Taking things very literally

[142857]

Yesterday my wife took my 5-year-old son along shopping for a white buffalo (for her father's funeral).

When my wife explained that they were at the market to buy one of the buffaloes, my son said "but Mummy, there isn't enough room in the taxi for a buffalo".

When it was explained that his Uncle would come back later and pick up the buffalo in his truck, my son asked "how is Uncle going to carry the buffalo into the truck".

Last week, when my wife was trying to decide whether to take him along to Sulawesi to go buffalo shopping, she asked him "do you want to stay home with Daddy or come to Sulawesi with Mummy and your sister?". His reply was "but my sister is still sleeping". For my son, any question or statement must include a specific time frame or it is assumed to mean "right now". No exceptions.

When we were living in Bangkok we once flew to Hong Kong for a few days. My wife mentioned that my son hadn't been to the toilet for a "#2" yet. I said that he had done one earlier in the restaurant. My son, still 3 years old, was very indignant about this. He just about shouted "I didn't poop in the restaurant, I pooped in the dunny (toilet)".

I'm not sure if it is okay to find this sort of thing amusing, but he really makes us laugh sometimes.

I have read about Aspies taking speech very literally, but I can't remember being like this as a child. Perhaps I was.

 

[superboyian]

I would used to take things pretty literally, even if the person was being sarcastic (because at the time, I didn't understand what sarcasm was).

If anybody was saying in a sarcastic way, "This is very interesting" my response would be that I would lit up with excitment, and what I just said, I would of thought you lit up a fire. :lol:

Things has changed over the years, I even recognize what sarcasm is and the tone of voice of the person of how they are saying it.

142857 - I find your story really interesting.. I would of been the same if I was his age. xD Apart from having speech delays back then.

 

[142857]

142857 - I find your story really interesting.. I would of been the same if I was his age. xD Apart from having speech delays back then.

Superboy, I also had the speech delays myself. I'm not sure how I was at 5 years old, but I remember having speech therapy until I was about 8 years old. My son skipped the speech delays. He speaks very proper, very formally, with pretty much an adult vocabulary. A real case of "little professor syndrome".

 

[Calvert]

My brother is always telling me that I take things literally. I do know sarcasm when I hear the tone of voice but detecting it on the internet can be a nightmare.   :lol:

I don't think I take things literally, at least not as literally as your son.

 

[Sipe]

I don`t remember much about my childhood but I do remember that I used to take things literally. But today I can easily recognize sarcasm and irony from speech just like any other "normal" person. According to what my mother has told me about my childhood, your son pretty much resembles me when I was a kid.

 

[142857]

I remember some time ago a man asking my son "are you going to school yet?".

His answer was simply "no!".

The man asked him "why not?".

My son replied "Because it is night time. School is only open in the day time!".

The other funny thing is that he totally lacks guile, is totally unable to be deceptive. Which leads to some funny moments. I am the same way, I lack guile. I wonder if that is a common trait? My wife thinks that my son and I are good people because we can't tell lies. Whereas I think we would both tell lots of lies if we didn't totally suck at it, we are not somehow morally superior because of an Aspie trait that makes us bad at lying.

 

[Emor]

I agree with you on the morality thing.
I personally am okay at lying, I've made some maaaajor lies, but the small things I just suck at.
Sometimes I have a day when I suck at socialising and stuff and if someone asks my name(it happens everytime at the shoe shop for some reason no matter how many times I tell my self before not to do it) I'll give my entire name while my brother or sister will just say their first name, and sometimes I'll take people very literally and then be like 'ohhh'. Usually though the literal responses are just in my head and I can figure out that they weren't looking for that response. It's weird because I also have horrible coordination on those days(like, I can't navigate around my bed room without tripping up on _nothing_), and it seems all of my traits are more evident.
Though I don't think I'm very literal to be honest, compared to some people, and at times, I'm actually a total sarky ***** rofl.
EMZ=]

 

[Calvert]

 With regards to lying, I can lie OK but I rarely do. The main time you'll find me lying is when it involves homework or coursework not been done. One time I couldn't think up of anything so I said my dog ate it. The whole class burst out laughing.   :lol:

 

[Kit]

To me it's normal for kids that young to take things literal so it's hard to tel what is AS and what isn't since it's normal in kids that young.

I don't remember if I took things that literal, if I did, everyone would have said it's normal. I can remember the time my brother wanted to ride a cow because he wanted to be a cowboy so he thought cowboys rode cows. My parents and my grandfather was telling him he can't ride a cow, he can ride a horse. He said he wanted to be a cowboy and they said cowboys ride horses and he said if they ride horses, why are they called cowboys. He was about five then.

I think things are easier for aspies when they are young because you expect them to be literal and say inappropriate things and no one will get mad at them or assume they are being a smart ass. But as they get older, people expect more out of them and expect them to know right from wrong in what not to say and what to say and they assume they're being a smart ass or pulling their leg.

I can lie because as a child I used to lie to try and stay out of trouble and I remember making stuff up. Sometimes I unintentionally lie because I didn't understand. Like people keep asking me something and I didn't know the answer and then finally I make something up thinking they wanted me to answer so I guess I did intentionally lie there.

 

[xrobertxdavisx]

I still take alot of things litrally, especialy with sarcasm I still cant tell when someone being sarcastic.

 

[142857]

I can lie OK but I rarely do.

I can lie. I am just really bad at it. Can't make up convincing lies, can't keep them consistent, can't think on my feet if someone questions me about the lie.

 

[142857]

To me it's normal for kids that young to take things literal so it's hard to tel what is AS and what isn't since it's normal in kids that young.

My son isn't officially diagnosed with anything. If anything I think he would fall under mild PDD-NOS. He is very sociable and he makes friends easily with other kids and with adults, but it is painfully obvious that he doesn't pick up social cues. Ever.

I wonder if it is possible for a kid with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers in his genes to pick up a bunch of traits while he is still a baby/little kid (just enough to scare his parents) then grow out of them? The endless pacing around the room, ADHD, extreme verbosity, odd play patterns like lining things up or stacking things, seem to be becoming a lot less noticeable.

I strongly believe in providing a safe, loving, supportive and happy home environment for a child to grow up in. I hope that is enough.

 

[Kit]

My little brother was rigid and a very picky eater. He wanted things done a certain way or he tell everyone to "start over." Then he out grew it because my mom wouldn't give in and she got him to eat what she made when he was eight because he got tired of having corn dogs every dinner. My mom refused to make him anything else so she always had corn dogs for him to cook and he got tired of having them.

So NT kids with aspie traits can outgrow theirs.

 

[BruceCM_Aspergic]

Supposedly, I still take a lot of things 'too literally'. Only problem being the difficulty of sorting out what IS meant by them. Then, suddenly, most of it doesn't matter. So, all the effort I put into understanding and trying to do all that is dismissed. Strangely, although I'm not supposed to do ANY of the things that were part of socialising, any more, I'm still supposed to socialise. Where most of that approach is NOT agreed and accepted. And does not make ANY sort of sense, to me. Others are welcome to do whatever they do like according to any sort of sense they choose, etc.

 

[rikk]

I'm not sure how much I do it now but I know I used to a lot,being objective about your own behaviour is

really hard.

 

[Chris]

Usually I can avoid taking things literally to most of the extreme extents described - its just i'll slip up every now and again and end up saying something stupid, much to anyone else's amusement.

 

[BruceCM_Aspergic]

Well, it's very strange. Presumably, I'm taking it too literally, somewhere? Only, after being told that, I'm supposed to carry on doing it! That doesn't make ANY sense, to me. Any ideas, please?

 

[Ferdinand]

Your child seems quite adorable.

 

[Sean2222]

I remember some time ago a man asking my son "are you going to school yet?".

His answer was simply "no!".

The man asked him "why not?".

My son replied "Because it is night time. School is only open in the day time!".

The other funny thing is that he totally lacks guile, is totally unable to be deceptive. Which leads to some funny moments. I am the same way, I lack guile. I wonder if that is a common trait? My wife thinks that my son and I are good people because we can't tell lies. Whereas I think we would both tell lots of lies if we didn't totally suck at it, we are not somehow morally superior because of an Aspie trait that makes us bad at lying.

So why owuld you want to be good at lying or being deceptive? Because nt's are so much so it is sickening>?> We have asperger's but that also means we have morals and character. Keep it that way;

 

[smithgirl656]

i'm told i take things literally, all the time by my family