• Replies 21 replies
  • Subscribers 90 subscribers
  • Views 8723 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Age regression / age inappropriate behaviour

Peter

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:

  • Age inappropriate behaviour includes public / social age inappropriate behaviour.
  • Age inappropriate hobbies and activities will mean you spend a lot of time with people from different age groups
  • Organisations, restricting, penalising or discouraging age inappropriate behaviour are probably breaking age discrimination law in most cases.
Parents

  • This is such an important and nuanced discussion. The point about autistic people having a stronger sense of memory and connection to the past really resonates—when past experiences remain so present, it makes complete sense that behavior and outlook might reflect that.

    The distinction between chronological age and developmental or emotional age is something that comes up often in autism communities. It's not about being "childish" but about having a different relationship with time and experience. I've always found it interesting how we measure age as a simple number, but the reality is so much more complex-especially when trauma, neurodivergence, or memory plays a role.

    For those who need to calculate chronological age accurately for medical or administrative purposes, there are tools available that account for date formatting and timezone differences. I've used an exact age calculator before when I needed to verify dates for documentation, and it's helpful for getting the precise years, months, and days without the mental math.

    The point about society pathologizing what doesn't fit its expectations is spot on. Mixing across age groups is healthy, and the pressure to "act your age" often says more about societal discomfort than about the individual. Thanks for opening up this conversation—it's one that deserves more thought.

Reply

  • This is such an important and nuanced discussion. The point about autistic people having a stronger sense of memory and connection to the past really resonates—when past experiences remain so present, it makes complete sense that behavior and outlook might reflect that.

    The distinction between chronological age and developmental or emotional age is something that comes up often in autism communities. It's not about being "childish" but about having a different relationship with time and experience. I've always found it interesting how we measure age as a simple number, but the reality is so much more complex-especially when trauma, neurodivergence, or memory plays a role.

    For those who need to calculate chronological age accurately for medical or administrative purposes, there are tools available that account for date formatting and timezone differences. I've used an exact age calculator before when I needed to verify dates for documentation, and it's helpful for getting the precise years, months, and days without the mental math.

    The point about society pathologizing what doesn't fit its expectations is spot on. Mixing across age groups is healthy, and the pressure to "act your age" often says more about societal discomfort than about the individual. Thanks for opening up this conversation—it's one that deserves more thought.

Children
No Data