Tag Archives: echolalia

autism, Books, parenting

Echolalia and Autism

Echolalia and Autism

 

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.

echolalia autism
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
Autism 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.

funny autism stories
funny autism stories
Fun autism stories

Books by Mark Ferdinand

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

autism, Books

Funny Autism Stories

Funny Autism Stories

We know about all the challenges. These funny autism 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.

funny autism stories
Funny autism stories

The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism Paperback – September 3, 2017

Excerpt-

 

“With the sleight of hand of a Vegas magician he had slipped open the deadbolt to its open position as he made his way through the door. This causes a sound that is quite jarring at the dawn of a frantic Monday morning where good moods are in short supply. For him, however, all is right in the world as he giggles with satisfaction.

This routine was milked for all it was worth and on all three exterior doors of the house that have deadbolts. Even the side door to the garage gave him many opportunities, as this leads to the laundry. With distractions of laundry tasks and full hands, there was ample opportunity for him to make his move before the machine was turned on and it’s time to return inside and close the door.

Throughout the sorting, loading and unloading, one simply gets lost in their mundane work. Once the task is done, one is simply planning to catch some recliner time along perhaps with some clothes folding by the TV mixed in. This is the only thought as you use your two free fingers to forcefully pull the door shut behind you and- THUNK!

He could be far away on the other side of the house, but the victim can easily hear him giggling. His plan worked and he revels in the payoff. This was all he needed to accomplish that day, not reading, not comprehension, not the mastering of any life skill that his parents fretted about.”

About the Author

Mark Ferdinand lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, carving, auto and home repair occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father’s perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues.

Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism “Fortune on the Spectrum”.

In 2017 Mark published his autism parenting book- “The Autistic Prankster: Enjoying the Fun Side of Autism.” Available in paperback and Kindle.

 

Books by
Mark Ferdinand

  • Autism and Fatherhood
  • 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
  • Bachelor on the Spectrum
    (Coming Soon!)

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

 

Author, autism

Autism and Christmas

Autism and Christmas

The closer we get to Christmas, and the older he gets, the more involved he becomes. He starts asking about when our tree will be up, what colored lights will be on the tree, and how much time off will he get. If we try to skip anything (like outdoor lights for example) he now knows to call us on our slacking.  Autism and Christmas promises to be interesting this year!

Autism and Christmas
Autism and Christmas

More than any other holiday or occasion, my son loves Christmas. He is just like me this way. It is more than just the presents that he loves, there are so many surrounding factors as many of us know.

These days it begins after Halloween when we visit the big box stores. The Christmas decorations are on full display in the blink of an eye and he knows that the time has begun.

This is the beginning of all the sights and sounds that he loves. The beginning of lights, fake snowmen, bells and commercials on TV. After Thanksgiving, things really start to kick in!

This holiday season has run rife with inconsistency and deviations from tradition. We have already changed the routine with Thanksgiving this year. We told the grandparents we would visit them for Christmas so they skipped Thanksgiving at our house for the first time in twelve years.

Now we will be traveling and not spending Christmas in the home. We shall see what happens!

 

Mark Ferdinand is the writer of the adventure novel “Fortune on the Spectrum”.  He lives on the South Texas coast with his wife, daughter and son. Fishing the surf, hunting, gardening, tiki-carving, and repairs occupy his spare time. He has written on the topic of autism spectrum disorder from a father’s perspective in parenting articles and in other non-fiction venues. Having limited typical communication skills, his son introduced Mark to new ways of interpreting his needs and aspirations. As his son grew older Mark became fascinated by the story potential within these amazing children. This prompted the creation of a dynamic adventure story focusing on a character with autism.

After completing his first novel, Fortune on the Spectrum, he decided to compile a group of lifetime stories that brought him to the unusual occupation of snake venom extraction called You’re Gonna’ Get Bit!: Harrowing Tales of Herpetology.

Books by Mark Ferdinand are available here:

Amazon Page

iTunes

Google Play