| Getting one’s needs met and to exist happily in | | | | misunderstood. |
| one’s family, community and beyond is | | | | The phenomenon of echolalia is also something that |
| dependent on the ability to communicate. As | | | | can be understood. One first needs to remember |
| non-autistic individuals we can use ourselves to | | | | that the autistic child has minimal and varying |
| communicate our needs and express our feelings. | | | | (depending on their functioning level) ability to use |
| The autistic individual depending on their functioning | | | | oneself in relationship to others. Also it is important |
| level, has anywhere from extremely limited | | | | to remember that a lack of attachment precludes |
| (nonexistent in some) to some ability to ask for their | | | | one from being able to use one’s self. Thus |
| needs to be met. Some people with autism seem | | | | echolalia is the result of not being able to use |
| to communicate by perseverating on a topic that | | | | one’s self. The child only has access to what |
| seems to not relate at all to whatever the topic | | | | they hear. They may hear “do you want a |
| might be. For example, one child may become | | | | cookie?” Developmentally all the child can do is |
| fixated on televisions and only be able to talk about | | | | mimic the other person. There is no awareness and |
| this subject, no matter what else is being discussed. | | | | ability to use the self in response to the other. Thus |
| It is not unusual for autistic individuals to seem to | | | | the end result is a repetition of what the child |
| come out of “left field” with what they | | | | heard. |
| might say. For example, the topic may be | | | | The child who reverses his pronouns and uses |
| “going to the grocery store and what will be | | | | ‘you’ to mean ‘I’ is beginning to |
| bought at the store.” The child may say, | | | | use his self with others. The child uses |
| “you are pretty.” | | | | ‘you’ because it is safer than ‘me or |
| There are also individuals who are nonverbal, those | | | | I.’ The autistic child does not feel safe in the |
| who use echolalia and still others that can only | | | | world. Everything is confusing, awkward and anxiety |
| express their needs by reversing their pronouns. | | | | producing. The use of ‘you’ as it refers to |
| When they want a cookie to eat, instead of saying | | | | the self is another example of dissociation. As I |
| “I want a cookie,” the child may say, | | | | mentioned before the child is split. As the child |
| “you want a cookie.” | | | | develops and he becomes less split and gains more |
| Let’s make sense of what is going on. If as I | | | | agency, he will then move to using the pronoun |
| am suggesting the child has not had the benefit of an | | | | ‘me’ and finally as he has more and more |
| attachment, lacks the ability to use him/herself in | | | | access to himself, he will be able to use ‘I.’ |
| relationship to others and is also in a state of | | | | There seems to be a direct correlation to the use of |
| dissociation with varying degrees of consciousness | | | | ‘I’ and ability to know and access feelings |
| then I would continue to propose that the child’s | | | | and use them in relationship to others. |
| ability to communicate is going to be compromised. | | | | Now lets look at why the communication of autistic |
| Let me explain how these different elements | | | | individuals appears inappropriate. First of all, I believe |
| contribute to not only problems in communicating, but | | | | that an autistic individual is always communicating his |
| also relating to others. | | | | state of existence. Unfortunately, most perceive |
| It is important to remember that the autistic individual | | | | these communications from their own experience, |
| wants to communicate and in fact is always | | | | which includes having completed the attachment |
| communicating about himself even though he may be | | | | process. In working with autistic individuals, many |
| nonverbal, echolalic or reversing pronouns. He is like | | | | try to extinguish the “odd” behaviors of the |
| any human being in that he has a need to | | | | child. In doing so, we are not understanding the |
| communicate. Unfortunately, because he has had an | | | | message the child is trying to communicate through |
| incomplete attachment, he cannot identify his | | | | his strange behaviors. We in a sense are helping |
| feelings, which are dissociated, and therefore cannot | | | | them feel misunderstood versus understood and not |
| use those feelings to express his needs. In other | | | | seen versus seen. Instead these communications |
| words, he has not developed to a level where he has | | | | need to be understood within the context of a child |
| self-agency. This means he literally cannot ask for | | | | who has never attached and cannot use the self to |
| anything for his own benefit. This is not a physical | | | | communicate. Every behavior that the child uses |
| problem, but instead a “developmental | | | | can be understood and must be understood so that |
| problem” that can change over time. | | | | the child can gain understanding and recognition, |
| It is my opinion, that what one sees with the | | | | which are precursors to being able to attach. Our |
| nonverbal autistic child is the reverse of what one | | | | work with the autistic person is to understand, |
| sees with a “typical” child. I call this | | | | validate, accept and recognize the autistic person. If |
| phenomenon “Inside out, upside down.” In | | | | the caregiver or professional can recognize and see |
| other words, the unconscious part of the child is on | | | | the child, then the child can start to see him or |
| the outside and the conscious part is in the inside. | | | | herself. |
| That is why some nonverbal autistic children seem | | | | In concluding, I want to restate that the |
| out of control and low functioning, but with the use | | | | perseverations, the out of context communications, |
| of a computer can communicate beautifully in | | | | the use of pronoun reversal, echolalia, nonverbal |
| writing. This is a very good example of the split or | | | | communication, to name only a few, can be |
| dissociation of the self. Most people are unfamiliar | | | | understood through the lens of an “Incomplete |
| with seeing the ‘unconscious.’ Because | | | | Attachment” which leaves the individual in a state |
| most people are unfamiliar with the workings of the | | | | waiting for the completed attachment and without |
| unconscious, autistic individuals are constantly | | | | access to self or what I call self-agency. |