My son's "accent": Vent, and request for advice

[missypie]

DS15 has Asperger's Syndrome. People with Asperger's often have a different prosody, or rhythm, to their speech; my son certainly does, plus he has a very soft "r" that years of speech therapy have not corrected. (Folks here in north Texas speak with a very hard "r.)

Everywhere we go, people comment on his "accent." When he was checking in at the AA ticket counter for his school trip, the lady admired his "accent" so much that she called two other employees over to listen to him! I wanted so badly to say "It's due to a neurolgical disorder" but of course, that would have embarrassed DS even more. Last night he was getting his hair cut and the lady just wouldn't shut up about his "accent." Drives me nuts, and him, too.

I get no where with the school district - they say (being Politically Correct) that they do not correct accents. We keep saying IT IS NOT AN ETHNIC ACCENT...it is due to Asperger's!

Does anyone have any suggested comeback for me or my son, to get people to shut up when they quiz him about his "accent"? Saying "He's from here" isn't enough to get these clueless folks to leave it alone.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Well, in my family we'd make up a fake country and say he spent the summer there and picked up the accent.

It'd be our own private joke on the stupid people...

 

[missypie]

Well, in my family we'd make up a fake country and say he spent the summer there and picked up the accent.

It'd be our own private joke on the stupid people...

It's funny that you said that. Someone at church actually asked if he was a foreign exchange student. We all laughed about it and we dared him the next time to say he is from Durban, South Africa. (We have a Dutch last name, so it is plausable.)

 

[freckles and boo]

Our four-year-old daughter is on the spectrum (somewhere... we are still figuring it all out) and doesn't always behave well in public. We haven't done this personally, but I have read on the threads of people who create and discreetly pass out business-style cards explaining why their child behaves in a certain way. It may be tough to sneak this past a sharp teenager, but it is an option. Depending on how sensitive he is to the issue, he may even want to become involved in how the card is worded so he can have a part in educating those silly people who think he is from somewhere more exotic than Texas.

 

[tw1nsmom]

I would talk to the school about the prosody issue. Don't call it an accent. It can be difficult to get the school to agree to additional speech therapy in high school. You may want to look into some private therapy.

 

[missypie]

I would talk to the school about the prosody issue. Don't call it an accent. It can be difficult to get the school to agree to additional speech therapy in high school. You may want to look into some private therapy.

I don't call it an accent ...but even the special ed folks and speech therapists do...drives me crazy!

We have been greatly disappointed in the speech therapists in our district. DS went for 5 years (for his R's) with pretty much no results. DD went for her R's and "cured" herself. (In choir they were singing "Be Our Guest" and the director told them to do a big "French" accent and in the process, she fixed her "R"s!)

I've always figured that at some point, DS will get so sick of it that he will say "Okay, it's time to change the way I speak"; then we will find a therapist. I've been thinking of finding one of those people who teach aspiring radio and TV personalities to shed their regional accents. They would be more experienced in working with young adults who want to shed a longstanding way of speaking.

 

[SueM in MN]

I've been thinking of finding one of those people who teach aspiring radio and TV personalities to shed their regional accents. They would be more experienced in working with young adults who want to shed a longstanding way of speaking.

that may actually not be a bad idea.

 

[Hedy]

How does your son feel about the accent? Does it bother him? If it doesn't, why bother to change it?
I am a 22 year old with a speech impediment, it's gotten better over the years. I've found an innocent "What accent?" gets people to be quiet.

 

[kaytieeldr]

[Disneyrsh]
Well, in my family we'd make up a fake country and say he spent the summer there and picked up the accent.

It'd be our own private joke on the stupid people... [/quote] Good one! A couple of options here - first, does anybody remember the name of the country used in the Dynasty (80s tv show) wedding massacre? Or, something like, "He's from Uratwit" or "He's from Urobtuse" (pronounced, of course, youratwit and yourobtuse, respectively )

 

[missypie]

How does your son feel about the accent? Does it bother him? If it doesn't, why bother to change it?
I am a 22 year old with a speech impediment, it's gotten better over the years. I've found an innocent "What accent?" gets people to be quiet.

He really doesn't mind that it makes him unique...being a very bright, very verbal, red-haired Aspie, he's used to being unique. But lots of people WON'T shut up after we say something like "What accent?"

Like I said, I'll pay for private therapy when HE comes to us and says he wants to change it.

 

[Disneyrsh]

Well, we summered at Upyoursistan and he's picked up a bit of the accent...