Anyone else ASD child repeat over and over? Driving me crackers! :)

[SammyK]

DS has two things on his mind at the moment,

the lightning mc queen film script, (which he knows off by heart)

and asking to go to the disney shop for a new toy car.

I said he needs more pennies, he brought me his money box, I said it doesn't have enough money in, he brought me my handbag, I gave him 5p, and explained he needed more, he brought his two brothers money boxes!

He has just woken up and instantly said 'can we go to the lightning mcqueen toyshop today?'

He just repeats on a loop over and over all day, sigh!

DS1 recites animal names. It starts in the morning when he wakes up, and goes on most of the day.

'Dog. Cow. Sheep. Giraffe. Elephant. Bird. Frog...' etc

We have 'around and around the garden' repeated almost all day by DS1, he can say it 200 times in a row and still laugh his socks off and not tire from it.

Although it is driving us slightly up the wall and we are trying to distract him and encourage him onto other things, it is still a joy to hear as up to 6 months ago, we never dare believe he would talk.

I keep saying the mantra that I read on here recently, 'Inmitation -> anticipation -> initiation -> communication!'.

Proceeded by sticking my fingers in my ears

*imitation

DS1 looks at book about elephants (current obsession) and says

elephant

yes elephant - you have to agree with him

elephant in water

yes elephant in water

repeat several times

big elephant in water

yes big elephant in water

repeat several more times

but like Graciefer says we try to see as a positive thing - that he is obessesd with telling us what he likes

Oh yes, Ds1 repeats things all the time. He does immediate echolalia, some dealyed echolalia still. Then there are the repetitive games, i nwhich the same action or phrase is repeated over and over. A particular favourite is to hug his yougner brother, shout "I love Clifford, the big red dog" and then let go. Then repeat. And repeat.
Since the age of two he's counted the house numbers on our street almost every time we've gone out. When we are crossing a footbridge he always says the same thing about the ducks he can see. He is very repetitive when talking about numbers, or things associated with numbers.
I never had any echolalia, but there were times I'd get compelled to say things over and over again. Eg the word "hello" and I still don't know why, it was a compulsion. I've also been told I tend to belabour a point and to stick to only a few topics.

Yep. Not ASD but SLD but all of the above. Drives you mad, doesn't it. Still, at least it is attempt at communication!

Ds2 (5) has an obsession with the Johnny Test cartoon and has to keep repeating certain phrases. Sometimes it can be amusing, like when he needs the toilet and has to repeat "Ohhhhh the pressure's killing me!" in a fake American accent. At other times it can be somewhat embarassing, like when he announces in a packed waiting room "I've got the smooooooothest butt in town!"

oh god yes!
I mention it in a couple of entries here

My ASD son (9) doesn't stop from the minute he opens his eyes to when he closes them at night.

Repetition and reassurance all day long.

My head's totally mangled come bedtime.

yes my ds will repeat same thing rndomly all day such as the shopping list from the morning or something he has heard me say

Wuxiapian - sounds exactly like me and DS, and yours is 9 - oh god maybe I should just accept it then!

Lots of replies, thanks everyone we have been out all morning to break the day up and it I have to say it has worked slightly.

DS repeats phrases, conversations from films, books and questions.

He does the same as cyberseraphim's ds too.

He also at he moment has me saying
'stand by to the starting line' every minute or so.

I love him and his quirkiness but these summer holidays mean it is becomming rather tiring and frazzling!!

Hecate - not seen your blog before it is lovely, I can so relate to it.

Yes, mine is driving me bats at the moment with her constant repetetive sounds. Not even words.. just sounds.

Thank goodness I was a silent one. I repeated everything in my head, not out loud. Still do .

Yup, mine reduces me to tears with reciting scripts from his fave films/dvds/episodes. He also likes me to join in if I've made the mistake of doing so in the past, doesn't matter how many years ago it was... If I can't remember what I'm supposed to say, all hell breaks loose. Also, virtually everything he says is an echoed phrase. When people comment on how much better his speech is getting, I have to smother a big, cynical sigh since I can trace every last utterance to whatever is his fave thing to watch this week.

Ans he's obsessed by penguins. I have to make neepy noises like a baby penguin all day long. Dontcha just love sch holidays???

Once upon a time I'd have chewed my arm off to hear him speak....

DS2 is, as we speak reciting over & over "flip it up, flip it in". In a sing songy sort of voice.
I don't have clue what it means.

Also how do you cope with swearing? to ds2 its just another word, but I don't know how i can teach him to be more selective..

DS2 says 'I know...I know...I know' over and over again if I'm getting him to do something he doesn't like. I HAVE to say it back or he just gets louder and louder.

I know why he does it - it's what I say to reassure him when he's upset. But the repeating doesn't seem to reassure him - he just gets more teary eyed and quivery lipped with every repetition until I distract him.

Had a good one yesterday though. I was showing him a poo in his nappy (we're attempting toilet training).

Me: Look DS2, a poo
Ds2: A poo
Me: Yes
DS2: A poo
Me: Yes, it's a poo
DS2: A POO!
Me: It is a poo
DS2: Winnie a poo.

He then laughed like a drain! Would love to say it's his first joke - but I think it was only because we were laughing so much.

Tclanger - pmsl at "How about you ask me later!"

DD2 doesn't have ASD but she has some autistic traits as part of her syndrome. She perseverates and gets stuck on something, so even though she is non-verbal she will sign things over and over, or bring things to you, or take you to see the same things over and over and over. It's so wearing! And she won't be diverted easily, I have to wait until she is ready to move on.

Whoever it was that said their brain is mangled by bedtime - mine too!

DS4 (3.3yrs) does it to the point of our insanity! Repeats everything that anyone says, then expects to have his words repeated too. and then 15000 rounds of "five little ducks went swimming one day" and then back to repeating stuff... AND HES THE NT ONE!!!

My 4 yr old is the same, no diagnosis of ASD YET, but is in process, he HAS been dxd as 'Autistic Spectrum Tendancies'. He is almost 5, and current obsessions are : singing the chorus from Bon Jovi's 'living on a prayer' 100 times a day, talking about penguins & how he will be a penguin keeper at the zoo when he is 6, asking 300 times a day why we can't have a pet penguin??!! He didn't say his first word 'till he was 3yrs 1 mnth, so I shouldn't really complain, BUT the constant repeating of EVERY sentence he hears from telly is winding his brother & sister up, as they never hear their programmes, and if he sings Living on a Prayer once more my brain might just implode!! is there a solution to this, as it's impossible to divert his attention?