Difficulties you had as a kid that might be due to your ASD

[. . .]

What problems that you had as a kid do you think are attributed to your ASD?

I often think back of when I was a kid and remember all the odd problems I had that most "normal" kids didn't have.

I learned how to do certain things at a much younger age than most of my peers, but couldn't for the life of me pick up on quite a few things that I should have picked up on. I realize that this isn't due to me being dull, but is very much likely attributed to my ASD.

Over the past few years I've looked into these things I had difficulty with and they seem to be prevalent amongst people with ASDs. One thing that came to mind recently is how I had much difficulty tying my shoes. I seemed incapable of tying them until I was quite old. I think I initially wore shoes with laces in them, but switched to velcro since I struggled a lot with tying them and became discouraged. It wasn't until I was quite old that I finally stopped wearing velcro shoes. I mostly stopped wearing them to prevent classmates from bugging me for wearing them.

I Googled "Trouble tying shoes Asperger's" ,and sure enough, I came across various pages where people on the spectrum mention that they struggled or still struggle with tying their shoes. So this is likely yet another problem I had as a kid that is directly attributed to my ASD.

 

[Droopy]

I had problems with tying shoe laces and shirt ties.

 

[LgndKllr24]

I can think of quite a few. The shoe tying thing does relate to me, it probably took me a few years longer than most people to learn to do that. I remember once having to ask another kid to tie me shoe when I was playing on the playground. I was probably in elementary school at that point.

Another is riding a bike. It wasn't until I was maybe ten or eleven that I learned to ride a bike. I think I did try at one point but I just couldn't do it. Unfortunately I got my finger jammed in a van door when I crashed during the time I was learning so that didn't really help matters much.

Also, I was unable to learn how to swim. My parents enrolled me in swimming lessons when I was in I believe the first grade, and I hated it so much. I just couldn't catch on to how to do it properly, and I felt embarrassed every time I went there. As a matter of fact, I still can't swim to this day.

 

[Spinning Compass]

I remember having trouble learning to tie my shoes, too. I also could not "read" people and was constantly teased by my peers. It didn't help that I came from a home environment that valued learning which I did not realize until I got much older how unusual that was. What was praised at home was a definite social hindrance. I have learned to "tone down" my education and interests and pretend to be ignorant at times; and even my speech has gotten somewhat careless and less formal. (Not my writing, however. That I won't compromise on.)

 

[WildCat]

From what I've read tying shoes is a pretty common problem for some of us, at least when we were kids anyways. Bike riding wasn't an issue, my fine motor skills sucked but my balance was more or less normal. Reading social cues, eh, that's going to take a bit more effort :S

One that I should add was academic troubles. Going from just rote learning and memorizing to writing lengthy history papers and more abstract subjects was a huge shock. I literally went from being the top student in my class to becoming one of the bottom feeders. I closed that gap somewhat by the time I hit high school and dodged the bullet several times (never flunked in spite of executive dysfunction), but even now I find it a bit troublesome to absorb so much information in a given amount of time and integrate it in some meaningful way. I'm not sure if this is common amongst some autistics, but just thought I would mention that.

 

[oskarandri]

My asperger's affects everything in my daily living! Because i have very bad motor coordination and sensory integration and i am very physically clumsy and i always end up breaking something and it drives me crazy! and it affects learning aswell and often i don't pay attention in class! I also have tourette syndrome which sometimes affects my social but now i can control it with this diet i made!

 

[katcha]

Well I wasn't understandable until I was eight years old. At school, I would mumble in my own language and wonder why noone understood me. I had no friends, because noone could understand me.

My behaviour was... well... wrong as well. I peed in someone's sand-pit once, they'd didn't appreciate that!

And the lack of empathy hasn't really helped me much either. I've upset many people at school and never really understood why.

 

[Microwench]

I was shy, had trouble making friends. I was (and still am) far more comfortable with people older than me than with my peers.
Great at reading, always way above my grade level, but horrible at math. Seriously lost all grip on math in like 2nd grade.
Klutzy (I once tripped on a wet kleenex in a parking lot)
Sensory issues
Trouble 'reading' people
Made fun of for being 'brainy' I, like SpinningCompas, learned to 'tone down' my intellegence.

 

[aspiemommy]

I speak on behalf of my son, he struggles with making friends and he is quite naive. He is still a bit young, but if I compare him to kids his age (3years old) the other kids will be able to interact with one another... Something my son doesn't understand how to.

 

[TotodilePika]

I can think of quite a few. The shoe tying thing does relate to me, it probably took me a few years longer than most people to learn to do that. I remember once having to ask another kid to tie me shoe when I was playing on the playground. I was probably in elementary school at that point.

Another is riding a bike. It wasn't until I was maybe ten or eleven that I learned to ride a bike. I think I did try at one point but I just couldn't do it. Unfortunately I got my finger jammed in a van door when I crashed during the time I was learning so that didn't really help matters much.

Also, I was unable to learn how to swim. My parents enrolled me in swimming lessons when I was in I believe the first grade, and I hated it so much. I just couldn't catch on to how to do it properly, and I felt embarrassed every time I went there. As a matter of fact, I still can't swim to this day.

OK thats is so creepy. I have or had all of thos same problems. I din't learn how to tie my shoes until I was in 6th grade. I can not for the life of me, ride a tired bike. I have a 3 tired bike becuase I have very bad balance. I had swimming lessons when I was a baby, and can't swim at all. If water gets in my nose it hurts really bad. :no:

I was shy, had trouble making friends. I was (and still am) far more comfortable with people older than me than with my peers.
Great at reading, always way above my grade level, but horrible at math. Seriously lost all grip on math in like 2nd grade.
Klutzy (I once tripped on a wet kleenex in a parking lot)
Sensory issues
Trouble 'reading' people
Made fun of for being 'brainy' I, like SpinningCompas, learned to 'tone down' my intellegence.

I was also, and still am shy. I also get along with people that are older then me. And I also am good at reading and bad at math.

 

[Kit]

I talked about the same things over and over that was stuck in my head
I had attachment to certain objects like to one of my dolls (what is the difference between normal kids and ASD kids having a favorite toy or other objects?)
I said rude things as a child like "You're ugly" "you're fat" "Your name is weird" "that scab makes you look ugly"
I prefer to wear socks tucked into my pants and having my socks pulled up
I hated jeans so never wore them until mom found loose ones for me but I still preferred knit or cotton, anything soft
Hated taking my shoes off and always had to wear them to bed, same as my clothes
Had to sit in a certain seat or I'd get upset and feel anxious
Hated taking different routes
Very bossy and wanted everything my way or I'd get anxiety
Teased and didn't know when to quit
Didn't understand why kids get mad at me for things I'd do to them
Didn't know the rules in friends houses so I acted whatever I wanted and couldn't understand why they get mad at me and not want me over

Didn't understand rules were different for each age group so what is acceptable for toddlers isn't acceptable for seven year olds, I copied everyone and if they didn't get in trouble for something, I thought it was okay to do, then I'd get confused why I was in trouble and my little brother wasn't. Even telling me he is three years old and I know better didn't help. I just thought I was treated that way because I was different

Not knowing what the rules were because kids were always breaking them and getting away with it so no wonder I had a hard time following them

Could make friends but couldn't relate to them at their houses and I could only relate when they be doing what I wanted to do

Said "I love you" to everyone and not understanding what love meant. I even hugged and kissed everyone and couldn't understand why people didn't like it

I sniffed and touched people

I touched everything as a kid and sniffed everything

I had a hard time at daycare and got kicked out when I was four because of my teacher who didn't want to work with me.

I hated wearing tights because they keep falling down and I hated my bare skin touching

Copied what people did and would do what people did to me thinking it was okay and I was supposed to do it

No theory of mind and I also had a hard time reading people. I could tell when someone was upset (the yelling and screaming and the crying) but I couldn't understand why they were feeling that way and other times I did like if a kid fell down and started crying, I knew they were hurt. If someone took something that belonged to them, I knew they were crying for that reason. Doesn't mean I always understood why for that reason.

Had a hard time finding the gray, I was black and white then and then didn't know where the lines were drawn or when to stop and when to do it

Liked doing things a certain way like games or video games or how I played with toys

Liked things the way they came in like with my bows, I used to put them back on the pack they came on

Appearing deaf because I wouldn't respond to my name because I was too into my world

Getting distracted by sounds (sensory or ADD, I will never know)

Having too many accidents on the monkey bars. Always kicking kids on accident because they get in the way and they all thought I was mean, even a simple sorry didn't do. But yet it was acceptable for them to have those accidents but not me.

But I have outgrown lot of these. It took me a while to learn to tie my shoes, three weeks I am guessing. But I guess that is quick for someone on the spectrum. My ex told me it takes kids a few days to learn it and would give me a hard time about it and saying I am not AS or else I would learn to tie my shoes fast. No, no one ever taught me until age six and I learned. He said they maybe tried and I couldn't grasp it and then he assumed that was true. Always made assumptions and then state it as a fact and think he was right. One of the reasons why I have a negative view on black and white thinkers and he was black and white. But I am sure lot of aspies wouldn't be that black and white. But was learning to tie my shoes hard? Yes.

I talked for hours without letting anyone have a turn to speak and I would go off topic. I outgrew this too.

 

[LgndKllr24]

With a lot of the toys I had when I was a kid, I didn't really play with them extremely much. I was actually concerned about damaging them. I knew that that was what they were for, to play with and have fun with, but I liked the way they looked when they were new. I also needed to have every toy, even if some of them were the same as the ones I had, only a different color. I used to love the Incredible Crash Test Dummies, and I had almost every item, even ones that were almost exactly the same. I kind of abused those toys though, but hey, you were meant to crash those cars. Most of my toy cars though were in great shape, almost like when we got them.

 

[umbrellabeach]

I had trouble understanding the rules of games and activities because they were explained so quickly and verbally (and vaguely). At Awana I only liked the games I'd played before and was familiar with. One time my brother tried explaining football to me but to this day I still don't get it. I also got in trouble sometimes for saying things that were apparently rude, and I couldn't keep a conversation (or friendship) going for very long unless the other kid was really interested in me for whatever reason. Unless I knew for sure that they liked me, I let them make the effort to keep the friendship going because I was afraid of annoying them by talking to and being with them all the time. All of these except the one about being rude without knowing are still true for me today.

 

[Christy]

I had trouble learning how to write. All the other kids had all learnt to form words out of the letters, and were into story writing, when I was still doing squiggles. Funny thing is, one day it just clicked (and I actually remember this happening). We were writing stories, and I was doing my squiggles across the page as if they were words. Then suddenly two sentences dropped into my mind as to what I could write as my story. I wrote these two sentences perfectly; grammar and spelling. Then I went back to my squiggles. It scared the teacher so much she called my parents up to the school. I don't think the issue was that I couldn't do it, I think I had/have issues using my imagination.

 

[MoCoffee]

Wow, I have discovered since my recent diagnosis that a lot of what made me "different" and "odd" as a kid was due to my Asperger's. I was so oblivious to the social cues that I could never understand if someone was joking, lying, or serious. I never smiled. I would give my opinion in converations that I had overheard, but not been a part of. I didn't understand that books could be fictional, so I thought every thing I read was the truth until about grade 3. I did really well in school academically in spite of having no notes (because I was so disorganized), but was terrible at the social aspects. I had terrible co-ordination and couldn't follow a series of directions. I was constantly getting in trouble for "day dreaming", yet it never affected my school work. I lived entirely in my own head, had no understanding of fashion, or self care. I would often say or do inappropriate things because I didn't understand what WAS appropriate. I was extremely sensitive and had no friends. I was bullied all the way through grade school by teachers as well as the students - both emotionally and physically. I had no way to defend myself since I was extremely thin. (I didn't have any body awareness so I didn't realize I was so skinny). I was suicidal by the time I was 10.

On the plus side, I had exceptional concentration if I was interested in a subject, was far ahead of my age group in most areas, and reading became a passion for me. By the time I started high school I learned to keep quiet and how to dress to fit in so school was much better for me.I took music and drama classes a made a couple of good friends who were also a little odd, but I was never able to do the usual social things people do in highschool. No dating, no dances, no parties. I just couldn't handle the stress of being in a group of people.

I am much happier now. I can feel okay about needing so much time alone. I can forgive myself if I say the wrong thing. My friends and family understand that I am not angry at them if I don't get together with them as often as they'd like, it's just I can't tolerate a lot of social interaction. They know I love them, and I'm closer now to my mother than I've ever been.

 

[anne.bc]

I wanted to be friends with everyone. Well, I had all kinds of bullies instead. "What's sarcasm? I thought everyone was being serious!" lol

 

[buckyboy14]

Have extremely focused obsessions and have become an expert on the topics.
Couldn't tie my shoes until I was quite old
Couldn't learn and still can't ride a bike.
Didn't (and still don't) understand why some kids could say things and get away with it but I couldn't (got suspended in junior high for mumbling "I'm going to kill her" when referring to the teacher, figuring it was just a passing statement because "kill" is used in a figurative sense like that all the time).
Would pinch and bite kids when I was young.
Learned to read when I was three and was the best reader in my class by a wiiiiiiiiiiide margin all throughout elementary school; aced all my spelling pretests and never had to take the tests
Always had terrible handwriting.
Have many sensitivities, especially to noises and pain. Kids in elementary school would constantly hit me to see if I would cry out in pain.
Had an unbelievably messy desk and would constantly be told to clean it, only for it to become messy again the next day.

and on and on and on...

 

[Laughingowl1975]

Was talking in four to five word sentences at 11 months old but could not walk properly until I was about 2
Odd gait when running, I used to flap my hands like I was trying to take off and run slowly in long strides (everyone thought it looked hilarious)
Was reading above average level by age 3
Would draw in a strange way, I would draw squares on the paper like a comic strip and put the pictures in them, but could not fill a page with just one large drawing
Could not tie my shoes or whistle until I was nearly 10 and could not ride a bike until I was 11
Needed help getting dressed at age 8, often got shoes on wrong feet
Could not play sport (poor hand-eye coordination)
Became overwhelmed in noisy crowded situations and would hide in cupboards or under tables or just run away
Bossy, short-tempered and often said things that annoyed or upset others
Would ignore lessons and focus on my interests instead until I was forced to pay attention
Threw tantrums if a book or toy I wanted was missing or not available
Forgetful and often in a world of my own (zone out)
Few friends and often bullied
Clumsy and had trouble colouring within the lines or cutting things out cleanly

 

[Warwick C]

Making friends was an issue for me, still is now. my last year of school was quite lonely i had no friends or class associates as I would term it now.
I have poor eye hand coordination so sports was of no interest as well as trying to understand the rules was beyond me. I have also found my
visual and physical sense of balance was at odds with each other.
A problem for me is working my left from my right direction. I have had, still have trouble wording questions for help.

 

[CJinherPJs]

Separation anxiety; I hated being away from my parents, and can remember starting playgroup, nursery and infant school and crying and screaming inconsolably, sometimes to the point of making myself physically sick, when my mum or dad had to leave. At the time I found it quite traumatic, but I grew out of it once I settled in infant school.
Making friends was hard for me too. I remember wanting to play with the other kids, but didn't understand how to initiate it or join in. I remember that when I was about six I wanted to join in with a game of pirates and aliens with two boys in my class, so I drew a picture of aliens invading a pirate ship and showed it to them; it worked.
I also had trouble with tying my shoelaces and couldn't do it until I was eight. I even had trouble with doing up zips too.
But I was always above average at spelling for some reason, and could spell "autobiographical" at the age of seven. I guess I was just good at sounding the words out in my head, and thinking logically about which letters or combination of letters made certain sounds. My peers were always asking me to spell words they couldn't, but my teachers told me not to.