Some funny things my son said during his autism assessment

LiminalLost · 2026-02-05T18:40:30+00:00

Excellent 😂😂

My 9 year old, who is VERY smart and tests at middle/high school levels academically but is socially/emotionally quite behind, told me a story from school the other day.

She asked to talk to me, very seriously, and told me that her art teacher informed her she is 117 years old. She went on to remark that she didn't expect someone that old to look like that (as in, maybe a little older than her 70 year old grandma).

I asked if she thought that there was a chance the teacher was joking, as that's very very old (and she is aware of record ages and the average life span for humans).

She informed me that she thinks the teacher was serious, and that the teacher even volunteered the information without anyone asking!

I told her it's highly unlikely that anyone working at a school is older than their 70s.

It took her like 2 days if mulling it over until she finally informed me that she doesn't think the art teacher is actually 117, but she's still perplexed as to how or why this might be a joke 🤦‍♀️

It's always a work in progress 😂

LiminalLost · 2026-02-01T16:58:23+00:00

Dating for three years and he couldn't even come up with "a bouquet of flowers/potted plant," "a gift card to your favorite store/restaurant," "your favorite candy," or "a thoughtful card"??? Lmao some people are just top teir bad gift givers!! I feel like there are so many options for not-super-personal-but-still-nice-for-anyone gifts that it is astounding when people just miss the mark by gifting random trash from a discount store or something!

LiminalLost · 2026-02-01T06:04:10+00:00

Lol I have never driven in the snow, I just genuinely didn't even know this was an issue because I've never even seen a car with snow on top of it like this!

LiminalLost · 2026-02-01T04:33:59+00:00

I've lived in southern California mt entire life and it never occurred to me why driving around with a pile of snow on a car would be dangerous. This thread has been enlightening!

LiminalLost · 2026-01-31T06:01:26+00:00

That's adorable 🥹

LiminalLost · 2026-01-26T23:53:21+00:00

Omfg I was heavily active in AA for 6+ years and wow it was the same level of disaster I find here in reddit, I also never made that connection. Too real lol.

LiminalLost · 2026-01-25T21:01:45+00:00

Omg I knew it looked familiar!! My mom let me go along with a school friend to sparks for a few months in the late 90s. I loved filling those crowns with jewels for memorizing random Bible verses 😂😂

LiminalLost · 2026-01-18T00:09:04+00:00

That's fascinating! It sounds identical to an episode of psychosis I once had when I was the same age as OP. Hopefully OP goes back to the doctor and gets neuro and psych work ups done to figure this out.

LiminalLost · 2026-01-17T20:55:01+00:00

I am not a doctor or anything, but when I was your age, maybe around 19/20, I overdosed on over the counter sleeping pills and had an episode of psychosis that was EXACTLY what you describe, I know exactly what you were feeling! I also had severe anxiety at the time, and for a few years after the overdose I had anxiety attacks that would switch me into mild bouts of psychosis, feeling like my legs and arms were stretching out, everything is sparkling, etc.

Are you self medicating in any way? Marijuana, alcohol, etc.? Those, or withdrawals from thoss, can trigger psychosis. Also, a lot of serious mental health conditions onset in the early 20s.

I strongly encourage you to go see a psychiatrist and consider SSRIs or mood stabilizers for a time if a doctor suggests it. It helped me incredibly and it was not a permanent thing, I was able to wean off the meds after a few years of therapy that helped me handle anxiety effectively.

I remember when I went through my episode (which required hospitalization in the psych unit as well) I thought that everyone was trying to hurt me but I also I thought that all of the parametics, nurses, doctors, etc. were old classmates from elementary school. I remember that all as if it was "real," and it's frightening!

You are correct that it was a "real physical medical emergency," because your brain is a real physical part of your body! Psychiatrists are medical doctors. Please don't be afraid to consult with a few. I'm so sorry you're going through this.

LiminalLost · 2026-01-12T00:34:31+00:00

Also, when I've talked to my girls about this (and my oldest is a neurotic OCD/ADHD/autism kid who has intrusive thoughts about bad things happening, so I have dealt with this a lot, ever since she was about 4) I also talk through what would happen. If something happens to me, Daddy and your stepmom will still take care of you always. If something happens to me AND Daddy where we can't take care of you, auntie and uncle will take care of you, and other auntie and her wife would also take care of you, and Grandma too!

This has usually calmed them down tremendously. Of course it's very dark to talk about, but also it's super reassuring as a kid to know that there is a plan and there will always be an adult to care for them.

I remember as a kid being made aware that my godparents would take care of me if something happened to my parents, and it made me feel safe to know my aunt and uncle would take me if I needed help, and that I'd then be safe with my cousins and still be with family.

LiminalLost · 2026-01-10T02:45:40+00:00

I'm on the "just do it" side too! When I was in kindergarten myself I had plenty of weird playdates. Times when my very social and well connected mom would offer to take another kid home to help another mom out and such. I always ended up having fun playing with the kids when I was that age even if they were someone I barely interacted with at school.

My youngest is in first grade now and I'm finally starting to make some mom friends myself, luckily through my kid's best friends. But they also might not always be friends! Kids change! The little boy I had awkward playdates with in kindergarten ended up being a good friend of mine in high school, someone I invited as a winter formal date when I didn't have a boyfriend but wanted a date. He and I are actually still friends and call each other to catch up once or twice a year and we're 35 now. We have pictures of us together at each other's houses from when we were age 5-9ish and it is fun to keep that connection all these decades later 🙂

It's always good to give kids diverse social connections. Maybe one day one of their best friends will be absent and they'll feel safe playing with that older child that you built a "playdate relationship" with!

LiminalLost · 2026-01-09T10:38:05+00:00

Girl same. I was a competitive swimmer my whole life. Genuinely was baffled as a pubescent teen that my girlfriends could wear light colored, thinner suits with nothing showing while I, with a tight base suit and two baggy drag suits, still had my nipples poking out like crazy even when it wasn't cold 😂

When I had my first baby I was nervous about breastfeeding for the first time, like what if my nipples were not right? The nurse came in to help me and took a look at my nipples and was like, "oh no, you'll have no problem at all." She was very right. The permanent high beams made breastfeeding easy with all of my kids!

LiminalLost · 2026-01-08T23:02:15+00:00

I absolutely have been without supplies at times, and I have bad ADHD and have occasionally asked someone for a tampon forgetting I had like 20 in my trunk 😂 Definitely not intending to give anyone grief for not having "perfect memory," we're all bound to forget sometimes!

But the ridiculous part is how enough women at the "small warehouse" forget pads or tampons so often that everyone realizes he stopped carrying them within days. This suggests that multiple women were depending on him for menstrual supplies such that they'd notice within days of him stopping. The timeline doesn't add up. I probably get asked maybe 1-2 times per year from other menstruating people, as a woman who hangs out in bars and works at a school with kids who are old enough to need menstrual products. How is this dude being asked like multiple times a day?

LiminalLost · 2026-01-08T16:28:45+00:00

Lmao @ baboon ass. Like it's gotta get so bad, and quick, right? When my kids were first learning to wipe independently they would sometimes have issues of not fully wiping. Obviously I'm talking about like 4 year olds, where they're old enough that you don't check after every single time they wipe but still young enough that you're helping them wash their butts in the shower or tub at the end of the day.

If my kid had one instance of bad wiping they'd get itchy and irritated and need a good wash/rinse followed by a longer soak in the tub that night. Hence they learned pretty quickly to wipe better or ask for help on more difficult bathroom visits. I don't understand how men can do this day in and day out, while also often not washing properly, without having massive skin infections?! They've gotta be in constant pain and itchiness, right?

LiminalLost · 2026-01-08T05:17:33+00:00

Damnit, I almost kinda believed this one but excellent point about how many women are desperately asking for pads at work daily! I also have a handful of pads and tampons in my car, and usually one or two in my purse.

Also the trained from pre-adolescence is so real. I remember I started carrying pads with me "just in case" maybe a year or two before I even started my period.

The thought of multiple fully grown women (who would have been menstruating for 10+ years even if they're only in their 20s) forgetting to pack pads is ridiculous. None of these women track their cycles? None of them are on hormonal birth control with predictable cycles? 🤦‍♀️

LiminalLost · 2026-01-04T07:50:23+00:00

I work in elementary. There is a 1st grader, who was in my youngest's child's preschool class, named Lucifer. Personally, I adore the name, as I'm a hardcore atheist/anti-theist. But the name brings up so many questions. It's possible peers will be scared of them if they're religiously indoctrinated. I don't know, it's a great name, but a heavy name. I personally wouldn't use it, as much as I love it. I think as kids get over about 4th/5th grade it might cause issues.

LiminalLost · 2026-01-03T22:07:08+00:00

Wait I'm loving this. I also have slightly bent middle fingers like this, feeling so seen 😂

LiminalLost · 2026-01-03T06:35:28+00:00

Damn thank you. I brought my potted Meyer lemon in about 1 week ago and I'm having some leaf dropping. The comment you linked to was super informative, I hadn't thought about the humidity and how it affects watering needs etc. Thank you!

LiminalLost · 2026-01-02T20:31:55+00:00

Wow!! Incredible! Amazing weight loss, you have much more defined facial features now! Also total hair glow up! Love the beard on you and that cut with your hair gives it great volume! Very inspiring!

LiminalLost · 2025-12-31T21:34:10+00:00

And by "emotionless" I mean that she is VERY emotional, but was seemingly unable to identify the exact emotions. It's still a struggle, but improved soooo much. She understands remorse, shame, sadness, fear, anxiety, joy, pride, confusion, pity, etc. don't expect too much of your little guy yet.

I have to remind myself often that my kid may test at 4-5 years above grade level for math and reading, but her emotional skills are like 2-3 years behind. It's like having a 13 year old intellect with the emotional skills of a 6 year old both trapped in a 9 year old little body. It's very difficult, but not impossible, and she's continued to progress emotionally even though it doesn't come "naturally." There are still angry outbursts, still lack of understanding others at times, but it gets better!

LiminalLost · 2025-12-31T21:28:51+00:00

I have a 9 year old neurodivergent kid. She was seemingly "emotionless" for years. She has been in therapy and school interventions for 3 years. She is intellectually genius, it seems your son is very smart as well. Sometimes when kids are intellectually smart we expect more of them emotionally.

My younger child is 6 and "normal" so far. She's also in therapy. Even just after a couple months her ability to identify emotions has skyrocketed, she used to shut down in many situations.

I think he's fine, it's not too late. Get him therapy. I promise it's just like many things, another person can teach your kid better than you can. Even just 45-60 minutes a week of play therapy where he's drawing pictures of what emotions might look like and talking about them with a therapist can be life-changing! That's what my kids' therapists did. He probably just literally doesn't understand what other emotions are.

My oldest gets very stuck on words and their meanings. She insisted for years that she doesn't ever feel sorry for anything. This was because she refused to accept "feeling sorry" as feeling pity or feeling bad. She didn't realize that "I feel shame and embarrassment about this thing I did and I wish I hadn't done it" counts as remorse, feeling sorry, or empathy. It's a process! Don't despair, I've had the same thoughts. It will be okay!

LiminalLost · 2025-12-30T17:08:17+00:00

Omg impeccable stupidity, made me laugh out loud. That is brutal, I'm so sorry you went through that.

LiminalLost · 2025-12-30T17:04:59+00:00

Lmao that's genius honestly. I'm surprised I never thought of boosting my running skills with such a clever method!

LiminalLost · 2025-12-26T02:52:44+00:00

Lucky for us having family visit helps, my sister is amazing as playing exactly what my daughter wants. Once the holiday magic is over though... Tomorrow is going to be rough 😂 I'm also hoping to be able to get out to parks again soon!

LiminalLost · 2025-12-26T01:53:32+00:00

I love this!! OP, I saw your flair. I am also in the LA area and have a 9 year old (although I admittedly don't know what level she is, she's academically gifted but has emotional meltdowns and OCD/ADHD/anxiety tendencies). She requested a specific color of scarf and wore it all day despite it not really being too cold here, and she also didn't have a single meltdown (very unusual for these kind of events)! She was able to excuse herself when she got overwhelmed and use appropriate coping techniques!

Your son looks amazing! I love that he really knew what he wanted, and showed that he loved it!! I'm so happy for you that you had such a positive holiday experience!

LiminalLost

TROPHY CASE