Murmuring, Part 1
How should we respond to our friends with autism who murmur under their breath, some only occasionally but others with a constant stream of conversation, nonsense syllables, the alphabet song, or movie scripts?
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Interestingly, we are thrilled when our friends speak their first words, so we encourage them to add more words. We may tolerate the growing stream of words because meaningful phrases were sprinkled into the murmuring. The murmuring becomes challenging when any of these factors escalate and cross the line of acceptable behavior:
1. Murmuring becomes an issue when it captivates the speaker’s attention, keeping them from paying attention to the world around them. For example, one of my students becomes oblivious to the world around him when he starts quoting a script from his favorite movie. Others enter their own world when they start repeating the alphabet, a certain song, or a children’s television show.
2. A constant sound stream can be a problem if it is quite distracting or irritating to other people. In most cases, teachers, fellow students, family members, and others just learn to ignore constant murmuring. But, on occasion, the volume or urgency of the words can become very distracting.
3. The content of the constant conversation can sometimes be inappropriate or rude. Some of my friends with autism continually repeat rude words and phrases they have overheard in conversations or on television. Others constantly replay private conversations they have overheard at home, at school, or on the job when, for example, someone is on the phone or when parents are having an argument.
4. Explosive or disruptive behavior can erupt when, for whatever reason, their self-conversation causes the speaker to become agitated or frantic. One of my high school students spirals out of control as he repetitively replays the script of an elementary school teacher correcting him many years ago. Another becomes very agitated if anyone attempts to interrupt his quoting a very long script from a movie.
Tune in tomorrow to our e-mail post or podcast – Murmuring, Part 2 – as we look at some options for dealing with inflexibility and restrictive or disruptive murmuring. And don’t forget to encourage others to join the crowd at http://FAQautism.com
NOTE TO READERS AND LISTENERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. Feel free to send me a confidential email at talk@FAQautism.com with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solution. And don’t forget to check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. http://FAQautism.com
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