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Echolalia is a non-voluntary behavior that causes someone to repeat what other people say. It is also referred to as echophrasia.The term echolalia is derived from the Greek words ‘echo’ and ‘lalia’ meaning ‘repeat’ and ‘speech’ respectively.

While echolalia is commonly associated withautism(approximately 75% of autistic children display symptoms of echolalia),echolalia can also be present in ADHD.

Many people associate ADHD with poor concentration, disorganization, forgetfulness, and difficulties with attention. However, these are just some of the symptoms of this neurodevelopmental disorder.Also observed in those with ADHD are repeated speech patterns, otherwise known as echolalia.

Understanding Vocal Stimming in ADHD and Autism

Types of Echolalia

There are different classifications of echolalia. Two of the major groupings of this condition are immediate and delayed echolalia.

Immediate and Delayed Echolalia

Two types of echolalia are:

While some phrases might be repeated without any clear meaning behind them, they do have communicative value. Both immediate and delayed echolalia can communicate with a purpose (i.e., delivering meaningful information).

In some cases, however, the words may be repeated without truly intending to communicate new information.

Unmitigated and Mitigated Echolalia

Echolalia may also affect the way in which someone repeats someone else’s words.

Echolalia Caused By a Stimulus

Causes of Echolalia

The exact cause of echolalia remains hard to pin down. Some researchers suggest that the mirror neuron system might play a role in the development of echolalia.Among other functions, this neuron system responds to or mirrors actions and behaviors observed in others.Echolalia can impact speech and actions because of the mirror neurons in neurodivergent brains,

Likewise,dopaminedysregulation may have ties to echoing behaviors. Research has shown that theneurotransmitterdopamine is released during speech production.This chemical messenger can influence brain circuitry and speech control.

Other studies link echolalia to dysfunctions of the frontal lobe.The condition has been reported where lesions occur in the left medial frontal lobe and other areas that support motor functioning.

Echolalia is also common in Tourette’s syndrome and other tic disorders such as vocal tic disorder.

How Echolalia Manifests

As stated, echolalia is commonly observed in children. It may be considered persistent when it occurs past the age of three.

Echolalia may also be observed in severe cases ofhead trauma, such as stroke, closed head injury,encephalitis,dementia, or confused states—echoing statements may be present.

When echolalia is featured with ADHD, it is usually the result ofself-stimulation or stimming.Self-stimulation refers to behavior that helps an individual cope withanxietyorstress.  These repeated behaviors help to improve focus and the way the brain processes information.Stimmingmay also improve mood.

Diagnosis of Echolalia

To determine whether a child has echolalia, a healthcare provider will usually spend time interacting with them. Parents and guardians will also be consulted for their experiences when relating with the child.

This examination will likely evaluate a child for speech impediments or developmental delays as well.

Benefits of Echolalia

Echolalia can provide benefits to children who engage in the behavior. As mentioned, echolalia is a type of stimming.

Each child has their own way of communicating. In some cases, echolalia is a way that children express their needs or their emotions.

For instance, your child might repeat what they hear in a fast food commercial to communicate that they’re hungry. Or, they might repeat something you said when you were angry to let you know that they are feeling angry.

Over time, you can make the connections between what phrase your child is repeating and what they may be asking for in that moment. Letting your child know when you understand what they’re expressing and what they need is beneficial for their sense of well-being and safety.

Treatment of Echolalia

Echolalia isn’t necessarily something that needs solving. When children lack sufficient ways to communicate, trying to “fix” their echolalia may limit their ability to express themselves.

Instead, children should be taught expressive and receptive ways to communicate.This is achieved through speech therapy and medication.

Speech Therapy

Aspeech-languagepathologist can help with addressing echolalia in childhood. In autistic children, behavioral interventions such as cues-point-training, gestalt learning, script training, visual cues, self-monitoring training, etc—can reduce cases of repetition.

Likewise,musictherapy has shown promise in assessing and improving symptoms of echolalia.

This treatment (and similar) should only be sought if the child is experiencing distress due to the echolalia. Treatment should not be done if it is not causing the child distress.

Medication

A Word From Verywell

The signs are echolalia are common in young children, as well as in children with ADHD or autism. Echolalia can be a useful way for your child to express themselves or to self-soothe. If echolalia is frustrating to your child or disruptive to their daily life, you can speak with ahealthcare providerabout options to help your child manage their condition such as speech or music therapy.

11 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patra KP, De Jesus O.Echolalia.[Updated 2022 Feb 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Magnus W, Nazir S, Anilkumar AC, et al.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.[Updated 2021 Aug 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Rommelse N, Visser J, Hartman C.Differentiating between ADHD and ASD in childhood: some directions for practitioners.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018;27(6):679-681. doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1165-5Shield A, Cooley F, Meier RP.Sign Language Echolalia in Deaf Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017;60(6):1622-1634. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-16-0292Ghika J, Bogousslavsky J, Ghika-Schmid F, Regli F.“Echoing approval”: a new speech disorder.J Neurol. 1996;243(9):633-637. doi:10.1007/BF00878658Acharya S, Shukla S.Mirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2012;3(2):118-124. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.101878Simonyan K, Herscovitch P, Horwitz B.Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: a combined PET, fMRI and DTI study.Neuroimage. 2013;70:21-32. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.042Eapen V, Robertson MM.Are there distinct subtypes in Tourette syndrome? Pure-Tourette syndrome versus Tourette syndrome-plus, and simple versus complex tics.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:1431-1436. doi:10.2147/NDT.S72284Kapp SK, Steward R, Crane L, et al.‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming.Autism. 2019;23(7):1782-1792. doi:10.1177/1362361319829628Johnco C, Storch EA.Anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders: implications for treatment.Expert Rev Neurother. 2015;15(11):1343-1352. doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1111762Indiana Resource Center Autism.Functional categories of immediate echolalia

11 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Patra KP, De Jesus O.Echolalia.[Updated 2022 Feb 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Magnus W, Nazir S, Anilkumar AC, et al.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.[Updated 2021 Aug 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Rommelse N, Visser J, Hartman C.Differentiating between ADHD and ASD in childhood: some directions for practitioners.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018;27(6):679-681. doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1165-5Shield A, Cooley F, Meier RP.Sign Language Echolalia in Deaf Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017;60(6):1622-1634. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-16-0292Ghika J, Bogousslavsky J, Ghika-Schmid F, Regli F.“Echoing approval”: a new speech disorder.J Neurol. 1996;243(9):633-637. doi:10.1007/BF00878658Acharya S, Shukla S.Mirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2012;3(2):118-124. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.101878Simonyan K, Herscovitch P, Horwitz B.Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: a combined PET, fMRI and DTI study.Neuroimage. 2013;70:21-32. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.042Eapen V, Robertson MM.Are there distinct subtypes in Tourette syndrome? Pure-Tourette syndrome versus Tourette syndrome-plus, and simple versus complex tics.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:1431-1436. doi:10.2147/NDT.S72284Kapp SK, Steward R, Crane L, et al.‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming.Autism. 2019;23(7):1782-1792. doi:10.1177/1362361319829628Johnco C, Storch EA.Anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders: implications for treatment.Expert Rev Neurother. 2015;15(11):1343-1352. doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1111762Indiana Resource Center Autism.Functional categories of immediate echolalia

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Patra KP, De Jesus O.Echolalia.[Updated 2022 Feb 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Magnus W, Nazir S, Anilkumar AC, et al.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.[Updated 2021 Aug 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.Rommelse N, Visser J, Hartman C.Differentiating between ADHD and ASD in childhood: some directions for practitioners.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018;27(6):679-681. doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1165-5Shield A, Cooley F, Meier RP.Sign Language Echolalia in Deaf Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017;60(6):1622-1634. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-16-0292Ghika J, Bogousslavsky J, Ghika-Schmid F, Regli F.“Echoing approval”: a new speech disorder.J Neurol. 1996;243(9):633-637. doi:10.1007/BF00878658Acharya S, Shukla S.Mirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2012;3(2):118-124. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.101878Simonyan K, Herscovitch P, Horwitz B.Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: a combined PET, fMRI and DTI study.Neuroimage. 2013;70:21-32. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.042Eapen V, Robertson MM.Are there distinct subtypes in Tourette syndrome? Pure-Tourette syndrome versus Tourette syndrome-plus, and simple versus complex tics.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:1431-1436. doi:10.2147/NDT.S72284Kapp SK, Steward R, Crane L, et al.‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming.Autism. 2019;23(7):1782-1792. doi:10.1177/1362361319829628Johnco C, Storch EA.Anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders: implications for treatment.Expert Rev Neurother. 2015;15(11):1343-1352. doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1111762Indiana Resource Center Autism.Functional categories of immediate echolalia

Patra KP, De Jesus O.Echolalia.[Updated 2022 Feb 19]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.

Magnus W, Nazir S, Anilkumar AC, et al.Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.[Updated 2021 Aug 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-.

Rommelse N, Visser J, Hartman C.Differentiating between ADHD and ASD in childhood: some directions for practitioners.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2018;27(6):679-681. doi:10.1007/s00787-018-1165-5

Shield A, Cooley F, Meier RP.Sign Language Echolalia in Deaf Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2017;60(6):1622-1634. doi:10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-16-0292

Ghika J, Bogousslavsky J, Ghika-Schmid F, Regli F.“Echoing approval”: a new speech disorder.J Neurol. 1996;243(9):633-637. doi:10.1007/BF00878658

Acharya S, Shukla S.Mirror neurons: Enigma of the metaphysical modular brain. J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2012;3(2):118-124. doi:10.4103/0976-9668.101878

Simonyan K, Herscovitch P, Horwitz B.Speech-induced striatal dopamine release is left lateralized and coupled to functional striatal circuits in healthy humans: a combined PET, fMRI and DTI study.Neuroimage. 2013;70:21-32. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.12.042

Eapen V, Robertson MM.Are there distinct subtypes in Tourette syndrome? Pure-Tourette syndrome versus Tourette syndrome-plus, and simple versus complex tics.Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015;11:1431-1436. doi:10.2147/NDT.S72284

Kapp SK, Steward R, Crane L, et al.‘People should be allowed to do what they like’: Autistic adults' views and experiences of stimming.Autism. 2019;23(7):1782-1792. doi:10.1177/1362361319829628

Johnco C, Storch EA.Anxiety in youth with autism spectrum disorders: implications for treatment.Expert Rev Neurother. 2015;15(11):1343-1352. doi:10.1586/14737175.2015.1111762

Indiana Resource Center Autism.Functional categories of immediate echolalia

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