The brains of children with autism search for meaning in the world and are naturally attracted to music. If children with autism process speech as music, and music is highly repetitive, it's understandable for these children to repeat what they hear.
Auditory stimming can involve the person repeatedly listening to the same sounds or making the same noises. Bubble tubes provide a gentle bubbling noise which can be very pleasant for auditory stimming. Auditory stimming examples: Playing the same song over and over, clicking fingers, clapping, humming.
"Sometimes if you're in a sad mood, a minor song just speaks to you, and if you're in an upbeat mood, a major mode with a catchy beat just makes you feel even more up," Dr. Honig says. Whatever the reason, it's totally normal to get fixated on a song and play it out over and over again until you're tired of it.
Many children on the autism spectrum use echolalia, which means they repeat others' words or sentences. They might repeat the words of familiar people (parents, teachers), or they might repeat sentences from their favourite video. When children repeat words right after they hear them, it's known as immediate echolalia.
Reasons autistic children use echolalia in speech patterns include: Self-stimulation: Often called "stimming," this use of echolalia speech patterns is meant as a calming strategy. The repetition helps an autistic child cope with overwhelming sensory challenges.
The brains of children with autism search for meaning in the world and are naturally attracted to music. If children with autism process speech as music, and music is highly repetitive, it's understandable for these children to repeat what they hear.
Many autistic people get very stuck in loops of rumination and uncertainty, and the feeling of going round and round, the anxiety and worry, can be really unbearable. I call this 'loops of concern'.
One of the hallmark features of an autism spectrum disorder is the presence of restrictive and repetitive behaviors (RRBs), interests, and activities. Individuals may engage in stereotyped and repetitive motor movements (e.g., hand flapping or lining up items) or speech (e.g., echolalia).
Restricted/repetitive behaviors is a core diagnostic criterion for autism. Motor repetitions, referred to as “lower-order,” include self-stimulation, hand flapping, twirling, repeating phrases, manipulating objects, banging toys together, and repeatedly pushing buttons (1).
So-called 'lower-order' repetitive behaviors are movements such as hand-flapping, fidgeting with objects or body rocking, and vocalizations such as grunting or repeating certain phrases. 'Higher-order' repetitive behaviors include autism traits such as routines and rituals, insistence on sameness and intense interests.
Individuals with ADHD are easily distracted by external noise; research shows that repetitive music and sounds have been found to block other random noises and lead to better attention on tasks.
“If we have had the experience of a certain song making us feel a certain way, we can almost be sure that listening to it again will generate those same feelings.” Your brain therefore might have formed a connection to a song without you even realising, which is why you can't resist playing it over and over again.
Earworms or stuck song syndrome
Recurring tunes that involuntarily pop up and stick in your mind are common: up to 98% of the Western population has experienced these earworms. Usually, stuck songs are catchy tunes, popping up spontaneously or triggered by emotions, associations, or by hearing the melody.
Do people with ADHD listen to songs on a loop? Not necessarily. Listening to songs on repeat is more about personal preference and less about neurotype.
Stimming behaviour is almost always present in people on the autism spectrum but does not, on its own, necessarily indicate the diagnosis. The biggest difference between autistic and non-autistic stimming is the type of stim and the quantity of stimming.
Auditory stimming uses the person's sense of hearing and sound. It may include behaviors such as: vocal sounds, such as humming. tapping on objects or ears, covering and uncovering ears, and finger-snapping. repetitive speech.
Common examples of stereotypy are hand flapping, body rocking, toe walking, spinning objects, sniffing, immediate and delayed echolalia, and running objects across one's peripheral vision (Schreibman, Heyser, & Stahmer, 1999).
How Are ADHD and Autism Different? ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition whose hallmark signs include hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Autism is also a neurodevelopmental condition, but one characterized by social skills challenges like social interactions, communications, and repetitive behaviors.
Repetitive behaviours can be a major part of life for many autistic children and young people. They can be an essential way of regulating emotion and providing someone with a source of comfort or enjoyment that enables them to carry on with their day.
Type 2 autism, or level 2 autism, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how an individual communicates and behaves. They are compromised in social communication, exhibiting atypical social behaviors, and may even walk away in the middle of an interaction.
About stimming and autism
Stimming might include: hand and finger mannerisms – for example, finger-flicking and hand-flapping. unusual body movements – for example, rocking back and forth while sitting or standing. posturing – for example, holding hands or fingers out at an angle or arching the back while sitting.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. People with ASD often have problems with social communication and interaction, and restricted or repetitive behaviors or interests. People with ASD may also have different ways of learning, moving, or paying attention.
Intense interests
Many autistic people have intense and highly-focused interests, often from a fairly young age. These can change over time or be lifelong. It can be art, music, gardening, animals, postcodes or numbers.
Some autistic children and teenagers have rituals. For example, some children might keep favourite objects in specific places, like the bottom corner of a drawer in the bedroom. They might have to get their objects out and touch them before bed.
Though autistic people may respond to emotions and social cues differently than neurotypical people, this does not mean they lack empathy. Just like neurotypical people, levels of empathy vary between autistic individuals.