Mumble Report post Posted July 29, 2009 I've had one track on repeat since I got in at 4pm. It's on a whole film soundtrack album but I just have one song repeating over and over. This is something I often find myself doing (it's not really a conscious decision and I've only just realised that it's been on for 6 hours) particularly when I'm very anxious/stressed. It's not the same song each time I do it, but when I do, it's one song over and over and over and... I'm pretty sure this is something that quite a few autistic adults (and children?) do, but does anyone know why? Is it something non-autistic adults do or would they find it annoying (I have it on quietly so it can't be heard outside my room and annoy other people)? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tjw Report post Posted July 29, 2009 hi mumble yes my son plays one song of his album all the time and its kevin ###### rudolf lol it is the only song he has played now for emmmm let me think 4/5 mths, he is dx with asd but is only six soon to be seven but he aint having no more birthdays but thats another hurldle i am trying to get passed with him.... i play the same music over and over again also. takecare theresa Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
biker69 Report post Posted July 29, 2009 Hi Mumble My son does this everynight watching the same episodes of Spongebob Squarepants biker69 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted July 29, 2009 My son does this everynight watching the same episodes of Spongebob Squarepants I can understand with videos - I do this for a couple of reasons - with films, I understand much better the second, third etc. time as I'm not scared/frightened/surprised by whatever is happening. With shorter TV programmes, I like the familiarity, it's somehow comforting, and I do use a lot of lines from TV programmes in my everyday conversation (thankfully most people - my sister excluded who has full permission to kick me when I go too far and am annoying - don't notice). Plus, with TV programmes, it's not one episode I'll watch, I like the whole series idea and love box-sets of DVDs - I have quite a few box-sets and series that I am collecting as the DVDs are released. However, how does this translate to music? It's something I struggle to explain to others. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
something_different Report post Posted July 29, 2009 i often do that with music too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScienceGeek Report post Posted July 29, 2009 I often do that with music, just yesterday I had the song Boston by Augustana on nearly all day! Sometimes I end up doing it with dvds, if I leave the dvd player on it will just go round and round, watched the same film 4 times in 1 day the other day Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LordGorse Report post Posted July 30, 2009 I used to drive my mum crazy as a kid--I went through a period when I would watch the fantasy film Willow at least four times a day . I also do the music thing, but I usually listen to the whole album over and over until I've familiarised myself with the songs, and then I only listen to particular songs on repeat. I think, for me at least, it acts as a sort of mantra: so long as the music is playing I seem to remain in pretty much the same mood throughout. It does help me focus, too; sometimes I'll play my favourite song for a while before sitting down to write. It seems to elevate and encourage my creativity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scoops Report post Posted July 30, 2009 Yep, I'd do that. Not quite as severly as some have described. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted July 30, 2009 I do this with songs, too...in fact I'll even start again after the first opening bars sometimes. Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mandapanda Report post Posted July 30, 2009 Hi I bet your neighbours love you !! My son used to watch Dumbo non-stop all day - I know it off by heart! My DH plays new CDs again and again and I get fed up with that, but he's just enjoying them so I don't say anything. I've heard of people with mental health issues that do this - but I am definitely NOT implying anything about any of you (perhaps the issues of comfort and familiarity play a part in this situation as well?). Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted July 30, 2009 I bet your neighbours love you !! I have it on quietly so it can't be heard outside my room and use headphones after quiet hours. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mandapanda Report post Posted August 4, 2009 I have it on quietly so it can't be heard outside my room and use headphones after quiet hours. Sorry to assume you were playing it loud! You are being very kind and thoughtful, would you move next to me please? Since I last posted I have noticed I am in fact playing the same album over and over in the car. I'm really into Yoav at the moment, I've tried putting other stuff on but I just love him. Usually I can remember a song after one hearing, but his music is unpredictable in tune and lyrics and is much more of a challenge, I think that's why I like it so much. I hadn't noticed me doing that before !!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
purplehaze Report post Posted August 4, 2009 Hello, my 15 yr old son with ASD does this-sometimes I can relate the music he is playing over and over to maybe something that has happened or maybe an emotion he may be feeling. For example he fell out with a friend and kept playing a song that said 'I don't want you back' for weeks. Lately it's been Jackson songs-I think it's about thinking of death which he has struggled with understanding-when our rabbit died he was so anxious about it being in the garden and coming back to life I had to bury it in our local woods and when my mum died he was just angry about the plans changing. Sometimes he plays 'i'm a Barbie girl'-not sure what that's about So could it be to help with emotions/feelings????? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bikemad Report post Posted August 4, 2009 J does this all the time.....same track or album on repeat for hours...but he is also the same with games....play the same game over n over n over....also dvd's over n over n over. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Imposter Report post Posted August 12, 2009 I do this sometimes. Although I more tend to get stuck on certain bands for a while. At the moment it's The Misfits (luckily I have the coffin box-set), I must have listened to Astro Zombies and Night Of The Living Dead about 200 times in the last fortnight! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
noogsy Report post Posted August 13, 2009 my louis (aged 12) does this and it drives everyone mad, his latest love is the cartoons. oo e o ah ah ting tang willa willa bing bang oo e o ah ah willa willa willa bang! cam and me bought him headphones because we were going to do my beautiful boy harm, love noogsy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gordie Report post Posted August 14, 2009 I have a tendency to do this on occasions when it's something I really like ... but I do wish I wouldn't get that urge, as it usually ends up with me going off the song forever! I end up overplaying it till it's just "okay", rather than something I absolutely love. I blame the fact that I'm rarely able to feel excited about anything any more for that urge taking over whenever I do feel it. James Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sesley Report post Posted August 14, 2009 one film that does get played over and over is Wall E on DVD. hasn't played it for a while though,so they do progress to other things gradually. His the wii Mario smash bros,he has finally figured out how to play if by himself at 9 . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
julie1 Report post Posted August 15, 2009 My youngest daughter loves to listen to the same track on disney cd. we have it in the car only and it has been like this from April. In the house she watches the same dvd over and over, she no them word perfect, yet she will not have the dvd turned off, she can be lying on the floor looking the other way in another world but if i press stop she will get very upset. She is only 4 so is not able to tell me why she does this however her older sister who is 12 tells me it is very important not to turn off the film when it has not finished, i must wait till the end, when it is finished, then she might need to watch it again incase she has missed a bit. She has social communication disorder, which i have been told is very much like ASD. Anyway this is what she has told me about the repeated action of cds and dvds. I must say it drives me nuts. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sa Skimrande Report post Posted September 3, 2009 (edited) I known for this repeating of media, but I think I know what it is, it is my desire to analyse and understand wholly what is presented, any hidden agendas, and why the media was made. What exactly might have gone through the mind of the creator, and what it was they were trying to convey beyond the obvious. I repeat my consumption of the same media until such a time I have gleaned as much information as I can, then I drop it like a hot spud and move onto the next interest. I see the repetitive media interest as yet another obsession, where the aim is to absorb as much as can be absorbed for whatever purpose. My purpose is to wonder at what possibilities exist beyond the mundane, as if there was some hidden meaning, a secret code to be understood. I think we are naturally attracted to things we feel need to be examined, and understood, the media is presenting a question to be wondered at. Edited September 3, 2009 by Sa Skimrande Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley1590 Report post Posted September 3, 2009 i know why it's repeativeness and obsessiveness side of having ASD you can't help youself listening over and over so addicitive get hooked i do exact same task as like you say i bet so do many others like us!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smiley1590 Report post Posted September 3, 2009 i think it could be way of expressing emotions thoughts and feelings theory is explained for me anyways as i can really relate personally to this statement totally 100%!!! no doubt about it that's for sure!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jon79 Report post Posted September 3, 2009 i have this over and over repeated. i think it helps my aniextes it is in my head when i am anxious stress situation, it is a calming safe influence Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
serendippity Report post Posted October 9, 2009 Good grief, I've just been reading through the forum and saw this. I do this constantly, it used to drive my ex husband mad. I don't have ASD though. It's usually either Moonlight Shadow by Mike Oldfield, or Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I'll have them on constant repeat for days. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peaches Report post Posted October 15, 2009 (edited) I've had one track on repeat since I got in at 4pm. It's on a whole film soundtrack album but I just have one song repeating over and over. This is something I often find myself doing (it's not really a conscious decision and I've only just realised that it's been on for 6 hours) particularly when I'm very anxious/stressed. It's not the same song each time I do it, but when I do, it's one song over and over and over and... I'm pretty sure this is something that quite a few autistic adults (and children?) do, but does anyone know why? Is it something non-autistic adults do or would they find it annoying (I have it on quietly so it can't be heard outside my room and annoy other people)? My daughter (age 23) has Asperger's and she seems to play the same music over and over, she has quite a small playlist too, and many of her favourite songs are ones we played when she was growing up. She seems to take her musical choices from other people, anything that me or her dad have played a lot she likes. Its a good job we're cool isnt it? We all like indie/rock etc. (now Ive said that, I know it means we arent). When she was 13 we all went to see Pulp together! I couldnt play the same track over and over, but when I was younger I could play the same album over and over. If I like a song and want to hear it again, 3 repeats are about enough. When our daughter was younger, she used to play a video of Donald and Daisy over and over continually, or the Little Mermaid... We all knew those off by heart. Both my daughter and grandson like gaming and Ive noticed that the games play the same songs over and over again too. Edited October 15, 2009 by peaches Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NobbyNobbs Report post Posted October 15, 2009 i'm on my 4th rotation in a row of the full box set of West Wing at the moment (156 episodes) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sooze2 Report post Posted October 15, 2009 My DH has played the same albums for the last 15 years! He does get new ones occasionally but they are all the same type of music with the same base line going on. He also needs to play them very loud and accuses me of being old if I turn them down to either be able to speek or because the kids are trying to sleep. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mumble Report post Posted October 15, 2009 i'm on my 4th rotation in a row of the full box set of West Wing at the moment (156 episodes) I'm waiting until the 26th October when the full seasons 1 - 15 ER box set is released. I think I deserve a treat. Just 331 episodes. I think it will keep me going. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
asnewb Report post Posted October 16, 2009 I've had one track on repeat since I got in at 4pm. It's on a whole film soundtrack album but I just have one song repeating over and over. This is something I often find myself doing (it's not really a conscious decision and I've only just realised that it's been on for 6 hours) particularly when I'm very anxious/stressed. It's not the same song each time I do it, but when I do, it's one song over and over and over and... I'm pretty sure this is something that quite a few autistic adults (and children?) do, but does anyone know why? Is it something non-autistic adults do or would they find it annoying (I have it on quietly so it can't be heard outside my room and annoy other people)? I do this just as you've desribed and I thought everyone does it Is it not normal?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Propinquity Report post Posted October 16, 2009 I known for this repeating of media, but I think I know what it is, it is my desire to analyse and understand wholly what is presented, any hidden agendas, and why the media was made. What exactly might have gone through the mind of the creator, and what it was they were trying to convey beyond the obvious. I repeat my consumption of the same media until such a time I have gleaned as much information as I can, then I drop it like a hot spud and move onto the next interest. I see the repetitive media interest as yet another obsession, where the aim is to absorb as much as can be absorbed for whatever purpose. My purpose is to wonder at what possibilities exist beyond the mundane, as if there was some hidden meaning, a secret code to be understood. I think we are naturally attracted to things we feel need to be examined, and understood, the media is presenting a question to be wondered at. I love this, completly sums up why I put some tracks on repeat for hours, I need to analyse the lyrics and 'understand' the whole song which you just cant do after one listen! I thought I was a bit weird in doing this, but is its AS related its ok then Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maria-Alex Report post Posted October 17, 2009 transformers are a favourite for my son, he'll repeat it all through the day. he did the same for disney-pixars cars, finding nemo, shrek 2, thomas tank engine and (argh! the most annoying) numberjacks. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jannih Report post Posted October 17, 2009 (edited) Playing the same song over and over again, can have an almost hypnotic effect and can aid de-stressing. Well, that my view. I don't know what others think ? Edited October 17, 2009 by Jannih Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Boy Report post Posted October 18, 2009 I watch the same films over and over (but now I'm older I'll often watch a film every night, and rarely will watch a film over and over, although every now and then I'll watch a film twice or three times in a row. When I was little I would watch the same film over and over, all day every day, then move onto the next film and do the same with that). When I was little I went through repeatedly watching most Disney films, Hook, Labyrinth (still watch these regularly now!), Willow, The Dark Crystal, and others that I can't remember right now. I will listen to the same song over and over for hours, or a whole album, or sometimes I'll make up a short playlist (maybe three or four songs) and listen to those over and over, depending on what takes my fancy. I can't be sure why I do it... Other than repetitive and familiar equates comfort! But I wonder whether in part it's because I like the familiar and so watching new films too often or listening to lots of different songs can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. I'm the same with TV shows. I'll watch the new episode of House on the Sunday, then again on the Monday, then again on the Tuesday, then again if it's on Friday/Saturday... I used to watch Scrubs every night... then switch to the +1 channel and watch it again... before bed. Then, when it wasn't on (on Saturdays) I'd stay up really late because it wrecked my routine. Then Big Brother started and they stopped showing Scrubs at night and I had to cold turkey on my routine. I should have invested in a Scrubs boxset. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites