Scripting and Question About Being on the "Autism Spectrum"

I don't know about "scripting" or the autism spectrum, but by 3 my daughter could repeat word for word her favorite books and yes, even lines from TV shows. My son was the same way and could repeat, word for word, all the lines in a movie they'd seen and liked. They even repeated commercials.
Neither of my kids have autism or learning disorders. They just stored things in their memories. I was amazed at the things they could remember.
I don't know if you should be super worried about this just yet.
You know that she pays attention and things do sink in. That should be a good sign, in my opinion.

Best wishes.

My son was diagnosed with Aspergers at age 4. He is 8 years old now. Yes, scripting is a common symptom of autism. Has your daughter been seen by a developmental pediatrician? If not I would start there to get a complete diagnosis. There are a lot of commonalities between SPD and autism so even if your daughter's diagnosis changes, the therapy that she has been receiving for the SPD is most likely the appropriate course of action for an autism diagnosis as well.

I know that the word autism strikes fear into the heart of every parent, but remember that even if you do receive that diagnosis your daughter is still the same little girl with the same behaviors that you have already recognized and started to address through therapy. The only thing that changes with a new diagnosis is that you are better able to seek the appropriate help for her.

Best of luck to you and your daughter,
K.

Wow It may be "scripting" but she sounds pretty smart to me. Think about this. She can repeat an entire Thomas episode. Most kids can't repeat two lines. See your MD about this issue if it bothers you. You sound like such a great mom because you are "up-to-the-minute" on things that could challenge your children. Please be gentle on youself.

I have a child development degree. Children, including toddlers, build scripts based on the events they have the most experiences with. They usually act out the scripts through play, reenacting themes they have been a part of. Usually it is about routines like mealtimes or going to the grocery store. Sounds like she is just scripting her experiences with the TV shows. There are many controversial studies about TV and building scripts; that is TV does not interact with a child in a give and take exchange of information, so it affects the quality of the scripting ability. While it is a normal behavior, it does say to me that she might need more experiences outside of television so that her scripts can develop further. I think that if you have been working closely with a SP for a year I would trust her judgment as to where your daughter is at in her speech development. Her labeling items to meet her needs sounds right at about 24 months in normal speech development, so with the delay she had it sounds like she is on target for the time being in her pragmatics. But if you really feel like ASD is a factor I would trust your instinct and have her evaluated, as you know your child best. Hope this helps and good luck!

SPD & autism do go hand & hand in a lot of cases. Based off what you are saying it seems as though your daughter is on the spectrum. Obviously you've had her evaluted to be eligible for speech & OT....was it ever recommended to see a developmental pediatrician? I'd call ASAP as the waiting time to get in can be a bit- sometimes months.

As far as scripting being "typical" behavior....yes children do repeat lines from movies/shows but it would be done in an more appropriate manner. Sounds like she does it when she's over/under stimulated if she's doing it during OT & the example at the party w/ lots of kids.

You're on the right track! Good luck with everything!

I would say that you have a very good reason to make an appointment with a Developmental Pediatrician. She has more than one of the flags for an ASD, and yes, what you describe is a very common issue with kids on the spectrum. It is very common for children to recieve a more mild diagnosis prior to being diagnosed with an ASD. Right now, SPD is a popular gateway diagnosis, just as CAPD, and OCD, and ADHD have been in the past. It is very encouraging that she has made progress, and you should not feel bad if she gets a new diagnosis, because she would have been primarily treated based on her symptoms through therapy anyway, so it is very likely that her therapy would have been the same, even if she had started with an ASD diagnosis. She is still very young, and you are right on top of things.

Call your local childrens hospital, and find a Developmental Pediatrician, who will do a full scale evaluation that will include all areas she needs, and give you a comprehensive evaluation that will miss nothing, so you will not have to wonder if you missed something. It will take many months to get in, so continue the therapy.

Next, since she is turning three, write to your school district's special education director and request that your daughter be evaluated because you suspect that she has a diasablity. That is the language that triggers their responsiblity to evaluate her. Do not depend on the public evaluation to either diagnose her, or identify all her needs. While the school may say that they are doing this, you will always want to hold the evaluation that contains her diagnosis, and know more about your child and her needs than any public agency. The school is required to provide services so that she is functional in the school setting, and you will want to maximize her potential, which the school is not required to do, so get as much as you can from public services, and supplement her program with private services so that you maximize her care up to the full program suggested by your Developmentalist.

What you describe is much like my experience with my children. While my rubbermade baby who was sensory seeking and never felt pain talked early, she scriped all day long. Our youngest was nonverbal until she had intensive speech therapy, and she had much difficulty (still does) cominig up with the word for the item or thing she wanted, it is a categorization, reteival issue that is common for children on the spectrum and many have a great deal of trouble with nouns and use indefinet pronouns for everything, which makes speech very difficult. Other oddities that you might look for are using the "ing" form of a verb to identify objects (ie, the "cooking" for the stove or oven) and the misuse of pronouns.

Good luck to you, I would do make thise contacts this morning.

M.

PS: www.wrightslaw.com is the best resource you will have to understand special education advocacy in the public school. Start reading both about ASD and advocacy and always try to stay in a good working relationship with your school district while you advocate to get as much as you possibly can.

Especially with the SPD, it's possible there is an ASD issue there too. But, the great news is she is very young and it sounds like she is highly responsive to intervention (good for you to get that going Mom!).

If it were me I would see if my library has a book called "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics . . . " by Kenneth Bock, MD and Cameron Stauth. I also love "Special Diets for Special Kids" by Lisa Lewis, PhD (think this is her name).

In my own experience, mainstream medicine had very little help to offer. It seemed like I had to do most of the research and work myself. Others do have good outcomes. IMHO, however you get there - what matters is that you get there! And again, your daughter is very young which helps.

I'm not a medical professional of any sort - this is just my personal opinion.

Good luck and don't despair.

My nephew for 3 years would do the same thing. He reenacted total episodes of blue's clues. The rest of us knew he was autistic,but it took a year of kindergarden and his teacher/counselor/etc. saying that he needed study to really get my sister to know what was going on. He would repeat, shake his arms, pat his legs, and is very shy and doesn't like to be touched without asking. He was just diagnosed on the lower end of the autism spectrum in June and is now at a school that has special classes. He's now almost 7 and is doing really well in his new school. I'd get it looked at. Good luck and God bless!

My 8yo son did it all the time, and still does. My best friend's fiance, also. My son is adhd, and the *biggest* comedian ever. Oy. Hasn't learned his audience yet (as in how many times a joke/story is funny, or to which audience to tell what). He also ends up with the "lead" in all of the plays he's been in (apx 4 per year), and spends a couple hours every day filming with his Flip, or doing video game design &/or imaginitve play. He knows a scene by heart after one watch, including accents (it's kind of like living with Robin Williams, you never know who exactly is going to appear by your elbow or what voice he will be using), but watches the scenes over and over for voice inflection/ body language/ etc. He's on his way to becoming either a brilliant actor or phenom liar. My best friend's fiance IS in film (acting/directing), and he and my kiddo are inseparable. A "playdate" (or babysitting) with these two means movie marathoning, and working out real or imaginary scenes while kicking the soccer ball around if they ever make it out of the house. They also talk CONSTANTLY through films. Repeating cool lines, standing on the couch, dissecting camera angles, etc. 40 year old man and 8yo boy just having a *blast* together. Although watching a movie with either is an exercise in patience and avoiding being stepped on. They do NOT sit still.

As Betty said... scripting is an ordinary (and necessary) part of childhood development. ALL normal kids do it to some extent. Where it diverges from "normal" can go several ways. It can go in the artistic verge (like my son and friend's fiance), it can be an ASD fixation, and probably several others as well.

My cousin who is SEVERLY autistic (never got to/past age 2) never scripted. He cannot interact with other people in what would be considered a meaningful way. A kid in my son's gymnastics class is on the spectrum, and he recites starwars from episode 4 all the way to episode 3 word for word, barely ever looking up, but continuing to do what he is told. It's like he has a tape recorder in his pocket that just plays continuously. If at any point he actually has to stop (to eat, talk, etc.) he starts over at either the beginning of the movie or the beginning of the series, but it's very traumatic and painful for him. He has about 7 or 8 other movies he does this with as well. My *son's* best friend (aspie), scripted, but not as much as my son much less the ASD boy in gymnastics.

So do normal toddlers do it? Yup. So do special kids.

Hi there! My daughter turned three one month ago. She was diagnosed as on the Autism Spectrum Disorder when she was 2.5. She, too, scripts the majority of the time. Honestly the only time she isn't scripting is when she is very interested in something she is learning, playing with, or watching something she is interested in. She does also use her words appropriately sometimes. The minute she has no interest, she drifts off into her own world and starts scripting. I can get her to pay attention again by getting down in front of her, putting her hands on my face and either saying "I have a question" or "look at me"...this usually works...although that wasn't always the case. She has no sensory issues or meltdowns, just trouble with social issues. Her neurologist said that the scripting should decrease as her functional language increases and that it was actually a good thing because it means that it's all in there, we just need to bring it out. She just started public special needs pre-school and I am already seeing some positive changes. Prior to 2.5 she would not make eye contact, would not pay any attention to people or animals, not play with toys correctly, not request items or follow simple direction. Now she does all of the above and will usually answer very simple questions. It is absolutely amazing what 6 months of therapy can do. She also used to do what's called "scrolling" which is spitting out misc. words in strings for no apparent reason as well as repeating her abc's and counting over and over. This has stopped, but the scrolling continues. I know right now it's pretty cute and amusing, but probably will not be if she's still doing it when she's older! From everything I have read, it should fade. I just try to keep positive and thank god that she is the wonderful little girl she is! I read another comment that said even if she does have ASD your probably getting all the proper help for her...that sounds about right (although obviously I am no professional). My advise is just to take her to a pediatric neurologist (be prepared for a long wait for an appt.) so you can know for sure and have some peace of mind. Either way you sound like an extremely loving and responsible mom...that kid is lucky to have ya.

Scripting is one of several signs of autism. I don't know if it's a symptom in other disorders. My grandson has apraxia of speech and possibly a sensory processing disorder. The school district professionals diagnosed him with the speech disorder when he was 2 1/2. They added a behavior disorder when he didnt' fit into a regular preschool. He started Kindergarten in special ed program when he was 5. He's intelligent but does not get along in a classroom. He's now 7 and entering 2nd grade; still in the special ed program. His teacher and case manager recommended said that he needs more help and suggested taking him to a developmental pediatrician. He's now taking Concerta for ADHD and is doing better focus wise as well as behavior wise most of the time. The developmental pediatrician said that he is somewhere on the autism spectrum. He has an appointment for a neurological exam at a neurological clinic next week.

I tell you about this experience so that you can better understand the process for evaluation of disorders. And to urge you to start now with a developmental pediatrician. I'm surprised that one of her therapists haven't also noticed the scripting and suggested you get further evaluation. Did the PT have any suggestions?

Getting a complete evaluation is a long and difficult process. These disorders were unknown until fairly recently and I don't think that there is an actual "standard of care" as there is with most medical issues. Now I know that my grandson and the whole family would've benefited from a comprehensive plan to evaluate all aspects of his behavior. We focused primarily on his speech and the school professionals diagnosed his behavior as oppositional defiant disorder. We thought, "of course he's angry. People can't understand him when he talks" and then gradually began to notice other things that worried us. It's taken over 4 years to get to a point that he's getting a thorough evaluation and will be recommended for additional treatment. He's been getting ST, OT, and PT all along but it wasn't enough.

I also tell you our experience because at the beginning I was frightened that he might be autistic. When a friend who is in the field suggested that I said it didn't seem possible because he is a very outgoing and loving child. Then as time went on I noticed that even tho he's quick to give hugs and cuddle he rarely looks me in the eye. His eyes are pointed off to the side. I'd already wondered why he was always running into things and why he would "charge" at me hard enough to nearly knock me down. No matter how often I asked him to stop he would continue doing it. We both had bruises. chuckle

Now, I'm relieved to know that he is autistic and further testing will tell us where he is on the scale and what we can do to help him mature in a way that will enable him to successfully grow up. I have hope that he will be a productive member able to live on his own with perhaps continuing emotional support but financially self-sufficient. That will be sufficient for me. I'll be elated if he's a genius as are some famous people but I don't expect him to be. lol And there is more in between independence with some help and total independence.

I saw a program on TV about a family who feared that their 2 yo son was autistic. His father has Asperger's and was married, held a responsible job and had a good relationship with his wife. They were expecting their second child. The 2yo was diagnosed with autism and only time will tell to what degree. They began therapy with him.

Keep the specter of autism in perspective. It is not a "death" sentence. For me, after living 7 years with my grandson, feeling totally bonded with him and enjoying his company while wondering why he didn't get along at school nor have friends and behave much more like a 5 yo then a 7 yo as well as being unable to carry on a conversation, I am relieved to have the beginnings of a diagnosis and a plan for improving his life.

I have never heard a toddler script. I've heard preschoolers say the same words over and over but the words were their own. I suspect that scripting is a sign or symptom of something. I recommend that you take her to a developmental pediatrician who can manage a multi-disciplinary investigation and diagnosis. You will probably have to start with an appointment with her pediatrician.

Keep reminding yourself of how lovable your little girl is and that no matter what, she will be OK. Arrange for an evaluation soon so that you will know more and feel less threatened by the unknown. Remember that this is a new field in which professionals are making progress. There is help for you and your little girl. The future is bright once you know what to expect.

And.....you just may well find that autism isn't her diagnosis. I'm only saying that if it's a possibility go thru the whole process of diagnosis so that you will more likely know more now rather than being hit with it later.

It does sound very similar to what many of my students were like. However a teacher is not a diagnostician, I can't diagnose your daughter, only a psychologist /developmental pediatrician can do that. She needs to be tested for a diagnosis, aka the label of autism. I taught kids with autism k-3 for 4 yrs. be4 bcoming a mama. It's good she's getting services, it sounds like they have helped her tons already! As long as she's been evaluated, and the diagnosis was SPD, and she is getting services, and they are helping... However you sound anxious, you could get a second opinion to put your mind at ease. Feel free to email me any questions! I had students who "scripted" most of the time, HOWEVER, I know have a 3yr. old of my own, and I have noticed that he loves to quote favorite shows movies. He was narrating an episode of a favorite show just today. But it isn't 90% of the time he does that either. I would have her evaluated to put your mind at ease and put you on a positive productive path, if you feel you aren't on one already.