son is 12 years old, Asperger's, Adhd, Broad Language Disibilities. He is the most amazing child, very smart.
FYI clothing issues was the subject of this very active topic in April.
http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13251&am p;KW=clothing
Hey I missed that one. Thanks NorwayMom. [quote]Did you have any problems with shoes? I just can't keep them on him.[/quote]Yes. I HATE wearing shoes!! I wear them when I have to (cold weather, formal setting, etc. but if possible I wear flip flops (the slide type), or sandals. I usually don't go completely barefoot because the bottoms of my feet are tender when it comes to sticks, rocks, hot/cold pavement, etc.
If I am driving a long way I will usually pull my shoes off and sit them in the shotgun seat or passenger floorboard. I don't think you're actually supposed to drive barefoot, but I don't care. Shoes drive me insane when I'm in a car for a long time. Besides, I have plenty of time to slide my shoes back on if I get pulled over.
[quote] If I take a nap or am busy with something and not checking on him alot he usually is naked when I find him.[/quote]
I was always squeamish about being completely naked (I would feel "vulnerable" walking near objects that were sharp or sticking out... 
) However I was known for stripping to just underwear or loose shorts.
I just wanted to say that I would consider that his diagnoses are incorrect, or partially incorrect. It can be very challenging to diagnose and treat children with many different signs and/or symptoms...
Some type of PDD be it Asperger's or another type is certainly possible. Sensory Integration Disorder or Dysfunction may also be playing a role. Just keep the possibility that the doctors can be wrong at the back of your mind and listen to your gut. (By the way, I am a family doctor.)
There are autism specialists in the US and research programs as well as Brain Spect Scanning that may give you more insight. The brain of someone with Bipolar Disorder looks a certain way and is different from the "normal brain". I think that the special brain scanning is only available on the west coast at this point.
Remember, one day at a time, or one hour at a time, and when your really struggling, one minute at a time...
Blessings.
It sounds alot like my son, When he gets home from school all clothes are off, he usually has shoes in his hands even when it's cold outside, and often wears them on wrong feet. He has OT at school for fine motor skills, they are really bad. Learning disibilities for reading and writting. Obsessions will change. Good Luck, but I think your on to something here. [QUOTE=fordexpr1]I have a strange question. Has anyone ever heard of a child with autism or PDD hearing voices? I ask this because my 10 yr old son, chris, has heard voices, so he was hospitalized and dx Bipolar, ADHD, Psychotic Disorder, and ODD. He later was dx MR and Bipolar. His little brother is DX MR and autistic, soon to be taking ADOS test. Chris' psychiatrist thought he may have PDD, so i asked her "what about the voices?" and she responded with "it is not unusual for people with PDD to hear voices" I have never heard of this, has anyone else? I just really want to know what is going on with my son(s). Thanks for any input.[/QUOTE]Why would someone hospitalize someone merely for hearing voices???
[quote="Loki"]It sounds alot like my son, When he gets home from school all clothes are off,[/quote]
Does your son like to get rid of clothing as soon as he gets the chance? I always wanted to wear as little clothing as I could get by with because when I get stressed, any kind of restrictive thing on my skin (such as long sleeves, long pants or other garments that make a lot of skin contact) are very irritating wto my skin and if possible I remove it. Obviously I can't get by with baring skin all the time so I've gotten to where I always wear large, short-sleeve t-shirts and very baggy pants such as cargos. This prevents the clothing from contacting my skin and restricting movement for the most part and helps me not to want to shed clothing as soon as I'm alone. I usually buy coats and jackets a size big as well, and I will always take my coat/jacket off immediately at the first opportunity when I get out of the cold.
That sentence I quoted just rang true to me and made me wonder if your kid shares my issue with restrictive clothing and is always shedding it at first opportunity.
You are brave and good parents, doing your best in a very confusing and scary situation, and I think all the people on this forum recognize that. I have belonged to this forum since January, and judgmental comments are extremely, extremely rare. Misunderstandings do occur, but they are resolved quickly in an atmosphere of good will and mutual respect.
Please continue to share your experiences and concerns with us, and best of luck with everything.
Why would someone hospitalize someone merely for hearing voices???
[/QUOTE]
This comment hits close to home with me, For I am Fordexpr1's Husband. With this comment I feel that "WE" are being judged as most of our family does to us. We have 3 Special needs children, They all (LOOK) nomal. "If They Don't Look Sick They Must Not BE ". That is the life we live, I know that most everyone on this forum are very understanding with what I'm saying. I'm tring not to rant but this quote really hit a wrong spot with me. My son Chris was 6 years old, Does anyone think It was easy for us to hospitalize our 6 year old son for hearing voices that were telling him to do harm to himself and others ? This was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do, not to mention every day going to visit chris and having to leave without him. Grown men arnt supposed to cry, I'll tell you what That time in our life killed me. The biggest problem in our lives are the people that judge us and our kids, that won't take the time to learn what is going on (Ignorance). My wife has only been a member here for a short few days with me peeking over her shoulder, You folks are awesome.
Thank You and God bless
Gene
It's also very possible that the person in question (who I will not name) did not fully understand the circumstances under which you hospitalized your son.I can see where sometimes it's better to seek help if you're not sure about something, and find that it's nothing to worry about, rather than ignore it and have something horrible happen.Yeah, the first comment made it sound like he was hospitalized only for hearing voices. And I know people that happened to. Who only heard voices, saying their name, or something like that, not threatening anyone or telling them to do anything bad. Lots of people hear voices and are not dangerous to anyone. So unless you say something like "hospitalized for being in danger of harming people" or something, it doesn't make sense to me given the wide variety of voice hearers I know. I'm not going to extrapolate to "the voices were threatening to harm people" because not all hallucinated voices are threatening in any way, and not all people hospitalized for hearing voices are hearing threatening ones. So there was no way of knowing.
(That said, I don't agree with putting kids in psych wards in general, having actually had to live in them, which is where I met most of the people I'm talking about. But I don't blame my parents for not knowing there were other ways of handling things either. The psychiatric industry makes it sound like "help" exists in only one place, and people believe it, I even believed it at one point. So no, I don't think someone is automatically a bad parent or something for doing that, even if I also believe those places usually do more harm than good and that viable alternatives need to exist for people in crisis. (Places that are not run like "hospitals" have higher recovery rates.))
You might be interested in this article, and this article, and this booklet, though, all of which are written by people who actually hear voices and present this as an experience to be dealt with in a certain way (if the voices are distressing) rather than medicalizing it and just giving diagnoses without giving how to deal with it.
Hi Gene,
gtto is an adult autistic woman, so I'm sure that you are reading more into her question than she intended. I don't think she was asking the question rhetorically or judging you, just, well, asking :)
Hope this helps clarify where she's coming from.
It's okay. I totally understand both sides. It happens. [QUOTE=fred]Hi Gene,
gtto is an adult autistic woman, so I'm sure that you are reading more into her question than she intended. I don't think she was asking the question rhetorically or judging you, just, well, asking :)
Hope this helps clarify where she's coming from.
[/QUOTE]I completely agree. I would have said the same thing, but I wasn't playing the name game, so I couldn't go into detail.
Well to start things off, I do wish to appologize to gtto.
We both had a lack of understanding, I get easily triggered when I feel
we are being judged (whitch is most of the time). Again I'm
sorry, I'm not used to people understanding what we have going on
here. This forum is new to us and if I had stopped to think I
may not have gone off on a rant. We have just been though hell
here. Family,Most so called friends everyone seems to think its all a
discipline problem, but nobody wants to take the time to understand
what we are up against. The school system here (which is a New York
State school of excellence) Not my opinion though, All this
school wants to do is ship them out. Unfortunately if our children
"looked" handicapped then the school system would use them to make
themselves look like saints or heros. Now This is a problem that I have
dealt with my whole life because my big brother is down syndrome, My
parents fought tooth and nail for years to keep him enrolled at a
private school for downs. When my brother turned 21 years old that is
when the school system thought they would put him though the class of
1986 graduation commencement. My Father said," hell no you people are
not using my son to be a hero after all the years I had to fight you
for his schooling". So fighting the school here just seems to be
family tradition lol. If at anytime in the future I tend to get
defensive please forgive me and remind me we are a team here. Again I
am sorry.Thank You
Gene
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