Imaginary hand play in 12 year old. What disorder could this be?

My 12 year old plays imaginary games with his hands. this has been going on since he was little. He used to do it openly, but now tries to hide it. What disorder could this be?

What exactly is he doing wrong? Using his imagination?

I don't think it's a disorder at all--since I did the same thing at his age. It is a sign of an active mind and imagination and right now he needs a way to act out what he is thinking.

He will probably outgrow it. You might want to encourage him to start doing some creative writing. This became my avenue to outgrowing hand play. I am currently a radio news anchor and writer. With a little work he can probably do even better.

Is he good at drawing? If he is I would encourage him to draw what he is imagining, rather than hand-playing it.

He is hiding it because he senses you don't approve--or perhaps you have indicated you disapprove. Or perhaps what he is acting out is very personal and he doesn't want to share. He is probably somewhat embarrassed if he thinks people think this is too childish. (As a child I sometimes liked to play with dolls, not a boy-like behavior and I was not gay. Again, it was acting out, not anything else.)

If there are other signs that it could be a disorder, then have him tested. Otherwise, chalk it up to creativity and try and channel him in other directions--but don't worry if the hand-playing continues.

He will outgrow it.

Alone this is nothing, but if he has social withdrawal, reduced language skills, sensory issues etc then he may fall on the autism spectrum. If he has other signs of PDD or Autism please get him tested otherwise, don't worry he is just creative. Give him paint, crayons, markers etc to put his imagination on paper.

My hand played a HUGE role in my life when I was 12. Actually it still does. Budumpbump!