6yr old repeats her sentence under breath

[Girlmom83]

Google a little frightening, so I leave a post here. 6yr old daughter can say a sentence and then repeat it under her breath. She is the elder of an extremely chatty sister, quieter, not great social skills (VERY quiet in school, no real friends yet) gets upset if challenged, but generally a normal kid at home...kind, eager to learn, creative, playful.
Has anyone seen these traits and the repeating has fizzled out or should I bring her to a language therapist (aspergers mentioned a lot on google)

I don't know how to give her the best start socially. I wanted to keep her back a year at 5 but school said no.

It sounds like Echolalia which can be part of Speech and language condition, ASD (Aspergers is an outdated term now) and ADHD.

Are there other reasons you think it might be ASD? Does she have other social skill gaps?

Google mentioned aspergers I didn't think it myself. At school she plays alone and it breaks my heart. Cant fully understand it as she is sweet a lovely smile friendly but seems to lack the confidence to join in

Hi OP, I used to do this at around the same age. I’m not really sure why! Maybe slightly nervous, replaying what I’d just said to make sure it sounded right. But to reassure you, I stopped after a year or so and am a perfectly well-adjusted adult now 😀

My v much NT son does this and tells me he's 'recording' the words/phrases. It's like he's running it over again in his head to consider it, store it. I don't notice it as much now and think it will go with age. He's a sensitive and thoughtful little boy and I think it's just part of his personality.

Echolalia is repeating someone else's speech, not your own. If she is saying something 'normally' and then repeating it to herself, that doesn't sound like echolalia. It could be a tick or habit that she'll grow out of (it's not unusual to have ticks at that age that disappear over time and aren't indicative of an ongoing issue) in which case, it's best not to draw attention to it and just let it play out.

This may be totally irrelevant, but I'll say it in case it helps.

My FIL does this. He's 80 and has done it as long as I can remember. He does it to hold his place in the conversation and to prevent anyone else from chipping in.

If your DD is surrounded by more confident, more outgoing types, perhaps she is just trying to make more of an impact.

I hope you get to the bottom of it.

Sorry yes if it is her own words she's repeating it's not echolalia. It could be a verbal STIM or part of a processing difference, both are more common in neurodivergent children but also part of neurotypical childhood development also. Does she have any other speech, language or communication needs? Sounds like she is social anxious/shy and that this may be part of that. I wouldn't dismiss a condition like ASD, I would research into it and maybe try some screening tools and see if it is a good fit or not.
Could you raise it with the school that she might need a SALT assessment? And some extra support socially? Some schools have a buddy system or other interventions for kids who struggle more socially

I do this without realising sometimes . I replay a lot of what I say in my head from anxiety and sometimes it slips out.

DS does this occasionally I've noticed, usually under his breath before saying it I think.. but assumed it was just practising the words first?

If it is Aspergers it may not be obvious at 6, mine wasn't diagnosed till around secondary school age. That;s when the differences tend to become more noticeable and the struggles greater, before that things can easily be put down to their age or them being a bit quirky. Mine did little things like this though, he would often mumble to himself under his breath and had a minor tick at one point.

You would probably find though that at school little would change even if she had a diagnosis so I wouldn't worry too much on that score. Also don't assume that school would pick up on her having ASD - unless it is causing a big problem for them, they may not.

I would just wait and see how she goes. Talk to her teacher about your concerns and ask them to keep an eye on her - but remember they're not experts.

Or course it might also be something else, she might just be a bit anxious and it might be tied to that. To help her socially the best things to do are to get to know the other school mums and arrange some play dates with the other children. Mine always found it much easier to form friendships when 1 to 1 as he wasn't very confident in a group. Birthday parties can also be a great way to improve a childs popularity so when her birthday comes around definitely consider that.