Echolalia in children is a certain speech behavior, which can be a developmental stage or a serious pathology. It is characterized by the fact that the child repeats the words and sounds heard. Often this is only a certain stage that every child goes through. Children with autism have a very well-developed memory, so they remember everything very quickly. Their speech formation is more complicated.
What is echolalia
Echolalia in children - the child automatically repeats other people's words, phrases, or even whole sentences. Quite often, this period of speech development is mistaken for signs of autism, which is also possible. However, this may be the norm of the child’s speech.
There are several stages in the development of speech skills in a child, namely from 6 months to a year, as well as from 3 to 4 years. At this age, each child begins to actively repeat all the words he has heard, and this is quite normal. This allows you to improve the pronunciation of individual words and sounds, as well as lay the foundations of interaction with other people.
Immediate echolalia
Immediate echolalia in children implies an immediate repetition of words immediately after another person or any other source of sound. This suggests that the child correctly heard the spoken words, is able to memorize and reproduce them, however, to understand what was said, he will need some time. Understanding can occur within a few months in healthy children or take years in the case of autistic disorders.
There are a number of techniques that contribute to a much faster understanding of spoken words or phrases. To accelerate the result and consolidate it, you can use visual, olfactory or tactile reinforcement.
Delayed echolalia
Delayed echolalia means the repetition of individual words or sentences after a while. Moreover, these phrases can be pronounced by children at any time and anywhere. This is most common in babies with autism.
Sensory echolalia in children implies that the child repeats phrases that he once heard and with which certain emotions are associated with him. It seems that they reproduce these fragments in the head, passing them through speech purely for themselves. This feature of the child becomes an independent entertainment for him, and this can greatly interfere with communication with other people. In this case, the adult should try to switch the child's attention to another activity or topic.
Delayed echolalia in children is a peculiar way of expressing their mood. Phrases or words in this case are associated with certain emotions in babies. In this case, the recognition of his feelings will be correct.
In addition, this type of echolalia can be a peculiar way of processing information received per day. He can pronounce what he heard throughout the day, arranging it in his head, and at the same time share his experiences with his parents.
Many believe that children do not have an understanding of what they are talking about, but this is completely not the case. Often, echololicity is only a peculiar means of studying and applying speech. Often there is echolalia in a child of 3 years old, and then, having acquired the required skills, he begins to build sentences on his own. Usually no further correction is required.
Children with autism cannot completely get rid of echolalia, but usually it does not interfere with the child. On the contrary, the repetition of other people's phrases indicates the ability of the baby to process the information received. In this case, echolalia serves to connect the child with the outside world.
Main reasons
This type of disorder should go away in a child under 4 years old. If it is observed at an older age, then this may indicate serious disorders that require immediate correction. There may be reasons for echolalia in children, such as:
- brain damage;
- autism;
- schizophrenia;
- rett syndrome ;
- Tourette's syndrome.
In this case, it is necessary to treat the underlying disease, and echolalia will pass on its own.
Symptoms of Echolalia
Symptoms of echolalia in children are quite pronounced, as they appear in the form of an uncontrolled repetition of words or whole phrases coming from any source of sound. Sometimes a book’s text can even be a source of citation.
It is worth remembering that the symptoms of echolalia in children largely depend on its type. Immediate echolalia should not cause any concern, as this indicates the baby's ability to perceive information, understand and reproduce speech. Delayed echolalia is considered an alarming sign, and it occurs in children with autism or other serious disorders of the nervous system.
Echolalia functions for the baby
This pathology has many functions, which, regardless of its type, very often intersect. The causes and symptoms of echolalia in children can be very different, it all depends on the particular child.
One function may be to simply fill in a pause. Children are well aware that dialogue is built from cues, but they do not have enough vocabulary to maintain a conversation. In this case, the child simply wants to draw attention to himself and uses the phrases he has heard in the hope of striking and surprising the adult.
Some children agree in this way. They repeat the phrase they heard to confirm that they understood well what was said. With the development of speech, children initially learn to recognize sounds, then words, and only after that understand speech. That is why they try to name objects, combine different words with each other and learn to build sentences. The repetition of the words and phrases heard may be due to the fact that the child does not have a rich enough vocabulary.
Children can repeat the same words or phrase to calm down and eliminate their anxiety. This is mainly characteristic of children with autism who monotonously repeat the same phrase, which has important emotional significance for them.
Also, the repetition of monotonous phrases helps the child stimulate himself. It is often quite difficult to determine what kind of psychological state the baby is trying to provoke in himself by repeating the same memorized phrases.
When a child is just beginning to learn speech, he can pronounce individual words or whole phrases in solitude to improve their pronunciation. Too many children from 6 to 12 months like this kind of speech game. This is considered the norm and requires absolutely no correction. Children can repeat the various words they hear for fun, especially if they are new or, in their opinion, funny.
After listening to the spoken words of their child, each parent will be able to find a certain meaning in them. These are just a few of the most important factors for a baby, there may be others, and they often come together.
Diagnostics
If the child is 5 years old echolalia, then you should immediately consult a specialist for advice. In addition, violations can occur in younger children, so be sure to watch your baby. If you have problems, you need to contact a psychologist or neuropsychiatrist.
After talking with the child, the doctor will be able to establish whether his condition is the norm or a deviation of mental development. Additional diagnostics may also be required with various tests.
To clarify the diagnosis and a more thorough study of the condition of a small patient, instrumental diagnostics are carried out, including such procedures as:
- ultrasonography;
- electroencephalogram;
- Magnetic resonance imaging;
- hearing aid check.
If a child has a developmental delay in the process of diagnosis, then specialized treatment is not carried out in this case, but all the recommendations of a specialist must be followed.
Treatment and correction
Many are interested in how to treat echolalia in a child and what means are best used for this. Drug therapy in this case is not practiced, since there are no such drugs, however, correction of violations is quite possible.
There are many ways to help your child develop speech skills and adapt them according to accepted standards. Since there may be various causes and symptoms of echolalia in children, the treatment is selected strictly individually, depending on the condition of the child and the degree of disturbance.
Parents should control their pronunciation of words, their speech should be intelligible and clearly audible, but without excessive emotionality and elevated tones. Emotional shocks and stressful situations are unacceptable. When asking something from a child, you need to formulate your question so that the answer is clear and precise. Parents should be patient, as correction of echolalia in a child can take a lot of time. If you correctly approach this issue, then the baby will be able to very easily get rid of repetitions and learn how to correctly build their proposals.
It is much more difficult to get rid of echolalia for a child with autism, as he uses previously heard words or phrases to calm or, conversely, have fun. In this case, competent work of a psychologist is required. If the cause of such disorders is hidden in stress, then alternative ways to solve the problem need to be found. You can use complacency techniques and teach your child breathing exercises, or simply explain with an example what others expect from him.
If the reason lies in boredom or detachment, then you can try to turn the attention of the child by asking him questions. If it is not possible to distract the baby, then you can give him beads so that he sorted them out, or a ball. This will allow a few distractions and learn to concentrate.
A child with autism will also overcome the echolalia stage over time, but it takes much longer. According to many experts, a very good result can be obtained if the child has a variety of activities throughout the day. So the baby will more clearly repeat the phrases he heard and will begin to formulate and express his feelings and desires on his own much faster.
How to use echolalia for baby development
Treatment of echolalia in children can be quite a long and laborious process. This is due to the fact that it arises for a variety of reasons that are important to identify and understand. Echolalia can be triggered by poor speech skills. In this case, it can be used to educate the child, as he will repeat all the words and phrases for adults. Over time, when the baby learns to understand the meaning of the words he utters, this problem will go away on its own. Additionally, you can use pictures to teach your child, as this helps to more easily remember and understand new words.
If your child uses echolalia to answer questions, you need to determine if he knows how to answer them. If he does not fully understand the meaning of the phrases, then he cannot normally respond in the dialogue to the questions of the interlocutor. In this case, the work of a specialist implies the development of the required skills.
Sometimes a child uses echolalia to express his request. In this case, he repeats the phrase previously heard from his parents, without thinking about its meaning. Parents need to pronounce the correct option and ask the child to repeat it so that this phrase is deposited in his memory.
What parents need to remember
Parents can help the child normalize the process of communication with peers. Experts recommend that parents never stop a baby with such a defect and do not interrupt his speech. Constantly pronouncing certain words, the child thus tries to draw attention to himself and express himself. It also helps eliminate speech problems. With such a child, you need to constantly talk and support him, as this will help him overcome his anxiety, and he will learn to keep up the conversation much faster.
You should always pay attention to the phrases and words spoken by the child, even if it seems that they have absolutely no meaning. This makes it possible to determine the presence of deviations and establish contact with the baby. It is necessary to take into account the facial expressions, emotional state and intonation of the child. It is important for parents to always maintain a conversation, form new phrases, and expand the vocabulary of their baby. Classes should be daily, they need to be conducted in a calm, favorable environment. Given and observing all the requirements of specialists, you can achieve a very good result and quickly teach your child independent speech.