If my life were a movie, he would be the narrator

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My son (AS) is a talker, he is constantly chattering away, from the time he wakes up to the time he falls asleep. Everything he sees, everything he thinks, and everything he hears comes right back out of his mouth, often punctuated with "mom, mom, mom". When he watches cartoons, he'll often repeat what was just said, and when it's over he will repeat (verbatim) a small amount of dialogue over and over for hours on end. He follows me around everywhere I go, talking.

When my husband gets home we cannot have a conversation without him following us repeating what were saying to eachother, or his own personal narrative of what were saying, but also insisting that we listen and respond.

Everytime my husband tells him to do something he refuses to do it until he first finds me (whether I'm 2 feet away or in another room) and tells me what daddy told him to do (this upsets my husband more than it does me, I just find it mildly annoying at worst)

There are days I don't mind it, then there are other days I want to pull my hair out (for example, as I write he is standing over my shoulder saying "mom, mom, mom, I want to see the picture of the pencil erasing the alien, mom, did you hear me mom? mom mom mom?)

I'm only human, as much as I love and cherish my son, I simply can't focus and listen to that much talking all day everyday

Is there any advice anyone can give (even as simple as "grin and bear it, it's just a phase") from coping skills on my husbands and my part to solutions to help him not need to constantly talk.

Thank you.

how old is your son? my son (6) recently started writing "books" and it really helps with the need to narrate. he likes to record himself dictating the story on my phone, then play it back while he writes it down. he includes a lot of what he hears us say, things he has read or seen in a movie, and the results have been pretty awesome (and sometimes hilarious). it has definitely cut down on his repetitive talk, and if he's recording himself it gives me a little bit of a break.

having been the kid that made my mother do more than tear her hair out, I would like to let you know a little secret.

I am an adult Aspie and as a child, I used to carefully pronounce every song lyric or singing commercial to whomever would be around me when it happened, because (and no one could tell me different) I thought that I was the only person that heard the words, when the words were lyrics in songs.

I can't tell you how that looked to others, a little know it all kid that was singing always on pitch and time and would hold her ears and wail pitifully if her mother sang, brother becoming so angry at me pushing me off mothers lap saying they wanted to sing and it was mean of me to keep moaning "don't sing, mommy, don't sing'. I so dimly remember this, JD, it was that difficult to see my own feelings, to be actually me inside a body and mind that was always so frenetically driven, and I was reacting to outside stimuli so continually and so used to the constant barrage of vibrations of colors, and lights and textures and sounds of which I was trying to make some sort of sense.

If you think you are driven to distraction, so is your son. He is over stimulated by not being able to master all the sensory information he is receiving. Repetition of your words is trying to imprint upon his mind the importance of you and his dad. Most of us put great importance on words and think this is the only key to interacting with people. Few of us have more than just a little awareness that your face is telling the onlooker a story, or the way you are holding your body is supposed to give information on how to interpret what you words are telling us.

We are mostly focused on the words, because we rely on them to give us solid information that we can trust. Even if we don't know the meaning of them

"mom mom mom" is sort of a "stim" as he loves you so much the sound of your name is comforting to him and a real pleasure to have it resonate like a drum through his little body.

Merle

(By the way, I grew up to be just fine. )

I can relate a little.Mine is 3 and never went through that "seperation anxiety" phase where they just want you.I always felt kind of cheated.He seperates from me fine to go to preschool or whatever.But when we are at home all he wants is me 24/7.I can't go into the bathroom or whatever with out him holding onto my leg-I have to drag him in there with me.He doesn't want to be alone in any room.Part of me loves it and yes part of me gets driven a little crazy-he loes the mom,mom,mom over and over and over.When I say what or did you want something I usually never get an answer an he starts it up a minute later.I have no advice but I'm glad I'm not alone.

I didn't speak until I was 3 but it was just echolialia and I didn't begin to say anything for myself until I was four or maybe even five.

Sorry it took me so long to get back, thank you guys for your posts. He is almost 6.
I love the tape recorder idea. I think he would really like that, maybe not so much the writing part yet, but definately the recording.

and sinsboldly, I had to laugh when I read your post, because he says the exact same thing when I sing, "mommy stop, no singing". Except for "manah manah" that's his favorite song right now, and it's just not as much fun to sing by yourself

I feel so bad for him, I wish I could be more patient with it, because I know it's his way of dealing with a world that is so loud, and uncomfortable. It can't be any more fun for him than it is for me. I do, however, feel a little better (maybe even a little proud) about the "mom, mom, mom" thing... I've never been a stim before (lol) I had never thought of it that way, I just thought he was forcing my attention, but since you mentioned it, it makes sense

and kchristo, he was similar when he was 3, if I dropped him off at daycare, he would bound off with hardly a wave, but when we were home he wanted to be able to see me.