How did you play as a child?

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At school, I would've pretended to be Super Mario doing levels in the yard with pretend hazards and stuff. I also remember a time where I had to travel to the center of the earth in a game of my own. I did all of this on my own.
At home, I would've done the same thing and play video games, especially Mario games (Special interest). I had toy cars, I can't remember if I played with other toys or not that I had. Maybe I'll ask my parents.

I didn't have an imagination for a long time, then in grade 4 I suddenly had a huge imagination! I made up imaginary worlds, played dress-up, etc. Never with anybody else, I was completely happy to play by myself.

I was definitely an interesting case, as I was encouraged to play with the other kids by the adults--and I figured they knew something I didn't--but apparently when I tried they didn't want me playing with them, or they'd do whatever was necessary to get rid of me as soon as possible, or something like that.

I even tried doing exactly how it looked like they were doing it, but apparently something to them was...off.

Well, we all know what wound up happening, and why, so I have no major complaints or regrets.

When I was a child
I used to play with the kitchen toys a lot
I was the type of kid that only wanted to play with the same toy all the time.

that was when i was at day care

other times i liked playing with dolls, and reading books.

My play was very repetitive, and it did often involve lining up or categorizing toys. I was an only child, so I usually got to play by myself, in my own little world. On the rare occasions when I would have friends over, they would have to play Barbies MY way. I hated playing with friends for more than a few hours, because there was always the chance that they would mess up the storylines I wanted to pursue. I always have been very imaginative, so this showed in my doll play. The whole thing about all Aspies not being imaginative is pure nonsense. Tony Atwood clearly addresses how many Aspies live in their own fantasy world. This is me.
-Hypercoaster1989-

I would play with other people, but often pretending things. Like I would pretend to be a wolf and I would chase them. They eventually got tired of it and stopped playing with me which sucked.
Fifth and sixth grade I would go to the library every day or whenever I had the chance and look up random crap in books.
Back in preschool I remember playing by myself. And 5th and 6th grade I would also sometimes talk to the teachers who were watching us.
7th and 8th grade I would hang around with friends. And in 9th and 10th grade now I would just be with acquaintances. I wouldn't call them friends because I don't know them very well or well enough to call them that.
But when I was little I would always try to find something to keep me busy. And I would often watch movies or tv or go on the computer. I also used to play with these little dinosaur figurines, and I would set them up like in Jurassic Park, which back then was my favorite movie, and I would set them up according to the time periods during which they lived (like Jurassic, Triassic, Cretaceous etc) and I would never let anyone touch them. I would just look at them.
Now I just mess around on my iPod or write stories or paint. Sometimes I even imagine things and go off in my own little world, which actually is one of the many subjects I'm writing my stories on.
When I'm alone with nothing to do I'll just imagine. It's not a last resort or anything, it's just that when I do imagine I lose focus completely and that can sometimes cause problems for me. Especially if I do that in school.

thanks Brandon J and Mudandstars!

I used to have a whole bunch of lincoln logs and "characters" to occupy the towns that I would build. I also had many materials for the terrain. A blue satin sheet for oceans, lakes and rivers. A green towel for grasslands. A red and black blanket for lava. A brown towel for dirt. A white towel for snow. I would stuff various things underneath the blankets and towels to make hills and mountains.

I would build my town and then carefully arrange all of my characters in the town, positioning them in postures to appear as if they are interacting with each other. I would not move the characters after I was done arranging them. I would just arrange them and look at the glorious town that I made.

Then I would just leave the town there, on the floor, for as long as it could stay. I would get quite upset if someone tried to move characters around in my town, or destroyed my town altogether.

There's different ways to play besides with toys. Maybe try other things, and you'll probably have to play with him to make it interesting.

Have you tried - going to the beach and searching for seashells, rocks, or coins to make a collection out of?

Going to the museum and learning about dinosaurs, knights, mummies etc?

Taking a pottery class or learning to make things (including messes!) with clay, paint, or wood?

If he likes planes, trains or boats have you taken him to watch an airport, train station, or loading dock?
A lot of the time trips like these lead to discussions, which can lead to new ideas of things you can try at home to have fun.


Does he like to cook? I bought my son a little chef's hat and apron and he bakes with me or Gramma sometimes.
If he likes movies, how about getting him a childrens' video camera and coming up with a movie he can film himself. Play "director".
Ever built a fort out of blankets, towels, or snow?

Just think outside of the box a little and you both will find some fun things to do.

I liked puzzles and coloring and reading. When I played with other kids I didn't understand what was going on or was too overbearing, as in nearly smothering them with affection. But most of the time I just talked to teachers. I did do pretend-cooking, pretend-house, etc... but got in trouble at school for it for screaming and such. I guess I got too into it (someone pretended to be a robot while I was doing laundry).

I don't really remember much of what I did when I played. But really I just talked to adults most of the time, and enforced rules.

By myself, but I had a very good imagination. Eventually I learned to tell my sister what to do, and she joined in well enough because she tends to be the "live and let live" type. I had some repetitive stuff; and I loved making patterns with dried beans and pasta, and playing with Legos; but I also played hospital and school as a child. The plots of the games tended to be repetitive, but they were original. I liked to arrange things into patterns and I absolutely loved rocking or swinging. It was more "odd" play than "absent". But then, once I learned to read, at about four years old, most of my free time was spent reading. I didn't really spend very long just "playing", per se. My leisure hours ended up being more "leisure" than true "play" not long after my preschool years ended.

Plastic army men were what I used. And tanks, and jeeps, and tents etc.

I always used to set them up in bases and line them up as though they were going to fight, but it never happened. I couldn't even consider making them shoot each other, that just seemed stupid. Especially since there were only a few tan men and mostly greens.

And dinosaurs, I put them in rows or on furniture.

I also played with video cases, I stacked them and made castles out of them. There were only two people I would play with, my sister, who shared similar interests, and this guy who liked army men as much as I did, he was three years older than me and lived quite a long way away, sadly, I haven't seen him for a long time.

Most interestng this discussion. Me, recent incomer - less than three months realizing I am in the spectrum. I mostly played with my two younger sisters - each sesion might be interrupted any time with "Mommy, he's bothering us" - at which point invariably I was pulled out. Various official games - cards, board games, pre-electronic battleship. But a lot was like, for example, playing with marbles. We would sometimes shoot them, more often K and C would do stories with the big ones as king and queen, etc. And me - only reading this thread did I realize the significance - I mostly sorted and classified them. As I did and do and will do sort and classify everything.

Sports, any game involving more than a half dozen players or relying on speed or competitivendess, forget it.