Watching my nephews play, especially the elder who already has an ASD diagnosis, I am shocked by how similar some of his methods of play are to mine when I was young. There’s lots of organising and very little characterisation.

Maybe characterisation and pretend will come later, and after the development of that way of playing as his peers.

My play developed into governments and kings, queens, and prime ministers. Nobody actually had names!

There was a lot of re-enacting and playing along with the films that were on the television. I remember a lot of my play was copying and mimicking my favourite characters from films and, to a lesser extent, TV.

How much to allistic children copy exactly what’s on the screen? I do not know. Do all neuro-divergent children play the way my nephew plays? I don’t know.

I also spent the morning with my dad. I became aware that conversation with him was him running rehearsed scripts that he’s practiced with others. Getting him off the scripts is difficult, and if derailed he will get back to the scripts as quickly as he can.

I don’t think that’s quite like me, I hope that I am a better listener. However, spotting the pattern and having a compassionate explanation for it helps me to be forgiving of my dad’s oblivious attitude to anything that I say. It’s easier not to be hurt by it.

Interestingly, he asked whether it was weird to watch the same films over and over again.

He has loved John Wayne for longer than I have been alive and can spout forth John Wayne facts until the cows come home – let’s call it his “special interest”.

I said that I was exactly the same and can watch Star Wars films on a loop and an word-perfect in the original trilogy. I am the same with the theme music too.

I said that this kind of repetitive behave and deep interest in a subject is typical of somebody with ASD.

I could see him thinking about it.