For a few weeks now Mason is asking me over and over "what for dinner?" I guess I noticed it started a little when he started his new meds and I just thought it was because his appetite was increasing and he might actually want to eat...
But it really isn't...because of course he still doesn't eat anything for me...but it's all day long, I mean literally every 5 minutes...sometimes I'm not sure what we are having and I tell him "I don't know" or "we will see" or even "what would you like?" I really get no response from him...just 5 minutes later--"what for dinner?" Even on days that I do know what we are having he just keeps asking over and over...and I have to repeat again and again.
It's starting to seem almost like an obsession for him, but like I said--he honestly doesn't care what we are having because he never eats it...he just continuously needs to keep asking.
What in the world is this all about?
Anyone know??
Repetitive questioning is a common problem.
Here's a more mainstream article on repetitive questions. It includes a list of why they might occur, from "fascination with predictable answers" to "difficulties knowing how to initiate and maintain a conversation" (the author admits it's not easy to tell when it's a stim and when it's an attempt at communication). It also includes a list of long- and short-term strategies.
http://www.isdd.indiana.edu/irca/communication/longtermstr.h tml
You'll find other links and tips under this topic on our forum:
http://www.autism-pdd.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12693&am p;KW=grapes+tomatoes
jeeze, and he only is doin it once he started his meds huh? Hmm, i wonder if hes just repeating the phrase cause he likes too, sounds odd yes, but i enjoyed saying 1 or 2 word phrases over and over for a while. Of course if thats true then you cant blaim the medicin. Can he talk normal for his age, i mean, does he have a vocabulary and can communicate wants/needs?LOL, you know I never thought of that!! Usually I am familiar with his scripting from movies etc...but YES...I am now wondering if this is something he heard! And not just an obssession about what we are having for dinner...because like I said...HE COULD CARE LESS, LOL.
Thank you so much!!!! Makes much more sense to me that it's something he saw on TV and is repeating it, rather than being obssessed with what's for dinner...I am definitely going to keep an eye out to see if I hear it somewhere else.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Woodsman...I guess I can't be 100% sure it started around the time the meds were introduced...he has always scripted...spends a lot of his time talking quoting movies and commercials, and he does get fixated on a certain movie or commercial for periods at a time...I guess I just noticed over the last 3 weeks or so how bad it is getting...he started his new meds about a month ago.
Mason does have vocabulary and can communicate his needs for the most part...he does not initiate conversation, usually and his conversations with us usually go us asking him a question and him responding in a short 2-3 word answer...they have to be simple questions...like if I asked him what his favorite color was that might be too hard...although I have noticed improvement in that area...I think he is hearing the word color and just saying a color, or if I say food, he will name a food now...it used to be I would get no response out of those types of questions.
NorwayMom--thanks for the article and links...it was very helpful, although I think it will take me a little while to figure out why exactly he is obsessed with this particular question! I will keep at it...I do often ask him what I said we are having for dinner and he get's frustrated and just yells over and over "what for dinner." So I have backed off saying "Mason, what did I say we were having?"
Anyway, thanks again! Wow, it can be so hard to understand our little ones can't it??
Thanks LeAnne...I think it's adorable!!
Might also help me understand if this is just scripting on his part or if he is really trying to have a conversation with me!
If you want to redirect it, turn it into a little song
Then you can ask him if he wants bugs? Does he want fleas? Does he want macaroni? How bout some cheese? What do YOU want for dinner, Mason?
This is dorky, dorky, dorky but I take these gawdawful annoying questions, and turn them around so that they entertain us and get us having a conversation. If ya can't beat them, join 'em!
The girls did this too. They did it around the age of four. At four, they could not have a conversation through more than one turn (they could make comments (to which you were supposed to respond) and answer questions, but not sustain any back and forth dialog). I saw the repetetive questioning increase and then fade, and as it faded, their ability to go back and forth in a conversational exchange increased - so, I attribute it to the girls experimenting with how to sustain a social exchange (without knowing intuitively how to do it). I also think that the Q&A format that language delayed kids are often interacted with sort of 'trains' them into this behavior.
The don't ask repetetive questions so much anymore, but they still tend to 'ask statements' - the ask questions that they already know the answer to as a way of making statements and as a way of responding to people. For example, I might tell Abigail, "Abbie, don't play with your food" and she might respond, "because I might make a mess?".
I do think, in our case at least, that this had more to do with social impairment - I don't think it was a stim. It seems to have been their equivalent of a typical child's 'why' phase, where 2-3 year old kids ask neverending 'why' questions as a means of sustaining the interaction.
omg . You just got me thinking my daughter does this and they tried to say not autism bec. she does this(school system). My daughter neurological apt is in Sept. She has all the signs for aspergers or pdd. My cousin has aspergersI'm really hoping this is a step in the right direction considering his communication!! I long for the day I can ask him how his day was and get an answer...he has learned the word "fine" so that's all I get to that question, but yet I still ask him everyday! One of these days he is going to go into some sort of story about what he did, etc!!!
Amberwaves--I don't know what exactly this behavior is, but it's definitely unique, whether it's scripting, a stim, or even his way of trying to communicate...I couldn't imagine anyone saying this is normal...I would definitely let them know your DD does this.
Thanks again all!
Hi - Just an idea but how about taking some pictures of the food he does it and giving him the option of what he wants to eat? Read Norway Mom's links!IF it gets too out of control you could try to make a daily schedule of his morning, noon, evening and night and list items he can eat that he can choose...use real pics with velcro on the back so you can change them around. Every morning set it up with him of all his meals, snacks and activities of the day...Him repeating it over and over may be an ocd thing and just referring him to his "schedule" may be enough to redirect him to something else:) Just a thought:)