- Aug 8, 2011
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Quote:
hm.
different issue than what I thought you meant. I tent to have repeating phrases in my head, but typically not out my mouth. as a kid, I counted - similar objects (like red cars), events (like the number of bumps that made the car squeek on the way to somewhere), or just numbers one after the other until I lost track, then I'd start over.
don't have much to offer on this one, other than to say if it's comforting or pleasing behavior to him, or even just a habbit, simply stopping, or even cutting down, might not be something he has the ability to do at the moment. nature abhors a vacuum... to halt a reassuring behavior leaves a vacuum, and in my experience, vacuums fill up with anxiety. substituting something *else* for the behavior may work. vocal repetition sounds like maybe more an ADHD behavior than a AS behavior - at least it doesn't match up with my particular experience.
maybe have him write it down - that helps me quiet repeating thoughts - sort of fixes them to the paper so I don't have to rehearse them in my head. or make a picture of it, or cut parts out of a magazine to represent it... or make tick marks on a sheet each time he thinks it instead of saying it.. maybe channel it into something else - like say it in 8 languages instead of one. or keep count of the number of times he thinks it on an abbacus (that's a fun math-oriented toy/tool/skill). anyway, I can see where just stopping would be hard for him to do. sometimes a diversionary behavior is a better tactic than the power struggle that can come out of trying to get him to do something he really can't manage yet.
anyway, my thoughts.
ETA: this is the point where my rules of social behavior indicate I should stop offering unsolicited advice and shut up
so if I can help, let me know, otherwise I'll just hang out and read the thread.
hm.
different issue than what I thought you meant. I tent to have repeating phrases in my head, but typically not out my mouth. as a kid, I counted - similar objects (like red cars), events (like the number of bumps that made the car squeek on the way to somewhere), or just numbers one after the other until I lost track, then I'd start over.
don't have much to offer on this one, other than to say if it's comforting or pleasing behavior to him, or even just a habbit, simply stopping, or even cutting down, might not be something he has the ability to do at the moment. nature abhors a vacuum... to halt a reassuring behavior leaves a vacuum, and in my experience, vacuums fill up with anxiety. substituting something *else* for the behavior may work. vocal repetition sounds like maybe more an ADHD behavior than a AS behavior - at least it doesn't match up with my particular experience.
maybe have him write it down - that helps me quiet repeating thoughts - sort of fixes them to the paper so I don't have to rehearse them in my head. or make a picture of it, or cut parts out of a magazine to represent it... or make tick marks on a sheet each time he thinks it instead of saying it.. maybe channel it into something else - like say it in 8 languages instead of one. or keep count of the number of times he thinks it on an abbacus (that's a fun math-oriented toy/tool/skill). anyway, I can see where just stopping would be hard for him to do. sometimes a diversionary behavior is a better tactic than the power struggle that can come out of trying to get him to do something he really can't manage yet.
anyway, my thoughts.
ETA: this is the point where my rules of social behavior indicate I should stop offering unsolicited advice and shut up
so if I can help, let me know, otherwise I'll just hang out and read the thread.
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