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At a coffee shop, my friend Jake, a special education teacher, told me a story about his student with autism, Marcus.
“Marcus uses movie quotes in the most unique ways.” His expression was that of optimism. “What seems like random repetition to people is his attempt to connect and understand his surroundings.”
That especially stood out to me. Scripting in autism is not a flaw, but rather a communicative ability that deserves acknowledgment and admiration.
What is Scripting in Autism
Consider having a `phrasebook` for social interactions, and for some reason, in-person dialogue is stress-inducing. Scripting in autism is the equivalent of a phrasebook. It helps navigate social conversation when it is not possible to generate spontaneous verbalization.
For some individuals on the spectrum, these phrases drawn from movies, books, or past talks are pieces more than words. For many, they serve as a coping strategy and form of communication.
Scripting, also known as delayed echolalia, is a part of gestalt language processing. Rather than learning a language on a word-by-word basis, gestalt language processors learn whole phrases or blocks of communication and use them to create meaningful interaction.
@autismlearning1 spotlights Kaelynn Partlow’s insightful breakdown of autism scripting, illuminating its role as a unique mode of communication and deepening our collective understanding.
Kaelynn Partlow breaksdown scripting in a wonderful lights for all to understand!
— Autism Learning Collaborative (@autismlearning1) November 29, 2023
Video Credit: IG // kaelynnvp#AutismLearningCollaborative #scripting #autismawareness pic.twitter.com/PMguUAKsaJ
The Unrecognized Benefits: The Importance Of Scripting Of Scripting
We can define the concept of scripting as autistic people having:
- Develop a careful language plan to communicate more easily and predictably.
- Better manage anxiety in social situations.
- Encourage the expression of difficult and complex feelings that they might otherwise struggle to share on their own.
- Facilitate the development of social skills using familiar phrases and expressions.
As previously mentioned, a script is not simply repetition, rather it is a bridge. A bridge that has the potential to turn socially difficult interactions into easy exchanges and brings comfort through the order of language.
Mary Lynch Barbera, PhD, RN, BCBA-D, offers insightful strategies on managing autism scripting and recognizing when it might become challenging in her engaging YouTube discussions.
Let's talk about how to handle scripting in children with autism, and when it starts becoming a problem. Catch the full video on my YouTube channel, where I share with you some of my ideas about turning autism around every week.https://t.co/JZqxUVgyib pic.twitter.com/tvKkdQeHYp
— Mary Lynch Barbera, PhD, RN, BCBA-D (@DrMaryBarbera) November 16, 2018
First-Had Experiences: Scripting In Action
He told me how Marcus would use a quote from the movie “Toy Story” whenever he needed to feel excited or interact with people. “For the sake of everything that is out there beyond us!” wasn’t just a quote, but rather a form of expressing “Am excited” or “Am ready to play”.
Another colleague, Sarah, who teaches people with autism shared how scripting works for her clients when they go for job placements.
One client made a few carefully chosen movie lines and used them to talk to their colleagues and succeeded in forming great relationships with them, which showed that the clients had acquired some social skills using scripted language.
Autism Parents (@AutismALaMode) share a heartwarming moment of their little man’s excitement during a train ride, where his scripting didn’t overshadow the pure joy of the experience.
Our little man was super excited to sit in a train last weekend. He was doing a bit of scripting, but you can still hear is excitement. #Autism #AutismAcceptance #Love pic.twitter.com/srbGNHxrih
— Autism Parents (@AutismALaMode) October 5, 2018
Positive Approach: Inclusion and Communication Strategies
Supporting autism scripting isn’t about getting rid of it; it’s about broadening it. Some strategies include:
- Encouraging pretend scenarios that build upon favorite scripted scenes.
- Crafting social narratives that pave new avenues for interaction.
- Using visual aids and schedules in conjunction with scripts.
- Supporting communication development through assistive technology.
- Promoting an environment where different communication skills are appreciated and affirmed.
The goal is not elimination: that is the outdated approach, fixing through applied behavior analysis and scripting. A newer, constructive approach is to celebrate, support, and constructively embrace it.
Scripting is widely accepted as one of the main building blocks in the communicative framework for a lot of autistic people.
The focus shouldn’t be on making them realign their communication style to fit the neurotypical mold. It should be appreciated and honored that people communicate and develop in different ways.
Understanding Diversity in Communication
Asserting there is a ‘communication diversity’ framework that dismantles traditional disabilities thinking that includes neurodiversity, collaborates with people who are autistic and are not pretending to be neurotypical, and requires understanding and strength, not problem-solving.
Scripts are necessary for effective communication for a lot of autistic individuals regardless of age, and are essential to their psychological health, forming relationships, and socializing.
So next time there’s a seemingly randomly thrown-out quote from a movie, pause for a minute. It might just be someone’s way of expressing himself as well as navigating through life in a unique manner that we are yet to understand.
In order to create a sincere interpersonal connection, understanding is paramount. Embracing and supporting the concepts of autism scripting aids in fostering an environment that respects and appreciates every individual’s distinct communicational milestones.
Last Updated on by Saket Kumar
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