Communication mapping

The first step in the study is a communication-mapping session, where we will work together to chart participants' communication histories, especially thinking about the social situations and relationships that helped shape their identities as communicators.

Memories are not isolated events but steps along a path shaped by belonging, exclusion, and meaning. Mapping helps anchor these memories by using visuals that trace when, where, and with whom echolalia emerged as safe, discouraged, joyful, grounding, or misunderstood.

The map may include: early scripts or phrases; sensory or emotional connections; people who shaped communicative experiences; settings where echoing felt encouraged, discouraged, safe, or unsafe; media or cultural references tied to scripting. Using images, colors, and a visual layout is intended to help participants better connect to their memories. This is tied to research showing that autistic autobiographical memory becomes richer when supported through visual, sensory, or relational supports.

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