Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Echo... echo... echo...

Andy is starting to do an odd thing, and I was wondering if anyone else has seen or heard this in the elementary school set.

He echoes the last one or two words he says under his breath.

So a conversation with him goes kind of like this (regular type in regular voice, italics whispered):

Hi, Andy, how was school today?
Good. Good.
What did you play with Kylie today at recess?
Oh! The blue thing was big and we slashed it and I won, because red is for bad guys. Bad guys.
Can you put these ninjas away for me? They are all over the floor and I'm worried someone might step on them.
I want to play Wii! I have homework (starts picking up the ninja figures). is there soccer tonight? Is Joey home yet? Home yet.
No, Joey isn't home yet. Let's see what your homework is. Where is your bag?
I don't know. Know.


You get the picture. Sometimes it isn't every sentence or conversation turn, but usually it is. Anybody else have a little one doing this? Especially one who isn't autistic?

6 comments:

David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E. said...

Hi ...

Well, certainly it can happen that someone starts becoming echolalic and it can happen without that person being autistic. We only call it autism when a cluster of characteristics appear together without changing much over time. I'm sure you knew that, but I figured it would be good to make it clear for others reading this blog (just so that they could know too).

Ah well ... back to my work.

Joeymom said...

Thank you! I know I repeats words to myself, but this has been dramatic and intense. We figured it was some kind of processing, but we keep our eyes on him like hawks... ;)

farmwifetwo said...

It happened with my eldest, he was 8 at the time and "mostly" verbal. It also occurred in tandum with chewed shirts, poor sleeping etc... turned out to be increased anxiety and a rebound of the risperdal.

Julie Fry said...

There's a TV show on now with Patricia Heaton - I think it's called "The Middle" - where the youngest son whispers words to himself after speaking to someone else. Your son hasn't by chance seen the show?

Joeymom said...

Nope, never heard of it.

Anybody know anything about palilalia?

mjsuperfan said...

I read that the character on "The Middle" does the whispering because the son of the screenwriter or producer (I forget) does the same thing. And it wasn't a child with autism, just a quirky child. I can't remember where I read this. But it must not be all that rare.