Guest guest Posted March 13, 2007 Report Share Posted March 13, 2007 An imaginary friend can be a source of anxiety reduction and indication that your child has a desire for companionship. These are both good things. It is only a problem if it interferes with him making " real " friends or if it seems like it's an hallucination (very rare cases). So, keep an eye on him and follow your mama instincts. Don't call excess attention to it but allow it. If your son tells you something about Carl, you can just say " ok " or something else short and sweet. In most typical development, imaginary friends appear around the time when kids have other signs of " magical thinking " such as monsters under the bed. It is usually a phase they will pass through. Most likely, he will one day tell you that Carl moved away or something like that. In the meantime, don't overinterpret it and encourage interaction with real kids as much as possible. Hope this helps, Kellie (mom to Sam, 4, autism, and psychologist) > > My 7 y.o. HFA has an imaginary friend. How do I handle this? It > started today and he's being very imaginative w/ the story. " Carl " > lives in the attic and eats dust. He's even having conversations w/ > him. Should I incorporate " Carl " into our daily lives? I just don't > what to expect or how this started? > > Thanks > > Lorie Mancuso > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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