Separation anxiety as a sign of Autism

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I've never seen this symptom in all those "Autism Symptom" lists I have read, so I wonder if this is a common symptom of Autism or not. This is something I experienced up until just a few years ago.

When I was younger it was really bad. I cried everyday that my parents had to go to work and I cried everyday that I had to go to school. I remember in Kindergarten I had to sit on the teachers lap, in the front of the class, because I wouldn't stop crying. There are times I can remember crying in the back of the car when we had to drop my mother off at work. Even as I got older I still got sad everyday that I had to go to school, though I didn't cry about it.

I'm just wondering if anybody else experienced this?

Yes, I had/have it too. It wasn't quite as extreme for me as for you though.

The silly thing is that I knew, unless something very bad happened, that I would see them again in a few hours. Still, that wasn't much comfort. I was just a super clingy kid.

I remember when we moved to another town, and I had to switch schools before 1st grade was over. My mom dropped me off at my new school and I cried the entire day, and refused to look at anyone or participate in anything for the first week. I eventually came around, but it was hard. Tooooooo much change.

I had a meltdown every morning when my mother picked up her purse to go to work.

Purse ---> Meltdown

I don't know if it was because of separation anxiety or because I didn't want to go to preschool.

I was a very clingy kid too. I cried whenever I was put down as a baby so my mom took to carrying me around all day. Til I was five would only really talk to family members. When I started riding the school bus it was like someone had died every morning when I had to leave my mom/dad, I would spend the entire bus ride mentally eulogizing them and thinking how awful and brutish the kids around me on the bus were and the entire school day stressed and gloomy.

I never experienced that as a kid but I had lots of problems getting along with my parents & people in general due to my AS & other issues they were not aware of so I wanted to get away to be left alone by myself. However I was clingy with my girlfriends but it got a bit better after I started taking Buspar for anxiety.

On the first day of pre-school, when my mother went though the gate to leave, I flew (ran) over to the fence and clung to it like Spiderman. Then I think I totally lost it. I think I adjusted by the end of the day, though overall, I was a pretty clingy kid.

Ha, that's exactly what I did almost every day in pre-school.

I also could not successfully sleep over at friends' houses until I was in high school (and even then I hated it) without needing to go home because of such bad separation anxiety. I think it's very related to change of routine.

Also, if my parents were going to go away for a weekend, with a family friend staying with my brother and I, they couldn't tell me until the last minute because I would freak the hell out and just go into ballistic meltdown mode.

I was the same way. Although I enjoyed sleep overs when I was older, as a younger child I would cry and get really homesick even though it was just one night that I would be gone.

Even though I didn't talk to her I had a special bond with my mum, still do in a way.

1st day of pre-school I cried until she picked me up.
1st day of kindergarten I cried throughout the day.

In photos of me up until 6 or 7 I'm hugging my arms around her neck in every photo.

Mine was never bad as yours. I had it too in my early years. I always thought I was extremely shy so I would cry when I had to be with other kids alone without my parents. Of course I would adjust eventually. I didn't even want to participate either. I also wouldn't participate in class photos and class programs we put on for parents no matter how long I had been going there for and if I was familiar with the teachers and kids there.

Yes I think I must have had this as a child. Playschool and then school to begin with were pretty awful, aswell as kids parties.

I had problems too with sleeping over at friends houses, even though I kind of wanted to it caused me a lot of anxiety. I have never really linked it with being related to the change of routine but that makes a lot of sense now, thinking about it. I suppose when the world feels like an unpredictable and scary place it is natural to cling onto a constant.

Hello Christian,

What about separation anxiety as a sign of simply not being able to express oneself when one's primary support person leaves? I don't think that it could be considered as sign of autism because babies typically experience this form of anxiety around the age of 8 months when they realize that they are becoming independent beings.Perhaps your anxiety was a more personal symptom (of your own special form of anxiety)? Talking about it is what helps the best.

Best regards,
Lolali

Generally I don't had this kind of "separation anxiety" in my childhood, never because going to school in ordinary way. Only there were some few special cases (<5) when it appeared, but then not weak, but these did not last for more than 30 minutes I think. Some (not all) of these were cases when I was left in unexpected way by my parents.