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SN children

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Original poster

Repeating the same phrases over and over..................

13 replies

chuckeyegg · 27/04/2012 16:07

Do I ignore these? I think they are DS way of starting conversation and obviously I don't want to stop this but he gets stuck on them and they all come out and there is quite a lot of them now.

I am happy that he is talking but it's quite difficult sometimes.

I'm sure there's good advice you can give me please.

OP posts:

Ineedalife · 27/04/2012 16:52

Do they go something like "To infinity and beyond" or "Hello Thomas, I am the fat controller"???

Dd3 used to start lots of conversations with this kind of thing, it is quite common for children to begin to communicate by repeating phrases that they have heard, its called Echolalia[sp].

Just keep talking to him and he might hopefully start adding some bits of his own and then he will be off.

good luck.

Ineedalife · 27/04/2012 16:56

Just to add and to make you smile, when Dd3 was about 3 her Grandpa [my dad] dropped in for a rare visit. She got very over excited and when he sadi hello to her she ran and stood right in front of him and looked up and said "No Buzz.... I am your Father!!!" and then she ran off again. {grin]

His face was an absolute picture, it was so funny. Strangely though he stopped coming around after that.

bialystockandbloom · 27/04/2012 18:34

Does he have a dx of anything? How old is he?

Without knowing, but assuming he's quite little and has a communication/development disorder/delay (asd? s&l delay?)...

You could try taking what he has said and starting a 'conversation' of your own from it - ok it might be one-sided amd feel like talking to yourself, but it will model conversation for him. And distract him from the repetition.

Or ignore it completely. When he stops, then talk very animatedly about something else (anything else, something out of the window, what the cat's doing, what you're doing etc), and get him involved in the interaction eg pick him up to show him what you're talking about.

Echolalia is a good sign really - shows he has a desire to communicate, just needs to be shown and taught how to do it.

Original poster

chuckeyegg · 27/04/2012 18:52

He is 5 with ASD, sorry I normally put that in. :) Thank you both for your good advise I certainly don't want to discourage him.

I think ignoring it and trying to talk about something relevant is what I will try. I think it's because he wants a conversation but doesn't know where to start.

OP posts:

bialystockandbloom · 27/04/2012 19:02

I think you're right, it's almost certainly because he wants to have a conversation but doesn't know how to start it. Sounds similar to my ds (asd) when he was around 2-3yo - he was verbal but non-conversational. He had some echolalia, usually repeating back a question someone had asked him because he basically didn't know how to answer it.

Does he have any SALT? If so they should be working on strategies to help this.

Original poster

chuckeyegg · 27/04/2012 19:18

He has just got a new SALT, the 3rd one! They all leave to go on maternity leave. I will speak to her when I see her.

Thanks again

OP posts:

coff33pot · 28/04/2012 22:54

Hi Chuckey :)

Been thinking about this a bit.

I think he is actually having and trying to join in conversations chuckey. Remember when we met. He was repeating the line "not going to xxxxx yet" but it was a greeting from him at first to which I was replying "no not yet" but the convo stuck because all I was doing was answering his statement and he couldnt get no further. But when I replied "not yet we got to dig a whole first and started, he said his full repetitive sentence then "dig"

He couldnt say the whole sentence I had said but picked out the important action.

Same when he was playing with daddys glassess he was told "stop it" and so repeated "stop it" stop it" then said it to my DS who said "stop what? I havent done anything"

But when I was telling DS when littlechuckey was watching me that he didnt mean you he is telling you he must stop playing with his daddys glasses, little chuckey said "not going to xxxxx yet, stop it, glasses"

I am not a salt at all but I think he is using the repetitive sentences purely because he has not quite yet learnt how to place all the words he is taking in to form complete sentences in the right order of his own iyswim.

The conversations we were having did seem onesided from an outsiders point of view but in actual fact he was communicating and wanting to join in and have a conversation and using the words he was most comfortable with :)

And btw hes gorgeous!

Original poster

chuckeyegg · 29/04/2012 08:20

Thanks coff33pot. We went to help at the school doing some digging in the vegetable patch, there was a French lady there (who spoke no English) who looked really similar to you and he totally confused her by saying "Back to " all the time.

Your DS was lovely too and so thoughtful to my DS.

I really shouldn't complain because if sometime told me a year ago he would be saying sentences I would have been delighted. I know he has the words it's just helping him get them out meaningfully.

OP posts:

claw4 · 29/04/2012 08:39

Ds is 8 and ASD, he often repeats lines from TV his latest is "have you seen my dad" a line from the film 'flushed away'. He will walk up to people and randomly say this. I explain to him that not everyone has seen this film and wont know the line and maybe he should ask 'have you seen flushed away' instead.

He also choose "my mum smokes weed" and randomly said this to people too! A header from Jeremy Kyle I dont know what is more embarrassing, the fact he tells them i smoke weed (i dont!)or that i then have to admit that i have watched JK

saladsandwich · 29/04/2012 20:27

my 3 and half year old ds with speech and language delay is doing this constantly but he is verbal and although he isn't holding conversation very well he is speaking in sentences.

in the doctors he copies all the names shouted out or shouts his own or mine , in cafes he copies the order numbers shouted out, T.V particularly adverts he copies, conversations he will eaves drop and start copying bits but he's getting worse with it not better but his speech is improving?

Shellywelly1973 · 30/04/2012 00:01

Sorry claw that bit about "my mum mum smokes weed" made me giggle!!
My DS sounds very much like salads DS but my son didn't have any delay in speech, he spoke in long complicated 'adult' sentances at 20 months.My Ds 7 uses lines from T.V but his favourite at the moment is 'sorry no houmous today'??!! He says it dozens of time a day, another pupil at school said it about a month ago, he even copies the tone of the other persons voice.

I don't try to stop it, but he seems to be getting worse as he is getting older, i was told by SALT it normally improves with age...

justaboutisnowakiwi · 30/04/2012 03:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

claw4 · 30/04/2012 09:45

That kid will get me hung one day i swear

Ds also tries to do accents too, if he hears a different accent he tries to copy, they all end up sounding Scottish for some reason!

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