Echolalia

What is Echolalia?

Echolalia–often used synonymously with Imitation–refers to one’s ability to verbally repeat information. Echolalia is a normal part of a child’s development, specifically between 12-18 months of age. The need for a child to imitate that which he hears from others normally disappears after 18 months of life, and is not a functional form of communication for children. Echolalia persisting after 18 months likely indicates that the child has a poor comprehension of language.

How might I help treat my child’s echolalia?

Echolalia in children often goes untreated or unrecognized by adults and professionals. Parents should therefore pay close attention to their child’s use of imitation, and children with echolalia persisting past 18 months of age should be screened for speech and language impairments, in order to determine if any delays in receptive, expressive or pragmatic language skills exist.

Our Approach and North Shore Pediatric Therapy

At North Shore Pediatric Therapy we provide comprehensive evaluations to examine your child’s speech-language strengths and weaknesses. We develop and set individualized goals for each child, and we establish home programs in order to insure that those skills taught to your child by our therapists carry over into your child’s home and social environments as well.