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Autism and inanimate objects?

Caelix3

Caelix3

Well-Known Member
Anyone else get attached to inanimate objects? Such as Keychains, pens, pencils, bags or purses, etc.

I noticed that sometimes I get attached to inanimate objects. Almost like one would get attached to a stuffed animal.

An example would be: I bought a Keychain at Meijer, it was a fuzzy pineapple. I grew attached to it and even named it like you would a stuffed animal and decided it was a he. When I went out with my mom somewhere I brought it with me, because I felt like I had to. Like a child with a stuffed animal.

Just in case you can't picture it, I took a picture of the Keychain. It of course no longer has the tag. Since I bought it.

Anyone else do this or experience this? Is it just me or is it something with having autism?

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I bought a bear when I was 8. His name's Peanut.

I think my main reason for growing attached to Peanut was that hugging him would comfort me when I was feeling stressed. If I had a meltdown, I would imagine what Peanut would say to comfort me if he were a person.
He would come everywhere with me. If I was at school, I would find
My situation with having people to talk to (that I trusted) wasn't so good when I was young, so having Peanut around I found helped me. He's was/is a friend. Over the years, I've come to find amazing friends/ understanding teachers who are just as great at helping me as he was/is. Peanut doesn't travel around with me anymore. He mostly lives on my bed. But I still give him a hug every now and again since I like the feeling of his soft fur. :)
 
Caelix3 , having an attachment to objects is not just you. I haven't any idea if it's stronger amongst those on the spectrum, but it most certainly is, and has been through the ages, a very common phenomenon.

I have experienced it, strongly. But not anymore; I became increasingly uncomfortable with the feeling that I was owned by my possessions. As time went on, I increasingly heeded the voices from different eras and cultures that claimed it was foolish to seek my happiness in corruptible things, things that could be taken from me, or that I might lose.

Over time, I was able to train myself to not be so attached, to not need the ephemeral things. I realise this seems a tad portentous, but I am quietly proud of myself for having worked on this over time, and pleased that the work is paying off.
 
I used to do this all the time. I'm very attached to certain objects, name them, keep them clean, sometimes (even though I know differently) I'll ascribe emotions to them too. I don't do it so much any more since I've lost everything more times than I can count, but I still find myself needing to take special care of things VERY important to me. I don't always carry things around, although I have been known to take my bokken (wooden Japanese sword) with me when I run errands with a family member...I just leave it in the car when we get to our destination. Something about my bokken just seems...grounding, comforting, etc. But even if I don't have that, I often find myself playing with the folding knife I always have in my pocket. Just stick my hand in my pocket and flip it around, feeling the material and grooves.
I do have serious attachments to both these objects, and will cry if I ever lose them.

Same with my books...I LOVE my books! I do have some stuffed animals, but due to current living circumstances I can't take them out of their storage place.
 
Telsa said:
Yes. This never leaves me.

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I also have to take my Bible everywhere with me, although I rarely, if ever, read it in public. Having it with me is comforting. It's become part of me. I think many of us do this. It doesn't matter what the item or object is, but it seems a good chunk of people on the Spectrum have that one thing or two that they are extremely attached to and that is almost "part" of them and goes everywhere with them.
 
I was given a huge blue teddy when I was born and it had a bell in one ear only and that bear went every where with me and I felt only comfortable when I had my bear.

My youngest sister, who was placed in care, was having a really bad time and I, I gave her my teddy to keep her comfort; she chose, as a grown up to not want to know her birth family and I demanded from the social services if I could have my teddy back and they said: she has no recollection of it!

I could cry even now.
 
I get attached to certain things and I don't want to throw them out or get rid of them. I get attached to pound notes for Christ's sake.

There's a guy who works at the BBC called Jamie Knight who carries this massive plush toy called Lion wherever he can. I thought that was quite interesting.
 
my life is full of non living things as i dont have attachments with people,i take them every where with me in a storm trooper rucksack or i wear them around my neck on a lanyard [if i can cope with the lanyard on my neck].
 
xudo said:
I have multiple stuffed animals that are always at the bottom of my bed, and I sleep with a big stuffed shark called Kevin.
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nothing wrong with that,i collect teddies and theyre all over my lounge and bedroom.do you collect steiff? i have a beautiful steiff bear its full of wood chippings as stuffing, i am getting a 'charlie bear' bear for my birthday next month,theyre very classy.
 
toothless said:
nothing wrong with that,i collect teddies and theyre all over my lounge and bedroom.do you collect steiff? i have a beautiful steiff bear its full of wood chippings as stuffing, i am getting a 'charlie bear' bear for my birthday next month,theyre very classy.
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I collect a few things, but I had never intended to end up with so many soft toys. If I see one I get sort of fixated on it and I have to have it, but it has to feel nice to touch and be really soft. Kevin was actually from a jumble sale and my sister was like "why do you need that" and I'm "because it's a shark, I don't have a shark". Yeah my Mum thought it was weird too but thankfully my husband doesn't care. I used to collect keyrings when I was younger, but now it's Pop figures and bloody craft supplies :D
 
I was just doing an arrow word, and realised that I also get attached to things like pens. I have my favourite pen, that I prefer to use and then there are some pens we have that I've taken a dislike to and never use. Same goes for cutlery, as we have mismatched cutlery and there's on particular fork that I hate, but I don't know why. I never use it, even if it was the only one there I think I'd rather eat with my hands. I also have a favourite spoon..
 
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I would love to have Antique bears but they are out of my price range. I do have my fathers teddy when he was a boy, it was made by my grandmother.
 
When I was a kid I had a bobblehead of Nala from The Lion King I got from a cereal box that I carried around everywhere I went. Even to church. I don't carry it around anymore but I still have it in a box in my closet. Can't throw it away, it was part of my childhood! :p And actually, I have a lot of other old things from my childhood and adolescence too. I try to keep everything for the memories.
 
I made a poem about my sparkly pencils as a child XD And takes forever for me to replace my clothes, my parents are pretty annoyed with this.
 
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