Something kind of freaky happened today.

I had just put some towels in the dryer and turned into the hallway going toward the front door when a neighbor girl - 14 maybe? (who I had never met - but was somewhat aware that she has some kind of disability) opened the front door and made a beeline for the kitchen - she grabbed a jar of pickles from the counter and grabbed one, ate it and then looked around and saw a banana and ate that.

What a commotion with our dog freaking out and all and her dog was waiting outside for her.

I tried talking with her - I don't even remember what I said. She never said a word. I figured I should go look for her mother. So I suggested my husband keep an eye on her while I went to find her mother who was in the process of coming over.

Meanwhile the girl raided the fridge and ate some leftovers - but left with her mother when she got there.

I'm guessing she is autistic.

My daughter just sat watching the scenario without saying a word, either.

That is weird. Good thing your family didn't freak. How old is your daughter?

is 20. But I think she has Asperger's ( a "high"-functioning autism) - and SHE gets freaked out pretty easily by unexpected things.

She's not sociable to much of a degree - but she doesn't cross "boundaries" like this.

She does have some difficulties like - she doesn't drive, for instance.

It does kind of put things in perspective for me - the challenges I have - or that I worry about for my daughter pale in comparison to what this girl and her mother must deal with every day.

(We're keeping the door locked now).

My nephew, 20, has Asperger's too. He doesn't drive. He doesn't socialize well. He gets freaked out very easily.

My sister, his mom, gets your today's perspective every day. She runs the library at a school for kids with severe learning disabilities.

BTW, don't let your neighbor's troubles make you think you shouldn't feel stress about your own. I don't believe in comparative misery. :hi:

:shrug:

The people who have it have an insatiable obsession with food. Their families have to keep food in their homes locked up. Whatever mechanism in the brain that tells someone to stop eating does not kick in for them.

I'm wondering if that is what your neighbor has. Try googling it, and perhaps you'll get a better idea.

Good luck. Poor kid.

She's NOT overweight - so I don't know. Her mother did say that she usually (?) raids the neighbors kitchen.

They would have to keep food under lock-down if she were trying to eat like this all of the time.

My cousins daughter, who is terribly learning disabled has exhibited the same behavior in the past. She would go into neighbors houses quite often and help herself to what ever food she wanted. Most she ate there, but some she took with her for later, such as canned soup and chips. She isn't autistic but she is severly challenged.

It seemed to hit its peak around the time of puberty and has since stopped. I would expect that now that it has happened once, it could very well happen again. You might want to invest in a lock for your screen door if you leave your regular door open during the day. It will keep her from entering when you might be otherwise occupied and not notice her quickly enough to deter her.

but I will now.

My husband and I were speculating that he had gone over to their house recently to see if a ball that had blown into our yard was theirs. So she might have decided to pay us a social visit - and this is her method.

She is 13 and developing very rapidly; she is top student academically but socially is struggling. She is a delight and yet has some boundary issues. She seems to be hungry often (like growing teens) Not exactly like your scenario, but I have discovered that laying out clear rules for how you feel and what is expected on your property behavior-wise works for this girl. Not in a stern or lecturing manner, just clear talk. Of course, it is impossible to predict response & I'm not much help at all!

to find out more information from my neighbors. I am probably more sympathetic about the problem than my neighbors realize.

Of course they were totally embarrassed. I wondered what the best response was to this. The girl seemed to ignore anything I said.