What is it and when should you be concerned?

Babies learn to speak by imitating the sounds they hear. That’s why parents might say to their babies, “Mom, can you say that?” or, like in this TikTok video, ask their babies to say, “I’m three months old.”

The goal is to encourage babies to imitate what they hear – often the first step in language development. However, as some commenters have said, in this TikTok video, which may seem like a parody or repetition of a speech, it is more of an exploration of sound.

According to speech-language pathologists, babies under 12 months of age can make sounds, explore language, and imitate adults, but they don’t show imitation skills. Echolalia is usually observed sometime around or after a child’s first birthday.

“Echolalia has a broader social function than vocal play,” says Stephanie Boron, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and assistant clinical professor at Northwestern University. “Infants go through an exploratory stage at about 1 year of age, where they play with sounds and imitate what they hear. But this stage is significantly different from echolalia in that they are unable to cognitively understand the meaning of what is being said.”

If you notice that your child is imitating a lot or even starting to imitate, you may be wondering if this is normal and if all babies and toddlers do this. You may also be wondering whether this is worth paying attention to. Below we explore the answers to both of these questions and more.

What is Echolalia?

Simply put, imitation is the repetition of spoken words. Echolalia can occur immediately or delayed.

“As soon as you hear the utterance, there’s an echo or immediate imitation,” explains Audra Nelson, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist at Children’s Hospital of Nebraska. “Delay Imitation is when a child imitates a word or phrase that is heard afterward. This may be minutes or days later.”

Babies learn through imitation. “The more important question is why?” Nelson said. “All forms of echolalia serve some purpose. For children who use direct echolalia, the purpose is usually to process the language they hear.”

Children also imitate words to help remember them, Nelson said. “They may even immediately use imitation to ‘take turns’ in a conversation when they don’t have words of their own, or they’re not ready to respond.”

Delayed Echolalia vs. Immediate Echolalia

Immediate imitation is common in typical language development, while delayed imitation is common in children with Gestalt language development, Nelson said. Gestalt language development is a type of language development that involves learning the meaning of words through phrases or “chunks” and then learning to break them down into individual words.

“This is different from analytic language learning, which involves learning words individually and then combining them,” Nelson said. “The development of Gestalt language is observed in both neurotypical and neurodifferentiated children. Children on the autism spectrum are typically Gestalt language processors.”

Keep in mind, she adds, that imitation may be a normal part of development. “If your child uses complete phrases or intonation-rich sentences before using single words, they may be Gestalt language processors,” Nelson says. “There’s nothing wrong with this way of developing language—it’s just different from analytical language development.”

How often does Echolalia appear?

Echolalia usually appears in children between 12 and 30 months old, Boron said. “This is where a lot of kids start [repeat] The sounds and words they hear around them, either immediately or remembered later. Some Gestalt language processors develop through stages so early and seamlessly that no one realizes they are speaking until later stages, because their early Gestalt sounds like gibberish.

Bolen adds that many, but not all, infants and toddlers display some form of imitation as they learn to communicate. However, this condition is more common in children with Gestalt language processors. Others who learn one word at a time may not use echolia very often. Both paths are possible, and both reflect how a child develops and understands language.

“There are many differences between these two types of language processing,” Bolen said. “This means that some children can put words into small ‘phrase frames’ at a very early age. These people are ‘dual processors’ and they don’t seem to have much help developing language outside of a rich language environment. .

Remember, little babies do imitate the sounds they hear. “However, this imitation, unlike imitation, does not indicate that they might be Gestalt language processors,” Bolen said. “Immediate and delayed imitation often play different roles in language development than imitation that infants hear.”

Should you be worried?

Both Gestalt and analytic language processing reflect the natural and effective way children develop and understand language, Bolen said. “While many Gestalt LLPs develop in ways that don’t align with your pediatrician’s milestone chart, there’s no need to worry. Gestalt LLPs are not a disorder, although like their analytic LLP counterparts, some children develop to delays in their development.

However, some children with Gestalt language processing may benefit from the support of a speech therapist to continue their language development, according to Bolen. But she says there’s nothing wrong with the brain processing language in this way. “Understanding how someone processes language helps us support them in ways that work with their brain rather than against it,” Bolen said.

Yet, for decades, speech therapists did not talk about Gestalt language processing. Bolen explains that some people even say it’s pointless or that it’s better to ignore it or try to get rid of it. “The good news is things are changing,” Boron shared. “More and more speech therapists are learning Gestalt language processing and accepting the many ways people communicate.”

Boren said she sees smiles on parents’ faces when she talks about Gestalt language processing and imitation. “They often say, ‘That’s my baby!’ The next question they usually ask is: ‘Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?

Finding a speech-language pathologist who is affirmative and supportive of a child who communicates through imitation can be helpful for the entire family, she said.

How often is Echolalia a sign of autism?

Michelle Mintz, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist, says imitation can be a sign of autism or other developmental disorders, especially when repeated words or phrases may dominate a child’s speech. If mimicry is evident and combined with other developmental issues, a professional evaluation may help determine the underlying cause.

Researchers note that imitation is a common feature of autism spectrum disorders, occurring in 75 to 80 percent of people with speech disorders.

“We find Gestalt language processing in people with a variety of brain types, but it’s common in neurodivergent people or people whose brains are differently wired,” Bolen said. “Just like eye color and hair color differ, there are many ways we are learning about how the human brain is wired. Of course, there are natural differences in how the human brain processes language.

What should parents do when faced with Echolalia?

If your child uses imitative language and is a Gestalt language processor, Boron recommends acknowledging and responding to every communication attempt, including Gestalt (or script) and speech chunks.

“Think of communication like a tennis match,” Bolen says. “In a moment of calm and connectedness, when they say or do something, they hit the ball to you. You can respond verbally or non-verbally; even a smile or a nod will do – that’s when you pass the ball back to them.

She also suggests that when playing together, talk about what happened during play rather than asking questions. She recommends avoiding taking what they say literally. “For example, your child may say, ‘Trick or treat!’ when trying to express joy, or they may recite the entire PAW Patrol theme song to start a game or stimulate their brain. Look below the text and be guided by curiosity.

At the same time, Nielsen also encourages parents to interact with their children and show them that their communication is effective. You can also perform the following additional actions:

• Avoid trying to eliminate or eliminate gestalts (scripts); you want your children to know that their communication is meaningful.
• Acknowledge the scripts and accept them as communication by smiling, nodding, repeating or even saying “yes.”
• Try not to take scripts literally—children will choose a script because of the dramatic or emotional experience they have when they hear it, she said.
• Begin speech-language therapy with someone who understands and treats Gestalt language processors.

“We always want to acknowledge a child’s communication, even if we can’t immediately identify the message the child is trying to convey,” Nelson shares.