Echolalia is the unsolicited repetition of vocalizations made by another person. In its profound form it is automatic and effortless.
Echolalia is the unsolicited repetition of utterances made by others. It is one of the most common echo phenomena and is a non-voluntary, automatic, and effortless pervasive behavior. Echolalia is a normal finding during language development in toddlers.[1]
You may have heard toddlers mimic noises and words when they hear others speak. This repetition or imitation of sounds, phrases, or words is called echolalia. The term comes from the Greek words “echo” and “lalia,” which mean “to repeat speech”.
Also called “functional echolalia,” interactive echolalia is when your child uses a phrase they've memorized as a means to communicate. For example, if your child hears a phrase on a commercial that says, “The best breakfast in town,” your child may say the same thing, or something similar, to indicate they are hungry.
The short answer to your question is no. Echolalia is not only associated with Autism, but also with several other conditions, including congenital blindness, intellectual disability, developmental delay, language delay, Tourette's syndrome, schizophrenia and others.
However, some children don't move past this echolalia stage. Some children will only repeat what others have said and very rarely come up with their own thoughts or sentences. Some children don't speak at all unless it is a movie script or tv script that they have heard before.
Individuals with ADHD may experience speech and language difficulties. These may include echolalia, or the repeating of words or phrases spoken by others.
But not all children who use echolalia are autistic. Some children may have a language delay and develop speech and language differently, and in a different order, than we're expecting. It's common for autistic children to use echolalia. But not all children who use echolalia are autistic.
Echolalia serves a variety of communicative purposes.
Echolalia provides a way for people with autism to affirm, call, request, label, protest, relate information, complete verbal routines and give directives.
There are three types of echolalia: immediate, delayed, and mitigated.
Echolalia is the use of repetitive words and phrases in communication. It is a natural phase of language development in toddlers. But kids often outgrow it when they reach their third birthday. However, children with autism often fail to outgrow this condition.
Echolalia occurs in many cases of autism spectrum disorder and Tourette syndrome. It may also occur in several other neurological conditions such as some forms of dementia or stroke-related aphasia.
Someone with echolalia may only be able to repeat a question rather than answering it, for example if someone asked “do you want to go for a walk?” they may repeat “go for a walk”.
Limit the number of questions you ask the child. Model appropriate requests/answers instead. For example, when a child is reaching for a ball, instead of saying “Do you want the ball?” model a request, such as “Ball, please.” Offer choices visually.
In the case of vocal stimming (or verbal stimming), the child might make noises such as groaning, grunting, high- pitched screeching, squealing, humming, or repeating random words, words to a familiar song, phrases, or lines from a movie.
Echolalia is commonly seen in children with developmental disorders such as autism and Tourette syndrome, however, it can also be seen in adults with medical comorbidities, such as delirium, dementia, stroke, and encephalitis.
Echolalia can be used as a self-stimulating behavior, in the same way that you may see a child with ASD use hand-flapping, rocking, or other self-soothing behaviors.
As speech therapists for children, we see echolalia in toddlers learning to speak and learning language. But it can be a natural part of your toddler learning to speak, or might be part of autism spectrum disorder.
The phenomenon of echolalia in autism and Asperger's syndrome1 has been well documented.
Many children on the autism spectrum use echolalia, which means they repeat others' words or sentences. They might repeat the words of familiar people (parents, teachers), or they might repeat sentences from their favourite video. When children repeat words right after they hear them, it's known as immediate echolalia.
While mannerisms such as random humming or screaming are known as vocal stims, echolalia and palilalia are known as verbal stimming. This is because vocal stimming involves the use of sounds other than talking, whereas verbal stimming usually involves speech.
For a child with autism, stimming might involve motor tics like rocking back and forth, licking lips, flapping hands, or repetitive blinking. It may also verbal tics like grunting, or repeating words or phrases, a behavior known as scripting or echolalia.
Language Development
Most kids use echolalia as a natural way to learn language – to learn words, rhythm, inflection and tone. In typically developing children, echolalia peaks at 30 months and fades by the time the child is 3 years old.