Prevalence of Echolalia in Autism: A Rapid Review of Current Findings and a Journey Back to Historical Data

Abstract

Purpose of Review The aim of this rapid review was to understand how current research describes and quantifies the prevalence of echolalia, generally described as the repetition of other’s speech, in autism. Recent Findings Five databases were searched for papers published in the last ten years (i.e., since 2014) that reported studies presenting new data regarding echolalia prevalence among autistic participants (11 studies), and studies presenting secondary prevalence figures based on prior research (11 studies). Primary echolalia prevalence estimates among children and youth ranged from 25 to 91%. Studies citing secondary statistics drew their prevalence from six population samples reported across nine papers from 1965 to 2014, with most studies citing research published in the 1960s. Summary Highly varied prevalence estimates and discrepant definitions of echolalia across studies reflects longstanding and entrenched problems regarding the ways that echolalia is defined and described. More research into echolalia prevalence and change across age and ability groups is needed to inform evidence-based supports for autistic people.