DS struggling with higher conversation levels so using delayed echolalia

[Barmymummy]

DS has recently seen a paed and a SALT regarding his mild behaviours. Turns out he is a tiny bit on the spectrum but most of his problems are his language including repitition of things he says. He has a huge vocab but muddles his pronouns (he/she) and gets confused with who, how and why questions.

Example today is:

How did you make those biscuits DS?
At playschool!
No, how did you make them?
With Mrs Wallace!

Also, has an incredible amount of stored up phrases/answers that he amazingly applies in all the right contexts! SALT says he is broadly age appropriate and with a handout she is sending us and with our help that he may well sort alot of this out in his own time etc. If not, she will get involved and help him in groups or in school.

He does have alot of spontateous speech and is constantly engaging us (and friends) and asking us questions and is able to answer questions that can't be rehearsed/practiced such as what did you do at playschool today? So its really just whats coming out of his mouth as opposed to encouraging it out!

She says that he is struggling with 'higher conversational skills'. Can anyone tell me their experiences of how their child developed with this and how they were helped? There used to be alot of delayed echolalia from the TV/books but whilst still doing it, it is now a fraction of what it was. I'm just finding it hard to hear him asking everyone the same questions and telling them the same things as he can't think up anything new to say iykwim....

Interesting thread - am at a similar stage with DS - and SALT seems similarly unconcerned with the confusion when answering questions.... (DS has actually been signed off SALT as on formal assessment he is now within normal range

with the he/she - yep, DS just got that with time.

with the question words - SALT suggested doing visuals along with the words (so you can have signs or pictures). DS also did a "narrative" group last year - that was good with the question words - but main purpose of the group was in sequencing/so to put together stories.

Hi total, thanks for your reply.

So how come your SALT has signed him off if he is still having confusion with questions? Is she saying it will come with time?

tbh I think we are being fobbed off that because he does fine in the assessments - which are all based on him talking/answering questions about pictures in front of him, and because school don't have concerns - so I keep being told it's all normal despite my lingering doubts. in the past when I've expressed concern about DS's conversational skills they have said it will come with time. In terms of higher level skills - they only seem interested in sequencing/predicting what happens next, not more advanced social skills.

How old is your DS total? Mine is 4 in 2 weeks time

What bits of conversational skills is your little man struggling with? Mine fully understands turn taking, checking eye contact, all that sort of stuff, its just the repetitive stuff and not getting the more indepth questions....

5.2. My DS struggles with the same stuff as yours. So sounds like yours is further on languagewise than my DS given the years difference!

Oh and I should say that because he struggles with what to say to a little boy that comes up to him he tends to just roar at them and does this whilst playing. Its his way of engaging with them and keeping their attention....does that make sense?!

I think you have to see his use of stored phrases as something quite clever. If he has word retrieval or language problems then using stored phrases is a good way round the problem of engaging and conversing with someone.

So what I'm saying is that yes, his reliance on those shows he has some problems with language, but he is using them as a means of overcoming some of his problems with interaction. So yes continue with SALT exercises and language, but have a look at what he's doing with his stored phrases, if he's making himself understood then he has won half the battle. You can support him to become more fluent as he grows.

oh yes - when DS was your DS's age, SALT was quite sanguine about his echolalia - that he used it as a strategy - he knew he should be responding, wasn't sure what to respond, and so guessed at an appropriate response iyswim.

Just had to google the word 'sanguine' Will have to remember that word

Yes you are right Mrsturnip, it really is very very clever! When I think how much he must have stored up in his little brain, its really quite mind blowing! Even more so that he gets it completely in context everytime.

He tries to say everything to other people using a very exaggerated tone of voice or copying the way someone says something but as soon as I say to him "DS, use your own voice/words", he switches it straight off and speaks properly with no silly tone of voice. He CAN learn things very well, its just getting him to understand the more complex stuff!!

Thanks for your replies, means such alot to me to know others have simliar issues as its not something you come across alot in your own little town. Thanks xx

BTW, tell me the roasring stops in time....PLEASE!!!!!

roaring, sorry!

i'm interested in you telling your ds to use his own voice/words. that's a strategy we may start to use too. we're scottish, and the only things that ds says in a scottish accent are "phone" and "cute". the rest is said in postman pat's voice, or fireman sam's welsh accent

we've come to accept ds's learned phrases as a fairly useful strategy. concerns resurface when his repetitiveness flares up every few weeks, and it becomes difficult to "get through" again. not sure what causes the flare ups.

Robin - it was before I realised that DS was not doing this on purpose so I used to get a bit irritated with it He was going through a spell of just repeating stuff from the TV nearly all the time at random so I would say "DS, who says that?" He'd say chalie & lola for example and I would say "Don't copy C&L, use your own words" and something seemed to click. So I just gently remind him when I hear him say something out of context or copying the TV/book (which is not very much at all now). Does seem to work but I do pick my moments carefully as I don't want to put him off trying to talk altogether!!

I found that through the Easter hols he gained a whole new vocab and with it has come less need to copy iykwim.