Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm writing with concerns regarding my adult son who has autism. I also have autism but my son faces greater difficulty with his diagnosis and struggles to function like most.
My son often describes himself not as one person but as lots of people. He's remained very childlike and hasn't matured like most people do. I asked him about those other people and he showed me a Word document he'd written about them all, thirteen different people with their own names, backstory and appearance.
I have autism too but this is new to me. I don't know what it means, whether it's part of autism or if this is simply a game he plays with himself.
He seems very happy, he's always happy and playing but his Mum is unwell so I wonder if this is his way of coping with the stress in our lives at the moment?
It's interesting that your son has created these "people" for himself. While it's not unusual for individuals with autism to have unique coping mechanisms, if he's happy and it's not causing any issues, it might be his way of dealing with stress. A specialist could provide more guidance if needed.
We will involve professional if he starts becoming distressed but for now he is as happy as he's always been so we're not too worried at the moment.