DEALING WITH REPETITIVE
Children with neurotypical development go through
stages where they are full of seemingly endless questions. The same
often happens for children with autism or Asperger's syndrome, but
the same questions may get asked over and over again, which can
be frustrating for parents and others they interact with. While
repetitive questioning can occur in adults with autism, this fact
sheet will focus on strategies for repetitive questioning in children.
The reasons for repetitive questions can vary,
and thus the way we respond needs to vary as well. There can be
a different reason for the same question as emotions, environments
and other variables change. As with any behavior, it helps if the
parent plays 'behavior detective' and looks for what has prompted
the repetitive questioning and respond to the underlying cause.
Why someone may be asking the same question repeatedly
Children on the autism spectrum may engage in
behaviors or echolalia,
and repetitive questioning may have the same appeal, with the routine
of the same question getting the same answers each time.
The child may have trouble expressing something
else they want to ask and substitute a familiar question instead.
In a similar vein, there may be a desire to communicate but the
child may not know yet how to start or maintain conversations.
Emotionally, the child could be scared, upset
or seeking reassurance in a 'safe' activity. It could also be a
way of demonstrating their knowledge as you confirm what they already
The strategies you use will depend on what you
think is motivating the repetitive questioning. A simple strategy
could be to write the answer on a piece of paper and simply refer
to the paper each time the question is asked again, assuming there
is no underlying cause that should be addressed.
If there has been a speech therapist involved,
you may need to prompt the individual to remember the chosen strategies
in dealing with repetitive questioning that have been practiced
with the speech therapist.
Set a limit on the number of repetitive questions
that can be asked. Outline the 'rules' for your child and explain
their options. Let your child know that they can choose another
topic in which case you can keep talking with them. It may help
to offer a few choices of topic. A social
story could be written to show the child how people will react
if a question is asked too often.
If you child could be trying to say something
else, you could revert to assistive
technology such as a story board to help them change to the
appropriate topic. Redirecting to another topic is important as
the positive aspects of social interaction are maintained. Your
child should not feel punished for their attempts to interact with
If your child could be demonstrating his or her knowledge, reverse
the question to see if they can answer it.
If the repetitive questioning is caused by stress
or anxiety, see if the underlying issue can be addressed. There
could be changes to their daily routine that are upsetting, or a
new change coming up. Consider the use of social
stories to adapt to new activities.
As with the short-term strategies, you use of
long-term strategies will depend on what you think is motivating
the repetitive questioning.
assistive technologies for communication such as communication
boards which can redirect the child to express what they are trying
Work with a speech therapist to introduce scripted formats to develop
conversational skills which can be practiced for different situations
and environments. Make a topic notebook that can list a range of
things your child can speak to other people about.
Reduce stress and anxiety by creating stable routines
and wall charts so your child knows what will happen each day of
each week. Let your child tick off activities as they occur. Plan
well ahead to introduce your child to new activities or environments
by introducing them to the wall chart.
If your child is demonstrating their knowledge
by repetitive questioning, encourage them to show this more appropriately.
For example, a child who is fascinated by butterflies can start
a book about butterflies.
Click here for the full
range of Asperger's and autism fact sheets and personal stories
See the Communication
skills page for more information on communication issues.
This autism fact sheet is licensed under the GNU