10:25 here. My son has an amazing (scary at times!) memory. When he first started talking he was echolalic - he spoke in scripts that he had heard and memorized. He'd repeat the same script verbatim (maybe he'll be an actor one day?). When he was about 3, he started identifying people by connecting them to what brand of car they had or what type of security system sign they had in the yard, and when he was about 5, he'd identify them by their birthday. (I know, I know, other posters are going to tell me that a lot of people size up others based on such factors - LOL!) He memorizes calendars, maps, presidents, etc. and is an avid reader. IMHO, I think he is trying to categorize all this data he's taken in so he can make sense of some of the randomness in the world. The only trouble is that his communication style itself seems random to others. I'm getting better at understanding the "behind the scenes" of where he's coming from. But still, in order to get along in the world he's going to need to understand and conform somewhat to the give-and-take of "normal" conversation.

Like OP, I would love to hear thoughts and ideas from others who have little ones with pragmatic speech issues.

Anonymous wrote:Thanks 9:59, you raise a good point and I totally agree with you! We want to encourage our kids' verbal skills.

I'm the PP with the 6 y.o. son with Aspergers. His issue is that he fixates on unusual things, like the color of a person's hair. (He gets on this kick where he won't refer to a person by name; he refers to them by hair color, which can be frustrating because most people have brown or black hair and we don't know who he's talking about!) He also will ask the same question multiple times, even after it has been answered multiple times.

When he's engaging in conversation and making seemingly random connections, I know that's a good thing! It's when there's a lack of reciprocity or he doesn't catch on to cues that people are getting confused/frustrated/bored with what he's saying that I know we need to intervene.

Sounds like you have a great handle on managing all this stuff. Do you ever ask him how he came to the random connections? It's really interesting to get the "behind the scenes" according to my husband. LOL!

Thanks 9:59, you raise a good point and I totally agree with you! We want to encourage our kids' verbal skills.

I'm the PP with the 6 y.o. son with Aspergers. His issue is that he fixates on unusual things, like the color of a person's hair. (He gets on this kick where he won't refer to a person by name; he refers to them by hair color, which can be frustrating because most people have brown or black hair and we don't know who he's talking about!) He also will ask the same question multiple times, even after it has been answered multiple times.

When he's engaging in conversation and making seemingly random connections, I know that's a good thing! It's when there's a lack of reciprocity or he doesn't catch on to cues that people are getting confused/frustrated/bored with what he's saying that I know we need to intervene.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am just so shocked at people trying to find a problem in their children. OP, this is a "normal" 5 year old. Lighten up and laugh along with your daughter. She seems like she has a great imagination and you should try it.

No one is looking for problems. When you have a child with SN, especially if it is your first child, it is really hard to know what is part of the SN and what is part of being a typical kid. You don't want to brush things off as normal behavior then find out later it wasn't. Sometimes too a behavior is normal on its own but the SN child does it with a greater frequency or intensity or can't turn it off or uses it in situations that a NT kid wouldn't. Asking on a discussion board for clarification about a behavior is a great way to get feedback about what is typical and what is concerning.

Exactly.

Just another perspective...I'm an adult with ADD inattentive (diagnosed as a child).

It will often seem to others that I have completely changed the subject out of the blue in the middle of a conversation and I'll get a, "Wow, that was out of left field!". But actually my mind makes connections easily and very quickly and my input to the conversation may seem completely unrelated but in my mind was a natural progression of thoughts that make total sense.

My point being is that you should be careful about telling your children to stay on topic. You may be inhibiting their natural thought process. This type of thinking can result in a high degree of creativity and insight. So, you really need to balance teaching what is socially acceptable with respecting differences in thought process.

Right on posters 22:44, 12:16, 16:38! This is the special needs forum. People use it to find support and insight not judgement!

I am shocked at all these anonymous posters who think they know there's nothing wrong with your child, when you - her mother - do.

Trust yourself.

Anonymous wrote:12:27, I know you probably mean well, but to clarify - our DS does not exhibit normal behavior in this area. His issues have made it difficult to maintain friendships, and quite frankly it is disruptive at home. When we're trying to do homework with his older sister, he frequently interrupts with nonsense/not-on-topic talk and it can be difficult to redirect him. I can see how his peers might just choose to move on to a different friend rather than trying to deal with the nonsense talk. I'm hoping to get this under control so it won't continue to interfere with his ability to maintain friendships.

Wow, this sounds exactly like my DD (OP here). Exact same issues.

12:27, I know you probably mean well, but to clarify - our DS does not exhibit normal behavior in this area. His issues have made it difficult to maintain friendships, and quite frankly it is disruptive at home. When we're trying to do homework with his older sister, he frequently interrupts with nonsense/not-on-topic talk and it can be difficult to redirect him. I can see how his peers might just choose to move on to a different friend rather than trying to deal with the nonsense talk. I'm hoping to get this under control so it won't continue to interfere with his ability to maintain friendships.

Anonymous wrote:The OP already said that her DD has diagnosed expressive/receptive speech delay, so it makes sense that she is asking about the "normalcy" of her DD's behavior, in light of the already-diagnosed SN.

Our 6 y.o. DS has mild Aspergers, and he often interrupts and rambles on about his area of interest. We have to remind him that when he is trying to have a conversation with others, he needs to say something that relates to the topic already being discussed. Sometimes that will be his topic of interest, and sometimes it will be a different topic, but he has to make sure what he's saying matches the topic (or, let his friend know that he would like to discuss something else). Like OP said about her DD, I think this flares up when he's nervous, doesn't know what to say and/or wants to "buy more time" to think through what to say.

Role playing seems to help - that's what our speech therapist does. She models appropriate conversation and transition skills. It's just taking a while to sink in!

This is also normal 6-year old behavior. Not to take away from what you are doing, but there are NT 10 year olds with this problem. And adults.

The OP already said that her DD has diagnosed expressive/receptive speech delay, so it makes sense that she is asking about the "normalcy" of her DD's behavior, in light of the already-diagnosed SN.

Our 6 y.o. DS has mild Aspergers, and he often interrupts and rambles on about his area of interest. We have to remind him that when he is trying to have a conversation with others, he needs to say something that relates to the topic already being discussed. Sometimes that will be his topic of interest, and sometimes it will be a different topic, but he has to make sure what he's saying matches the topic (or, let his friend know that he would like to discuss something else). Like OP said about her DD, I think this flares up when he's nervous, doesn't know what to say and/or wants to "buy more time" to think through what to say.

Role playing seems to help - that's what our speech therapist does. She models appropriate conversation and transition skills. It's just taking a while to sink in!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am just so shocked at people trying to find a problem in their children. OP, this is a "normal" 5 year old. Lighten up and laugh along with your daughter. She seems like she has a great imagination and you should try it.

No one is looking for problems. When you have a child with SN, especially if it is your first child, it is really hard to know what is part of the SN and what is part of being a typical kid. You don't want to brush things off as normal behavior then find out later it wasn't. Sometimes too a behavior is normal on its own but the SN child does it with a greater frequency or intensity or can't turn it off or uses it in situations that a NT kid wouldn't. Asking on a discussion board for clarification about a behavior is a great way to get feedback about what is typical and what is concerning.

Thank you, PP. I am OP. My DD is not typically developing and has some idiosyncratic speech patterns so it is indeed hard for me to know what's related to her issues and what's not. She is different than her peers in the way she communicates in general. I'm definitely not looking for problems where there are none. Thank you for the feedback, it was reassuring to know that the silly talk is normal at her age.