Published on 12, July, 2020
So recently someone I know told me that their doctor had told them one of their symptoms was age regression.
I actually had to look this up to be sure. Apparently it’s a psychological response, it’s quite rare, that’s associated with some mental health conditions, where a person will take on childlike qualities and behaviour and sometimes start acting or believing they are a child. Now every time a mental health professional accuses this person of behaving childishly they remind them that age regression is one of their diagnosis symptoms. This person is autistic but has a ton of mental health conditions on top of that.
However it got me thinking. I am often accused of being childish or immature. Of not acting my age. A lot of autistic people are painted rightly or wrongly as being Peter Pan types. It is perhaps ironic; like many other autistic people as a child adults said that I made a better adult than a child. Too serious, too linguistically precociously, too formal. And now as adults we’re too immature, not self-aware enough, not serious enough. The expectations have shifted from one side to the other and I’ve stayed the same or more the same than people expected.
So todays topic for debate. If not age regression; more generally is age inappropriate behaviour a symptom of autism? And if it is a natural aspect of autism to what extent should society be expected to accept and include it?
Here are some things to consider:
Obviously there are times when you need to be more "grown-up", but most of the time we don't, why can't we play and approach life with a playfull attitude? Nearly all self improvement, personal development stuff say that recapturing a child like wonder and enjoyment of the world is crucial for mental health and well being. We may not always get the balance right, but that dosen't mean we should stop, being playful with the world increases our creativity and productivity. People who want everyone to be serious all the time are often unhappy and go around with a face like a cats bum, why would youo want to be like that?
Do you think thinkk some people are seriously neurotypical? We get pathologised according to what we can and can't do, so why dosen't someone turn their diagnostic tools onto NT's and see if their neurology inhibits their opportunities, careers and general life chances?