Echolalia and Autism

Echolalia

Echolalia is the involuntary repetition of words or phrases spoken by others or heard through some type of medium. Echolalia is a phenomenon that is common among children with autism. While the typically developing child develops speech through imitation, these imitations quickly evolve into creative use of words to form language. For the child with autism and echolalic traits, this process may take much longer if it even happens at all. 

Echolalia can be either immediate or delayed. In the case of immediate echolalia, the child repeats what is heard from others immediately. For example, the parent may ask, ‘How was school today?’ and the child repeats ‘How was school today'? In the case of delayed echolalia the child is repeating phrases he has been exposed to after hours, days, months or even years. For example, a child may repeat a phrase from a commercial that he finds interesting. 

A different form of communication

  

These repetitions can serve a variety of purposes to the child. In the case of immediate echolalia it may give the child more time to process a question or comment. In the case of delayed echolalia, certain sounds or phrases may be associated with certain emotions or experiences. During stressful times, repeating certain phrases may provide comfort. Other phrases may be repeated simply because they provide a combination of amusement and stimulation.

Many children with echolalic traits are fortunate to have them in comparison to those on the severe end of the autism spectrum. Echolalia can sometimes be a foundation for the ability to develop functional communication later in life. While these expressions may not make sense to most people, parents learn that it is still communication and need to adapt to its nuances. Over time they end up interpreting each phrase and the motivation and emotions associated with it. 

Autism themed books by Mark Ferdinand. Fiction and nonfiction:

Fortune on the Spectrum

Denny was diagnosed with autism at three years of age. Autism gave him the gift of obsession. This gift made him the youngest, self-made millionaire in Texas history. Autism also made him vulnerable to the forces of the outside world, of both society and nature. Fortune on the Spectrum is the journey of an unstoppable young man, destined to succeed and challenged to survive. Denny's story takes you through struggle, humor, love, finance and danger from the voice of an atypical mind. Autism Fiction. Texas Novel.

Autism Novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism

We know about all the challenges. These stories focus on the fun and the funny side of autism. While he may not have typical communication skills, surprisingly this can be an asset in the humor department. Funny autism-related moments are a daily occurrence with this young character, and this book is a collection of the most memorable.

Fun autism stories

Books by Mark Ferdinand

• Fortune on the Spectrum –An Adventure Novel
• You’re Gonna’ Get Bit! –Harrowing Tales of Herpetology
• The Autistic Prankster –Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism
• Every Tiki has a Spirit
• Wild Boar: A Case for the Most Beautiful Game Animal

Beyond paperback Mark’s books can be purchased for Kindle, Android, and Apple devices.

Autism and Obsessions

Autism and Obsessions

Shortly after our son turned three years old, he took interest in “advertising” to a new level of dedication. It started with a unique interest in commercials on television. It seemed unusual for such a little toddler to find them so interesting. Any kind of commercial would come on the screen and it would capture his interest. When the logo and tagline were finally shown, he would get giggly and touch the television screen.

“OK, he really seems to like commercials”, we thought. It seemed neat that he had such a fascination with something adult-oriented as opposed to Teletubbies or Barney the dinosaur. Little did we know at the time that this was a sign of being on the autism spectrum.

Our son was a late talker to be sure. After our move to Texas we were happy to know that he was making more of an effort to sound out words. At three years old, however, we had not yet brought him to a doctor to be diagnosed. We were still holding out hope, but after much Googling and research on “late talking” our suspicions were there.

Intel commercials and the associated chimes of “Bom... bom-bom -bom BOM!” were what made him happy. This was among his first serious vocalizations combined with a word. If an Intel commercial came on TV he would run to the screen and enjoy the anticipation of what was to come. When the logo and jingle finally came he was in heaven and chimed along. He would repeat the word "Intel" and sing the lovely chimes throughout the day. This, however, was the extent of his conversation skills.

Obsession Evolved

Logos of all kinds soon captured his interest. The satellite television company would come out with a new list of channels with tiny versions of their logos printed on a sheet of paper. He carried that sheet of paper everywhere as a typically developing child would carry their favorite toy. He took care of it, and if eventually it became worn or torn, we would have a backup from the Sunday paper. We were pleased that he had something that interested him and often joked that he had a future in advertising. There was a sense, however, that this was unusual behavior in a child.

More research on the web led to an understanding that with autism there is often unusual obsessions with seemingly mundane objects or occurrences. It was not long after this period of time that we took the step of bringing him in to the doctor’s office to see what they could make of it all.

Since this time our son has expanded his interests. He has passed his Intel phase. He still (and likely will always) have his obsessions, but we have seen them change over time. Even though it brought him a lot of pleasure, we are pleased that he has finally discarded the logo sheet. It is our hope that we can aid in channeling his interests and obsessions into something that gives him not just joy, but productivity and purpose in the future.

Autism themed books by Mark Ferdinand. Fiction and nonfiction:

Fortune on the Spectrum

Denny was diagnosed with autism at three years of age. Autism gave him the gift of obsession. This gift made him the youngest, self-made millionaire in Texas history. Autism also made him vulnerable to the forces of the outside world, of both society and nature. Fortune on the Spectrum is the journey of an unstoppable young man, destined to succeed and challenged to survive. Denny's story takes you through struggle, humor, love, finance and danger from the voice of an atypical mind. Autism Fiction. Texas Novel.

Autism Novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism

We know about all the challenges. These stories focus on the fun and the funny side of autism. While he may not have typical communication skills, surprisingly this can be an asset in the humor department. Funny autism-related moments are a daily occurrence with this young character, and this book is a collection of the most memorable.

Fun autism stories

Books by Mark Ferdinand

• Fortune on the Spectrum –An Adventure Novel
• You’re Gonna’ Get Bit! –Harrowing Tales of Herpetology
• The Autistic Prankster –Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism
• Every Tiki has a Spirit
• Wild Boar: A Case for the Most Beautiful Game Animal

Beyond paperback Mark’s books can be purchased for Kindle, Android, and Apple devices.

Autism Podcast 3

The Mark Ferdinand Autism Podcast

Episode: December 17 2018

Right-click to download

Autism Podcast 2

The Mark Ferdinand Autism Podcast

Episode: November 26 2018

Right-click to download

Autism Posdcast 1

The Mark Ferdinand Autism Podcast

Episode: November 9 2018

Right-click to download