Later in the day, at dinner time, my husband had to stay late at work so I tried getting some conversation going at the table.
Me: "What was your favorite part of today?"
Oldest son: "The (friends) coming over!"
Youngest son: "Yeah, the (friends) coming over!"
Daughter: "The (friends) coming over!"
Me: "Samuel, what was your favorite part of today?"
Samuel: "Scripting! Watching videos without the television
on!"
It is very apparent to all of us that Samuel likes to script, he is absorbed in it for much of his day. While I do not want it to get in the way of the things he needs to do, I try not to let it worry me too much. I try to redirect him when I can. While we are at the table doing school work, I will stop and wait for him to pay attention when he is scripting before we continue with our work. Sometimes this works and sometimes we wait quite while. I have noticed that when Samuel has something VERY reinforcing following school work, he is much more motivated to pay attention and attend to his work.
I have talked to a few moms with children older than Samuel who have had this issue to deal with. Some of their children have gotten to a point where they realize that there are appropriate times and places to script. Perhaps they are given a period of time each day where they can go to their room and take some time to script.
Samuel really enjoys scripting, so I don't want to try and take it away from him completely, but at the same time I want him to understand that it cannot take over his life.
Is this an issue for any of you? How do you deal with it?
I have heard that it is best not to draw attention directly to the behavior. In other words, we shouldn't go around all the time saying, "Stop scripting, stop scripting...," redirecting is a better strategy. However, I have noticed in the last year or so that I can have conversations with Samuel about the fact that there are appropriate times and places to script. It's better if I have these conversations with him at times that I'm not correcting him to stop.
Back to Samuel's answer at the table, I'm going to have to find out what he meant by "watching videos without the television on." I wonder if he was refering to scripting or if he was talking about looking at video cases.
12 comments:
I believe that a child needs time to script or a replacement for scripting (just like stimming). You have to look at the purpose that it is serving for them. If you can think of a way that the child can replace scripting with something that you will find more appropriate, then you can get rid of the scripting. One thing that you can try is to draw pictures about the story that they are scripting, once the picture is drawn, you can not talk about it until the next time that you have scheduled to draw pictures. You can then say.. it is not time for ___, and even use a visual to let them know that there is a scheduled time for it. You can allow the child to request time to engage in scripting or you can set a time for scripting. I have found success with using both methods with children.
Thank you Miss Nelson!I will try drawing and let you know how it goes! I suppose that attaching a physical and visual aspect to the scripting helps makes it easier for someone to control.
i like that drawing idea too - jaden scripts a lot, but maybe not quite as often as samuel....i use redirection too - when we're at the dinner table or working on homework, etc....i just say 'we're not talking about home alone right now, we're ___' and that usually seems to work....but jaden LOVES to draw, so that visual might b something we could try as well
Another thing is to teach him how to substitute words into the script and use it as part of daily life.
My little one scripts when he plays with his toys. But it's funny b/c he modifies the script. He's using it for the phrases, but not to do it exactly.
Hard to explain.
If he's doing it during work time, then I'm with Miss Nelson he needs it put into his picture schedule as "unstructured playtime" (I wouldn't label it as scripting time, that would feed it).
Dr Temple Grandin's parents did this, she was allowed certain times during the day to be "autistic" as she said when I saw her.
S.
Hi
Call me stupid, but what does "scripting" mean? I haven't heard of this and would like to know.
Thanks,
stephanie
spectrumspectacle.blogspot.com
Great comments all I can add is when I need to talk to my son about an "issue" I wait until bed time. He is comfortable and then I ask him if we can talk. If he says yes, we talk. If he says no, it means he is tired and I wait for the next day.
Stephanie, Heavens, you're not stupid! Scripting, as I understand it (and please, anyone, correct me if I am wrong), is a form of self-stimulation in which the individual repeats "scripts" from shows, movies, conversations, etc.. that they have heard in the past. An example of it would be what Raymond, the autistic man in "Rain Man," did when he was repeating the Judge Wapner thing, or the Abbott and Costello routine, "Who's on First?". Samuel's current favorite scripts are from Sponge Bob episodes and Jack and Daxter (a video game). The first scripting he did that I could recognize was from Green Eggs and Ham. He couldn't even talk then, and he wasn't saying words, but I could tell by the rhythm and lilting in his babbling that he was imitating it. It matched what he was hearing on a computer reading of the story that he listened to at the library.
Farmwife - I know what you are describing. There are times that Samuel does this too. I have seen him take a story line and substitute in other characters. He was doing this not too long ago by recounting the crucifixion of Jesus, but putting in different people or things. I carefully redirected him out of that one.. I draw the line at him scripting about Our Lord!
Bonnie - I like your idea of talking to your son at bedtime. I bet it's helpful to pick one particular time of day and, of course, it's helpful with any child to do some discussion and disciplining when you are removed from the event.
Wow- I'm impressed! The fact that he knows he's scripting, catagorises it as an activity, and verbalizes that he enjoys it is blowing my mind!
My son scripts a lot. I just let him go for it. As long as he's working on replacement phrases as well, and he's not hurting anyone's feelings I don't see the harm.
Every child is different though- there was a time where Jaysen needed the scripts to communicate. That's the only way he communicated, and it made him anxious to not follow the script. It still does at times (Jaysen will script, and then expect you to do the next line, and so on). But it's so important to him that if you don't know what the "line is" he'll tell you what to say.
It's almost like he's stuck, and can't move on until the script is completed.
There is a time when Samuel wouldn't have talked about scripting like he does now. It has probably only been in the last 7 or 8 months that he will talk about it, or answer questions I ask him about it. On occasion he'll even taunt me by saying, "Mommy, I'm scripting!"
TC still scripts a lot. But usually it is in a conversation. Sometimes it fits the conversation, it is weird!! I don't really make a big deal of it though.
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