overasking question

[Guest guest]

Hi. I usually just read the list, but i have a situation that I'd like advice

on. I am working with a 6 year old boy, who is quite verbal. He is able to

initiate social interaction using a wide variety of learned comments and

questions. Lately he has been over-asking (hundreds of times a day) the question

" What are you doing? " . He asks this in situations where he clearly knows what

the other person is doing and it is beginning to drive his mother crazy. If he

is ignored, he will re-ask the question until he gets an answer. I think he is

using this question to initiate an interaction when he doesn't know what else to

say. We are not sure how to best address this without killing his motivation to

initiate interaction. I have suggested ignoring the question and immediately

prompting a situationally more appropriate comment or question and then praising

and responding to that. For example If his mother is cooking, and he asks " What

are you doing? " , prompt him to ask " What are we having for dinner tonight? " and

respond to that. Or, when his mother is drawing, prompt " That is a really nice

picture? " rather than answering the question. We have tried telling him to say

something different, but he can't come up with anything on his own.

Also, at school they have been asking him " What do you think I'm doing? " to

which he'll respond " You are walking to the classroom. "

Does anyone have any advice or input? We really want to capitalize on this

interest in what others are doing. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Just some thoughts: Is his nonverbal communication indicating that

he is authentically interested in the behavior of the other person

(he watching, making eye contact, standing in close proximity)? If

he is motivated to be with them and they are seen as the reinforcer

they can put the vocal stim on extinction and replace that with less

vocal behavior; teaching that we don't always have to be vocal when

we share an experience together like cooking or walking. So quiet

nonverbal exchanges replace the vocal (mom points to a spoon for him

to get so that he can help stir the soup) is heavily reinforced

through the presence of the person he is trying to connect with.

You would mix and vary this in settings because you only want the

vocal as a stim extinguished so any attempts at more typical vocal

exchanges are, of course, reinforced.

> Hi. I usually just read the list, but i have a situation that I'd

like advice on. I am working with a 6 year old boy, who is quite

verbal. He is able to initiate social interaction using a wide

variety of learned comments and questions. Lately he has been over-

asking (hundreds of times a day) the question " What are you doing? " .

He asks this in situations where he clearly knows what the other

person is doing and it is beginning to drive his mother crazy. If he

is ignored, he will re-ask the question until he gets an answer. I

think he is using this question to initiate an interaction when he

doesn't know what else to say. We are not sure how to best address

this without killing his motivation to initiate interaction. I have

suggested ignoring the question and immediately prompting a

situationally more appropriate comment or question and then praising

and responding to that. For example If his mother is cooking, and he

asks " What are you doing? " , prompt him to ask " What are we having

for dinner tonight? " and respond to that. Or, when his mother is

drawing, prompt " That is a really nice picture? " rather than

answering the question. We have tried telling him to say something

different, but he can't come up with anything on his own.

> Also, at school they have been asking him " What do you think I'm

doing? " to which he'll respond " You are walking to the classroom. "

> Does anyone have any advice or input? We really want to capitalize

on this interest in what others are doing. Thanks!