Is it normal for young boys or children to enjoy being in tight spaces? Like closed boxes, duffel bags, storage totes, etc.

My 8 yr old son does this a lot and someone told me it is a sign of autism.

Could this be true?

Oh, man my son (5) LOVES it!! He loves to make a house out of boxes or pillows, or sit under the sink in the cupboards while I am cleaning. I believe this is just normal behavior.

Everything you speak of, my son LOVES. He scored high on his Brigance Test, so I am sure he is not autistic. Anyway, Autism usually rears its head around the age of 3. So I think you are safe here.

THanks J_9, I think it is normal too, but my friend with a PhD thinks other wise?

Well, it is possible. But I'll be the first to tell you that my son LOVES to climb into boxes and under cabinets and into duffel bags, etc. I can't tell you all the places he loves to make a "house" and he is FAR from autistic.

It may be a common denominator for autism but it is common among many children also.

Working with kids in the past, I do know that they LOVE closed spaces like small tents, boxes, and what ever they can find. There was an episode of RugRats when all Tommy wanted was a box for his birthday, I believe it was his birthday! Anyway kids, especially little boys love closed spaces to hide in or create there on space. I think there are much worse and more noticeable symptoms of Autism and you would have probably already noticed if your child suffers from it. I am sorry but I do think you were given crappy advice.

If you Google Autism you will find a variety of symptoms and there are quite a few including speech impairment, etc. I couldn't find any info about closed spaces as being a symptom but one symptom is that the kid likes being alone and not around other people. There are a bunch of other really notiscable symptoms also that you can look for also like attachments to certain objects, likes being alone, resists cuddling, speech problems, outbursts, tantrums, abnormal play, little or no eye contact, happier playing alone, lacks response to others, appears death when actually not and there are a few more.

Where I volunteer I've worked with a lot of kids with autism
I'm sure by 8 years old you would know if he was autistic, or at least a more major case of autism. Mostly the behaviors I've seen are off in their own world and not very socially interactive, or no interaction at all. I used to make tunnels and camps when I was little all the time. I seriously doubt this is autism, but if you're really worried go somewhere where they'll screen him.