Echolalia: What is it and what do I do if my child is using it?
What is Echolalia?
Echolalia is a term used by Speech Pathologists to refer to the repetition or echoing of language – repeating the words and phrases that others have said. Echolalia is most seen in children with autism spectrum disorders and can take present in different ways.
Echolalia can be either immediate or delayed, and interactive or non-interactive.
Immediate Echolalia means your child repeats what you have said instantly, for example, if you have asked them, “Do you want help?” they may respond, “Do you want help.” These phrases can be remembered and repeated at later times, sometimes with a communicative purpose, sometimes not.
An example of interactive, delayed Echolalia might be your child approaching you and saying, “Do you need help?” to request assistance, repeating this previously heard phrase and using it in the functional context they learned it in.
Echolalic phrases used by children can be stored as ‘chunks’ of information where a meaning is assigned to the phrase, but not the individual words. For a visual analogy, these sentences or phrases could be compared to a small tower of blocks, in which the individual blocks are super-glued together, and cannot be individually taken apart and manipulated. Even though these phrases contain multiple words (blocks), the words in them are not generalised and used in other contexts.
How to support my child if they present with echolalia?
A useful strategy to support a child’s communication when they repeat what you say is to interpret and model what you think they are saying from their perspective. To use the above example, if your child comes up to you and pulls your hand, or says, “Do you want help?” the first step would be to interpret their intent or what are they trying to communicate. In this case, it would likely be, “I want help.” Modelling means to provide an example for your child to copy and learn. In this situation, you might say to your child, “I want help,” saying what they would say if they could. This strategy can support your child to learn and store functional phrases and sentences in context, and with repetition, may replace the copied phrases. The aim is for them to begin to independently use these phrases and sentences in context.
As with any other type of communication, the best positive reinforcement and motivator is a successful interaction!
For the top five benefits of Speech Pathology, read our blog here.
If you have ongoing concerns about your child’s speech and language development, it is recommended to consult a Speech Pathologist. One Central Health has skilled Speech Pathologists who can work with you and your child to improve their communication skills. Call on (08) 93441318 or email admin@onecentralhealth.com.au to book in to see one of our Speech Pathologists.
