Acting like a baby

[Kris6886]

I am the step parent of an 8 year old little girl who was diagnosed with ADHD. She clearly has times where she cannot focus or has a hard time however she also talks and acts like a baby which leads me to believe that she may have something different like Aspergers or Autism like a something to that effect any suggestions please

[WanderingBard]

Some say that children with ADHD develop slower and may act 3 years younger. There are also different types of ADHD and severity. Why do you suspect Autism?

One of the key differences between severe ADHD and ASD is people with ADHD are able to be imaginative, whereas people on the autism spectrum have significant difficulty with imagining (this includes imagining what other people may be feeling or thinking ie. theory of mind.)

[ChristinaReader]

Um, you may want a therapist to carefully evaluate her, too. Not to be alarmist, because some kids act like a baby for attention, or because they're tired but sometimes kids who have been abused do that, too. Who evaluated her to start with? Was it her pediatrician or did she see a child psychologist?

[Applecrisp]

I know it’s been a while since you posted, but wanted to share my story in case it helps. I’m the stepparent of an 8 yr old boy. He has combined adhd and is currently being evaluated for some Aspergers symptoms too. He is only just now (after 2 years of counseling) cutting down the regressive behaviors he has had for years (baby talk, crawling around, etc). He seems to do it for attention and to clown around. He does it with other kids and some of them tell him to knock it off. But he rarely listens because he doesn’t respond to social cues well. His counselor suspects immaturity from the ADHD. But also his biological mom encourages the behavior at her house. He is her only child and she seems to want to keep him a baby. So it could be a lot of things—you’re not alone!