Hi!
Was wondering the other day, because I was diagnosed at age 31, if these two anecdotes are displays of autism when I was a child.
The one is that as a child, and even still as an adult, I have a great aversion to the word 'pardon'. I don't know why - I just hate it. I hate the sound and it just makes me cringe. Just typing it is horrible for me.
One such anecdote was when I was about six and my family and I were having dinner. They all stopped eating and were staring at me all of a sudden. They asked me to say the word. Apparently, I had burped but I swear I hadn't. Even to this day, I won't concede it.
I refused to say it. I didn't have a tantrum or anything, I just clammed up and said nothing. I tried to say that I hadn't burped but they did not believe me. They sent me up to my room - about six adults ganging up on a child!
I went to my room with my dinner getting cold downstairs. Two family members came up to me. One had a go at me and shouted at me to say the P word. I didn't. They gave up and went back downstairs. Another came to see me and was much gentler. But he basically backed me into a metaphorical corner and I then just said it under my breath. This was enough. I was allowed back downstairs.
One of my family members said that I had to say the word again but the person that came to me in my room said that I didn't.
The second anecdote was that, for a long time, I had a problem with the letter B. I hated it and on one occasion, when playing make believe (I only liked doing this if I was in charge and decided who was who), I was told I had to be a character who's name began with B. The name could not be changed as it was a character from a film. I would not do it so I took no part in play that day.
I eventually got over my problem with the letter B when I read a book about a horse named Bella. I love horses and the horse was extremely beautiful. Bella means beautiful so now I associate the letter B with beautiful.
I don't know if this type of behaviour rings true for anyone else with autism. Please let me know.
