It seems as if my son has been able to start answering simple ques like..Where's mommy (he points to me or a picture), my husband taught him his ABC's and he can say them all, we are up to about 10 things we can ask him that he will give a good response to. However, if you keep asking him ques for instance I will ask him a ques that I know we will get a correct answer from than a very simple ques like.."Want to eat?" and he will either smack his head and scream or he will start to say Boo..Ahhh, or mommy ...mommy.. mommy..Its as if I did not even ask him the ques and he enters another world. He also does this alot when it seems he feels very uneasy about a situation or when it gets quiet and I am not talking to him.
Does this sound like any of your children??
My son gets stressed by too many questions. I really had to change the way I reacted to him when I heard him crying. My first impulse was to find out what's wrong, and how to do that? Questions. Then he'd just get more upset and frustrated.
Simple questions aren't always simple for my son, especially when he doesn't get any visual cues. Sometimes it's hard for him to catch what's said, and find his own words. When asking about food, we used to have better luck showing him his choices (he's gotten better over time).
Here's a demonstration of how kids with autism hear, how background noises too easily come to the foreground and block out important dialogue (just click on the ear to start the simulation).
http://www.jambav.com/jambav/flashy/jmx/index.php?source=rig htnav
Good luck with everything.
My son is exteremly echolalic. For almosy every question I ask him, he repaets the question word for word back to me, or just repeats the last word in the question. The only questions he answers are things he absolutly does NOT want to do with a loud NOOO, lol. Things like "Daniel, are you ready to go to bed?" he will respond with a No. Still trying to teach him the response "yes".
I second what norway mom said.
Sometimes it helps Daniel if I ask the question while giving him visual ques. Like instead of just saying "do you want an apple or an orange", to ask the question while I am holding one in each hand, and letting him point to which one he wants.
I know that might not be possible all the time, or at all for some children. Daniel didn't start pointing to thing until he was about 2 1/2. But useing a picture of each choice helps when it isn't possible to show him both at once so he can point to his choice. Like I will use a picture of a play ground and a picture of the pool, for playtime options, since it would be impossible and unrealistic to try and show him each place in person so he can make a choice.
Good luck!