ECOLALI IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

 It is known that there are some problems with speech in children with autism. These;


grammatical disorders,

echolalia,

Using pronouns interchangeably,

Difficulty understanding spoken words

These are problems such as not using prepositions in appropriate places and at the appropriate time.

Although autistic children's comprehension is better than their speech, they cannot understand complex commands. There may or may not be pronunciation errors. However, the intonation they use in speech may be mechanical, bumpy, non-adjustable, or lacking in emotion. There are abnormalities in the timbre, emphasis, speed and rhythm of speech. They may speak very loudly or in a whisper.


  What is echolalia?


Echolalia is the repetition of what an individual hears with the same tone of voice. A decrease in echolalia can be seen with advancing age and providing appropriate education.


In children with autism, echolalia can be seen as immediate echolalia and delayed echolalia.


In immediate echolalia, the child instantly imitates what he hears. For example, when you say to the child, 'Do you want an apple?', the child responds by saying, 'Do you want an apple?'.

In delayed echolalia, the child repeats what he hears after time has passed. For example, the child may suddenly ask, 'Are you thirsty or sleepy?' Sometimes, he can use it in his speech by repeating the lines he heard in a TV show or cartoon. If attention is paid, it can be remembered that this question has been asked to the child before, or that he has watched the program before. This behavior is also seen frequently in Asperger's syndrome.

In this condition called “Delayed Echolalia”, it is seen that the autistic child repeats the words he heard months or even years ago with the same tone of voice and emphasis.


Sometimes, it can be gratifying for parents that their children repeat themselves. The reason for this happiness is that the child speaks even if it is repetitive. But after a while, parents realize that this is an important problem that needs to be overcome. Because if echolalia continues for a long time, slowing, stopping and even regression of communication skills is observed in children. Therefore, the main aim should be to reduce or even eliminate echolalia as much as possible.

Yorumlar