Echolalia

Definition

The automatic repetition of vocalizations, words, or phrases uttered by another person, which may be immediate or delayed (e.g., repetition of phrases earlier heard on television), without meaningful communicative function. Echolalia is a common feature of communication abnormalities in Autism spectrum disorder, but may also occur in other Mental, behavioural or neurodevelopmental disorders and certain neurological conditions, among children with severe visual impairment, and occasionally in typically developing children. Echolalia does not include repetition as a normal feature of language acquisition in early childhood development.

Exclusions

• Autism spectrum disorder
• Developmental language disorder

Index Terms