Echolalia as defined by parent communication partners

Abstract

Backgrounds and aims Echolalia, the repetition of previous speech, is highly prevalent in Autism. Research into echolalia has historically assumed a clinical standpoint, with two opposing paradigms, behaviourism and developmentalism, offering differing support and intervention programs. These paradigms offer a multitude of clinical operationalised definitions; despite attempts, there continue to be challenges regarding how echolalia is to be defined. Stepping out of the dichotomous clinically orientated literature, we examined how parents summarise and formalise their understanding of echolalia as a communication partner. The objectives of this study were three-fold: (1) to investigate how echolalia is described and defined by parents; (2) to examine if existing clinical definitions align with those of parents; and (3) to begin to consider the implications of such findings for a collaborative approach between clinical perspectives and the parent experience. We bring to the fore the voices of parents, who have historically remained absent from echolalia literature. That is to say, we step outside of the clinical realm and listen to parents: something which has been previously unconsidered but represents a new vital addition to the echolalia literature. Methods We employed a Grounded Theory approach to document the definitions of 133 parents. Results We found that parents reported a multiplicity of important elements that are key to their understanding of echolalia. Conclusions and implications Additionally, we found that clinical definitions do not resonate within the parent experience; parents experience echolalia in a different way to that of clinicians and parents can offer insight into our understanding of the phenomena. Our findings show that while some parents might align themselves with either a behavioural or developmental positionality, sometimes there is an overlap depending upon the context in which their child repeats and some parents advance interpretations that are not readily aligned with either of the traditional clinical schools of thought. We present implications for both clinicians and parents in ways that point towards a collaborative approach to support the person with echolalia.

Natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing: A critical analysis of their application to autism and speech language therapy

“…Delayed echolalia may be purposeful and meaningful for the speaker and those around them who are privy to the experiential associations. It is also contextual in that the utterances are reminiscent of a previous time when the speech was first heard ( Cohn et al, 2023 ; Sterponi & de Kirby, 2016 ). It has been argued that in all of these ways, delayed echolalia is best understood as varying along a continuum of conventionality ( Prizant, 1983b ; Prizant & Rydell, 1984 ).…”

‘Let me tell you, I see echolalia as being a part of my son’s identity’: Exploring echolalia as an expression of neurodiversity from a parental perspective

“…The assumptions around echolalia are naturally being re-examined as the autistic community and their allies continue to challenge long-held clinical perspectives; the clinical sphere leaves little to no room for voices, regardless of their lived experience, to broaden the narrative around conceptualisations and characterisations of autistic characteristics. Of this changing conceptualisation, recent work by Cohn et al (2023) found that not all parents of children with echolalia agree with clinically oriented definitions, rather, they have their own formulations of a definition and description of echolalia. Specifically, the definition proposed by Cohn et al (2023), informed by parents, moves away from historical clinical definitions which previously included specific components of function, linguistic features, and how echolalia is manifest.…”

“…Of this changing conceptualisation, recent work by Cohn et al (2023) found that not all parents of children with echolalia agree with clinically oriented definitions, rather, they have their own formulations of a definition and description of echolalia. Specifically, the definition proposed by Cohn et al (2023), informed by parents, moves away from historical clinical definitions which previously included specific components of function, linguistic features, and how echolalia is manifest. While the new definition includes these components, it assumes an individualistic stance by suggesting that echolalia may assume a variety of different functions, linguistic features and manifestations, among other components, and that these are largely different for each person with echolalia (Cohn et al, 2023).…”

“…While similar questions, answers and ideas might be raised in work in the context of a neurodiversity-affirmative perspective of autism (Bascom, 2011;Cohen et al, 2022;Crooke & Winner, 2021Higashida, 2007Milton, 2022;Rodas, 2018;Walker, 2021;Yergeau, 2019), there is little-to-no work, aside from the current study, that addresses echolalia specifically from within the parent experience. This is an important distinction as recent work by Cohn et al (2023) unearthed that echolalia is defined, conceptualised and experienced differently, within the parent experience.…”

“…To that end, when one delves beneath the surface structure, it is clear that there is more to echolalia than meets the ear and that parents may have 'specially tuned ears' that understand echolalia in a different way and can offer considerable insight that furthers our understanding of this phenomena (Cohn et al, 2022(Cohn et al, , 2023.…”