Echolalia in the workplace
I work in a behavioral health facility in the United States, for anyone who wants to know, and while I have always had issues with echolalia (I lived with British people for a year in middle school and began speaking in a mild accent and using British colloquialisms constantly), it's getting awkward at work. I don't know how to phrase this without being entirely problematic and horrible, but I work with a majority of people on staff who regularly use AAVE, which, as the whitest white person ever is not the most appropriate way of speaking for me to inadvertently imitate. Does anyone have any tips on how to either shut down the echolalia or at least filter it? I'm already super awkward and perceived as weird, and this unintentional appropriation is really not helping my case.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asperger's) and Bipolar II Disorder.
AQ Score: 42
Aspie Quiz: 178/200
The only thing I can think of is finding yourself a 'work' persona, and sticking with that.
Find somebody who is a good communicator outside of work (a friend or family member whose language etc. would be appropriate for you at work), and try to use their behaviours or ways of speaking at work.
1. You will need to spend time observing the person whilst they interact with others (it's easier if they are talking to somebody else because you can concentrate on them better).
2. Take note of their lexical features/accent/non-verbal features/body language.
3. Think about and imagine their behaviour at some other time, and try to imagine what they would do in different situations.
4. Slowly start to apply their behaviours when you are at work. Start with just a few and add from there. It's best if you start with behaviours which come more naturally, then work towards those which are more foreign.
Hope this helps. It might be hard to start off with, but it gets easier with practice. ![]()
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Diagnosed: Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1 without accompanying language impairment
I find it easiest to connect with people through the medium of fandoms, and enjoy the feeling of solidarity.
Too often, people say things they don't mean, and mean things they don't say.
Thank you. I will try that. A lot of my imitating comes from pop culture, rather than people I'm close to (especially since my three best friends live close to 2,000 miles away from me since I moved five years ago and I really haven't made any social connections in this state), which at times has resulted in me speaking essentially like a Joss Whedon character or a Gilmore Girl. Maybe I can try using that. Instead of WWJD, more like What Would Lorelai Gilmore Do?
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asperger's) and Bipolar II Disorder.
AQ Score: 42
Aspie Quiz: 178/200
