Autistic Polling

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1. Further Reading

Do you find that your autistic kid or person you support keeps asking the same question and wonder why?

This could be echolalia (repeating something you have heard), which is an important way for some autistic people to learn and process language.

It could be a manifestation of anxiety and a need for reassurance and help to understand.

And it could also be polling, a way of checking in with and understanding how things are with the other person, an important part of engaging with someone.

Let us talk about “Polling”. Do you find… – Better Ways Than ABA | Facebook

You may find some autistics repeatedly ask the same question of you, over and over again, like a routine. Much as perhaps some non-autistics might repeat “how are you?” or “what’s up?” or “are you OK?”, repeatedly.

There is a point to this. This can be ‘polling’.

A repeat checking to see how you are right that second towards him or her. An enquiry into your state of mind viz a viz themself.

This is distanced from other communication patterns such as echolalia, palilalia, and lalolalia – which are more about how folk, many autistic, learn.

These questions are non-questions, not rhetorical, but prompts directed to lowering the question-askers anxiety levels, checking on their safety level with you. Checking to see if it is appropriate and safe to communicate further. If answered correctly and on time – a comfort. Much more than ‘touching base’, much less than an inquisition. A test. A verbal dance even.

When I poll, I hope for reassurance, I am assessing mood or patience-level, I may need to repeat my question many times before I establish a pattern, to identify that I am safe to proceed.

The quality and timing of the response to my polling is vital for me to open-up or experience low-anxiety periods in life to make progress with, to develop assurance about non-judgmentalness in you, or a parent, for there to be allyship, safety, lower stress, smoothness, etc.

Let us talk about “Polling”. Do you find… – Better Ways Than ABA | Facebook

Further Reading

An Experience Sensitive Approach to Care With and for Autistic Children and Young People in Clinical Services – Elaine McGreevy, Alexis Quinn, Roslyn Law, Monique Botha, Mairi Evans, Kieran Rose, Ruth Moyse, Tiegan Boyens, Maciej Matejko, Georgia Pavlopoulou, 2024