My son hears voices in his head

KDC

My son is almost 9. He's currently being assessed for autism and we're waiting for an appointment with the clinical psychologist. He was very upset this morning and told me the following. He hears voices in his head and they tell him to do his habits (he has various habits and although they've changed over the last few years he still has some of them). He told me that he has alot more habits than I know about as he does them when I'm not looking and rushes to finish them before I see. Once he's done his habits he can then get on with something that he wants to do. I'm sure its a type of OCD.

He says that he has 2 worlds in his head; the real world and the other one. He's been saying about 2 worlds in his head for at least 2yrs now. When he daydreams at school its like a computer in his head is controlling him he says. The teacher asks them to do a task but due to his daydreaming he's way behind and this upsets him.

He has a very vivid imagination and is an amazing mimic. He says that he's shy but he's very outspoken and is always a hit in school plays/pantos because he's quite a show-off and performer.

Does anybody have experience of a child saying they have 2 worlds in their head? He gets upset and embarrassed about his habits and its breaks my heart when he tries to explain how he feels.

Any thoughts anybody?

Thanks.

**dancingbutterfly**

KDC wrote: »

My son is almost 9. He's currently being assessed for autism and we're waiting for an appointment with the clinical psychologist. He was very upset this morning and told me the following. He hears voices in his head and they tell him to do his habits (he has various habits and although they've changed over the last few years he still has some of them). He told me that he has alot more habits than I know about as he does them when I'm not looking and rushes to finish them before I see. Once he's done his habits he can then get on with something that he wants to do. I'm sure its a type of OCD.

He says that he has 2 worlds in his head; the real world and the other one. He's been saying about 2 worlds in his head for at least 2yrs now. When he daydreams at school its like a computer in his head is controlling him he says. The teacher asks them to do a task but due to his daydreaming he's way behind and this upsets him.

He has a very vivid imagination and is an amazing mimic. He says that he's shy but he's very outspoken and is always a hit in school plays/pantos because he's quite a show-off and performer.

Does anybody have experience of a child saying they have 2 worlds in their head? He gets upset and embarrassed about his habits and its breaks my heart when he tries to explain how he feels.

Any thoughts anybody?

Thanks.

oh KDC, it breaks my heart to read about what's happening to your son. I am so sorry i don't have any experience of what your son is going through, I do of autism however but my brother does not experience anything like this as far as i know.

Im sure (i hope) someone clever will come along and offer some helpful advice.

Hugs x

jm2926

you should post this up a level at MoneySaving in Marriages, Relationships & Families and you will get more replies

jamespir

KDC wrote: »

My son is almost 9. He's currently being assessed for autism and we're waiting for an appointment with the clinical psychologist. He was very upset this morning and told me the following. He hears voices in his head and they tell him to do his habits (he has various habits and although they've changed over the last few years he still has some of them). He told me that he has alot more habits than I know about as he does them when I'm not looking and rushes to finish them before I see. Once he's done his habits he can then get on with something that he wants to do. I'm sure its a type of OCD.

He says that he has 2 worlds in his head; the real world and the other one. He's been saying about 2 worlds in his head for at least 2yrs now. When he daydreams at school its like a computer in his head is controlling him he says. The teacher asks them to do a task but due to his daydreaming he's way behind and this upsets him.

He has a very vivid imagination and is an amazing mimic. He says that he's shy but he's very outspoken and is always a hit in school plays/pantos because he's quite a show-off and performer.

Does anybody have experience of a child saying they have 2 worlds in their head? He gets upset and embarrassed about his habits and its breaks my heart when he tries to explain how he feels.

Any thoughts anybody?

Thanks.

to be fair youve described most 9 year old boys but if you feel he needs help take him to the doctor

**dancingbutterfly**

jamespir - she has, she's waiting for the appointment with a clinical psychologist which will be more help than a gp and I dont think most 9 year old boys experience things like this.

OP definitely repost in moneysaving in marriages, relationships and families for better replies!

KDC

Thank you all of you. My eldest son was and is completely different.

I don't know how to move the post, sorry.

bagginslover

If he'sbeing assessed for autism,I'm guessing he has some level of difficulty in expressing himself effectively? If so, this 'other world' could just be his way of describing his imagnation. I often drift off thinking about other things, and I could indeed be in another world for all the notice I take of the real one! If he is imagining other places and people,and is so deep into the fantasy he switches off, it could be like another 'real' world inside his head, but because of his autism he can't understand what it is properly and so it scares him when he thinks that this 'other' place has taken him away.

The 'habits' you mention could be OCD, could be a symptom of autism, the assessors will be able to tell you more when he's been through it. The voice in his head telling him to do it could just be his own-we all have a voice that we think in But again he might just not understand what it is.

Try not to worry. Hard I know, but as long as hes generally happy and healthy, you're doing a great job

KDC

Thanks. He's a lovely little boy. Checked with clinical psychologist today and he wont be seen until next year - there are 9 children ahead of him on the list. Its an 8 or 9mth waiting list.

I'll see how he goes. If he gets more upset I'll go back to the Paediatrician.

I'll see if I can suss out how to move the post tomorrow.

Thank you all again.

jamespir

my 7 year old has some of the traits you have mentioned he hates noise (babies crying dogs barking the hoover etc) i have a 11 year old niece (she has autism) who is the same he is currently seeing a paedatrician to see if he has autism he hasnt mentioned about voices though so cant really help with that one

Blackpool_Saver

My first thought was that maybe a film or video game had influenced this, I asked my son who is very well up on all that and he says he cannot think of anything similar to what your son is describing, Can you ?
Disorders within the autistic spectrum are very broad, is he hyperactive or clumsy? is he anxious, anxiety can manifest in OCD traits. Is there anyone in the family with mental illness?

My son has ADHD/query bipolar and has had phases of auditory and visual hallucinations......

Ida_Notion

I used to be a bit of a daydreamer at junior school, and I'll always remember my teacher sitting down to talk to me about it and telling me that he used to do the same thing, describing the thoughts of a fairytale world that used to flit through his head, complete with gilded carriages and other stuff that was far more fantastical than whatever mundane things were distracting me (I was probably just inventing a feast to mentally replace a forthcoming school dinner with something actually edible ). I'm no expert, but it seems to me that having 'another world' to drift into is normal, whether it's a world of palatable school meals or a world of fairytales. Maybe your son just needs help to see it as a part of his own thought processes in the same way that we would.

I agree too with the poster who said the 'voice' in his head could be his own, that 'thinking' voice that we've all got. I can 'hear' my own thinking voice now as it reminds me what to write down, but l know that it doesn't sound exactly like my speaking voice as I'm always surprised by how little I sound like I think I do whenever I've heard it recorded - it almost sounds like the voice of a stranger. I think most people are surprised when they hear a recording of their own voices. Maybe your son identifies more with the sound that comes out of his own mouth than the rest of us do, and for him it's the sound in his head that's the stranger.