sudden onset echolalia

[sphil]

Is this typical of a nearly 4 year old with autism? DS2 has never been echolaic - his vocab has up to now consisted of a few spontaneous single words, (sometimes in context, sometimes not), and a lot of jargon where he is just running round talking to himself. He's rarely quiet. He will also say a few words if prompted (adding the last word in a sentence or filling in a gap in a song).

Over the last few weeks though he has suddenly started echoing whole phrases, for example:
'Morning Pat - post!'
'Imagine....imagine....imagine' (Storymakers)
'You two - have me' (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

I think I remember reading somewhere that echolalia is a good sign (More Than Words??). Atm I try to reply and put what he's saying in some sort of context (not easy ). Should I do this, or just ignore it? Have other people's children suddenly done this at this age? (I kind of thought it would start earlier).

It is good! In that lots of children do start to speak in this way. DS1 for example will say (his equivalent of) "bye bye don't press the button" when we pass pelican crossings.

DS1 wants me to repeat what he has said, so I'm a bit trapped there- I repeat it then say something appropriate. In youir case I'd just say something appropriate in reply iyswim.

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Oh good - that's what I'm trying to do, even if it's just to say 'Oh yes, Postman Pat says that' or something. I'm encouraged because his speech has become much clearer since he started doing this - he used to just say the initial sound of a word but now he usually says the whole thing (when he's echoing especially).

It's weird, isn't it, that so many autistic kids are echolaic when imitation is a difficult skill for them to master in other contexts?

that is how ds started talking, well after odd words! It is confusing for us as he picks up whole phrases, but doesn't understand half of what he is saying.

Although Ds2's speech has come on in a lot of ways and a lot of it is his own now, he still comes out with phrases from books and tv. They are often in context and and to me it's like he knows what he wants to say but can't process quick enough to find his own words so adapts someone's elses. He can even change them to suit the circumstances - my all time favourite being "Don't worry Ds2, it wasn't your fault - we always said your Mummy was no use" (based on Thomas "don't worry James, it wasn't your fault, we always said your wooden brakes were no use").

In addition he also comes out with phrases totally out of context - sometimes I think he just says them for the sake of it, other times I think something triggers it in his head, like some music or a picture or something someone else has said. In fact that happens to me - phrases and songs come into my head triggered by other things although I usually restrain myself from saying them out loud , and I wonder if autistic children have these triggers more strongly and less social control to try and suppress them.

oh pmsl saker.

Was talking to someone about this recently- apparently its that autistic children learn in associations (often) so that' why they can remember stuff very powerfully from years ago- providing- big one- it is tiggered. Ds1 does this all the time.

Recent example. Said to dh "lkets go to park x". dh said "oh god last time I went there ds1 was trying to get into that house, it was about 2 years ago"

"oh he doesn't do that anymore" I said.

Except of course, dh being there triggered it and off he went trying to get into the house!

My dd echoed for ages and would repeat back conversations from earlier and phrases from books and tv programmes.
She now has very good language skills and has built from the echoing and can actually use language quite freely . Although still comes out with jargon when nervous.

OUr boy is 3.6 and is labelling and echoing like mad too. Thank the Lord, your child is talking, echoing is good good good. As you say, put the words in context and try to generalise as well. My boy looks at books and points to ice cream cones or balls. So when we see an ice cream cone in a shop, he also names it. I add in words like "I want that ball", if he says ball.

We have play conversations all the time where i fill in the words after he has labelled something or is asking me for something. I do the sign language for it, and i say it as well. He will sign and say "eat". I say to him "I want to eat", then immediately reinforce him with the food he is after.

Good news for your little one. You have something to build on now!

Ds2 started off using echolalia. 12 months later he is at the four to five word stage. He sometimes repeats as if thinking about loud - trying to make sense of what I have said - then gives me an appropriate response iykwim.

This is all very encouraging - thanks!