3 year old copying other children

[TrustyPatches]

Just looking for a bit of advice although I know this is probably a developmental thing. My daughter is very sociable and makes a friend wherever she goes. She goes to a lot of playgroups and interacts with other children most days. However from time to time I've noticed that she is copying what other children are saying if she isn't playing with them, often in earshot of the child. Hard to explain but for example if she's playing with a friend and there is another child at the table talking to thier parents, she will copy what they say and laugh.
I keep meaning to pick her up on it but I've just been distracting her until today at the park she started to copy a little girl on the swings next to her and I asked her not to and told her that other children may find it annoying. Felt terrible then as if I'd hurt her feelings but I feel like this is something that won't be a popular trait at preschool so best I mention it now in a kind way than someone else further down the line. Did anyone else's child do this and how did you approach it if you did?

[AjasLipstick]

Does she say the entire sentence or just the end bit?

Eg.

Random child: "I had chips at school today"

DD: I had chips at school today!

Or

Random Child: I had chips at school today!

DD: At school today!

[AjasLipstick]

It sounds a bit like echolalia

[TrustyPatches]

She repeats the whole sentence. I had a look at echolalia but it doesn't sound like what she's doing, she doesn't copy me or other adults. Just other children and only when she's not engaged in play with them, she seems to try and use it to connect with them. It's very odd!

[AjasLipstick]

Does she get on well with other kids apart from that? Is she able to converse well?

[TrustyPatches]

Yes, her speech and language is amazing for her age. She's never had problems in that department and plays with children older than her most of the time at playgroup etc. Very sociable child. I'm a bit of a helicopter so watch her play a lot. She doesn't do any other repetitive behaviour and gets on great with other kids. It's really difficult to explain, but if she was a bit older and knew what she was doing it would probably be misconstrued as her making fun of the other child if that makes more sense?

[TrustyPatches]

So like, a child would say "I did it!" to thier parent and my daughter would say to me or her friend "I did it!" often in a silly voice and laugh

[AjasLipstick]

My DD sounds similar at that age. Mine is 13 now. At 3 her speech was very well developed and she also liked older children and in fact it was this which made me worry she had Asperger's.

Playing with older kids is sometimes an odd symptom of it because they're more understanding of difference and an accelerated verbal ability can also be sign.

She had Palilalia which is where a child repeats the end of a sentence after they've just said it.

"I want to go to the shops....the shops" or "My teacher didn't come to school today because she's having a baby.....having a baby."

like that.

However after assessment, it was found she didn't have Asperger's but was just a bit quirky and somewhat bright....which I personally think is another word for a sort of Asperger's which is very mild....not enough to get any help.

At 13 however, she is fine...very social and doing well in school, lots of friends.

I was worried about the teen years as that's when differences can crop up in a big way.

Girls are harder to spot as they're excellent social mimics.

[AjasLipstick]

I think it's important to speak to DD about this habit...explain that whilst she might like doing it....and not have any bad intentions, it could make other people feel bad or embarrassed.

[TrustyPatches]

She hasn't done it since I mentioned it to her and has been to a few parties etc so I think I did the right thing! It's an unusual one I think as it's not repeating over and over nor is it the end of a sentence, it's more copying the child as if she's said it herself. She's definately not doing it to poke fun but if my child was on the recieving end I would certainly think it was! For example, achild on a swing might say "Whee! Higher!" to the parent pushing and my daughter would then turn to me and say "Whee, higher!" imitating the child's voice and then she laughs.

[AjasLipstick]

Well if she stopped since you spoke to her, forget about it! It must have been one of those odd phases they all have.