I had an “intern” (we called em interns but they were high school summer help) working for me that is an Aspie. He is high functioning somewhat like my son and I. Long story short, he always quoted/spoke like characters from “King of The Hill”. One day I caught him dozing off multiple times, and once he fell asleep I walked up and smacked the back of his chair and said “Damnit Bobby! Wake Up!”(I do a somewhat good Hank voice). His head popped up and he quickly told me he wasn’t sleeping like anyone would do, but later on in the day he complimented my Hank impression. It gave me smile even though I had to get on to him for sleeping several times after that. lol
you are a jerk....you should not do things like that to anyone.....it is horrible.....what is wrong with you......are you a baby. why would you do that >>>>ugggggggggg I would never work for you
I really love this analysis. I agree completely it is ignoring reality and the chance for insight to just call it meaningless. Lots of common human behaviour is echolalia-like - memes and quotes as you say, also idioms, mantras, chants, communal prayer, other ritual language, song lyrics, etc. What echolalia means to the person only they can say, if an observer doesn't see meaning it doesn't mean it's not there. It yet again represents the value of autistic people being the ones to discuss autistic experience. In my family we have sayings, usually cute or funny phrases said by one of us as a young child and they stick and get brought up again and again. It's a very bonding thing as it's nostalgia and memory and fondness for the child-self and their view of the world. Most (maybe all?) cohesive social groups have in-jokes that are short-hand to express a history, bond and understanding. My brain does a couple of echolalia-like things that I don't currently see much function in - adding song lyrics to the end of sentences for example. Sometimes that annoys me. But I think it's a brain seeking connections and patterns and most of the time my brain does that it's a wonderful thing, so I can forgive it for prompting me with random lyrics from songs I dislike now and then! 😆
So 4 out of 5 of my immediate family members are aut!stic and in our home it was normal that if you really liked a sentence someone just said (you thought it was funny or awesome or whatever), you'd repeat the exact phrase in the exact intonation they used, because you wanted to try saying it too, like tasting it for yourself, or you'd want to emphasize the funniness or awesomeness or something. I think this is a form of echolalia, but I've never heard anyone else talk about this phenomenon, so I don't know if that's correct. I know that it's not normal neurotypical behavior, because when I did it to friends or classmates, they'd think I was mocking them.
@@Sky-Child :'-) Thanks for confirming that it's a thing and it's not just my family being weird. Aut!stic communication is beautiful and I'm really sad neurotypical society has stomped so much of it out of us. I don't do the echolalia thing I described outside my home anymore because I've been accused of mocking people too many times. Quoting songs and movies is more socially acceptable, but the media we consume is kinda alternative so most people don't recognize our quotes so we still keep that just within our home too. Honestly it's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to not have an aut!stic home. That sounds really lonely.
Wow! Me and my family echo each other also. Like an exclamation point. We can make songs out of ANYTHING! Now that I'm reading others comments, I'm realizing that I too have repeated what people said to me because I actually liked (or disliked) the way they said it, ESPECIALLY if they have an accent. Throughout my life, I've had to tell people my name is Karla "with a K". Well unfortunately when someone SAYS my name differently (not necessarily wrong) just like misspelling my name with a "C", too hear someone pronounce Karla as collar or caller 😒 I grimace... I cringe inside but without even thinking I repeat it back to them 🗣️INTENSELY. As if that would force them to correct themselves and sympathize with how they verbally assassinated my name.
I have a channel inside my brain that repeats words all the time. And like people have said in other comments, often that channel is rehearsing words and phrases in foreign languages and I think it just is on auto replay and sometimes I have to look up what the vocabulary means because I have forgotten but the repetition channel is still grooving on those words. It's only recently that I started thinking of it as internal echolalia. Most of the time I'm not choosing the words consciously. And most of the time I don't feel the need to say them out loud. They're already being said in there. :)
Had something along those lines happen today at work. A situation came up that made me think of a comment made in a video on another UA-cam channel I am subscribed to. I felt it was appropriate to the situation; so, I blurted out "I must really love so and so because after all, 'Love is what keeps you from barbecuing others when they so deserve it'". Needless to say, I got some very surprised looks!
I’m a walking movie/lyric quoter. Sometimes my echolalia does break up the rhythm of a conversation when someone doesn’t know the quote or lyric, but the times they do get it makes me really happy. Those are shared moments I have, and many of them are funny. My girlfriend loves it and doesn’t see it as a negative thing at all which is great because I can quote stuff all day long and she doesn’t get annoyed. One of my favorite echolalia memories we share was when we were talking about our disdain for the way our nation has been indoctrinated. That’s when I busted into my best Serj from System of a Down impression and sang INDOCTRINATION… OF OUR NATION! INDOCTRINATION… OF OUR NATION!! SUBJUGATION OF DAMNATION SUBJUGATION OF DAMN NUH!! 🤣🤣 we both died laughing from the outburst because it was sudden and obnoxious but 400% relevant to the conversation. It was like a perfectly placed punchline. That’s how I feel every time something like this pops in my head and almost like someone with Tourette’s, I have to say it, if not out loud, at least to myself.
I copy the way other people talk and what they say quite often. Sometimes I am even afraid, the "copied person" could notice. It does not really happen on purpose, their words just kind of become my own words. I also imitate noises, but only if strangers are not around . I script, what to say and what to do in different situations on a daily basis, never thought that could be a part of echolalia, too. Thank you for your positive perspective on echolalia👏! Until now I dismissed my habits as just useless and strange, mixed with a feeling of shame.
Okay, so 50 billion things... - The repetition of certain words for clarity reminds me of Japanese aizuchi I believe it’s called, a conversational style/structure where the participants make utterances back and forth before proceeding, like two blacksmiths taking alternating turns hammering a single piece of metal. I see it as a true signal that proves you’re engaged in the conversation, and when it stops you instantly know the person doesn’t understand so the silence prompts the speaker to elaborate... Negotiation experts from my culture have taught me that repeating back a word someone says often prompts them to elaborate on whatever you’re repeating. The idea is that you’re implying you don’t know something about the topic or are confused about it etc etc and usually the other person will sense that and explain whatever you repeated... I’m undiagnosed but watching your videos and those of others have made me designate this year the ‘year of epiphanies’ for me LOL, because I’ve always felt like a complete misunderstood alien, always wondered why I was different (in a way that’s only striking when most people are roughly similar), and never thought I’d have an answer for this lifelong quest of mine to discover why, and subsequently find a way to bridge the gap. But this explains literally EVERYTHING to me, and it’s so uncanny finding people I can truly relate to for the first time on a level like this. It’s mindblowing and almost too good to be true, and now the more I dive into it it’s like a goldmine of explanatory power and suddenly I have all these great tips and methods on how to manage my life and get more out of it from people with a similar perspective. Anyway, I’ve realized I’ve been stimming verbally my entire life. I’ll just say things for the sheer mouthfeel/sensation of it, and sometimes it can be exciting enough to make me laugh. I like deliberately mispronouncing words and do it almost impulsively for fun, trying to find the funniest way to say something, and sometimes others find it contagious. I always assumed that I’m just a weird eccentric artist so of course I’m going to be obsessive over words, the tools at my disposal for art creation. But this is all way more consistent with my general behavior even outside any artistic context. Also, someone here in the comments mentioned palilalia I think it’s called, and through defining that I just discovered “cluttering” and OMG I’ve been struggling with that for my entire life and just discovered it has a name and even a solution to it by speaking slower and articulating more. (Basically when I get excited and have too many thoughts at once I can’t decide which one to express (prioritize which idea is more important to explain first in order to provide the listener necessary context) so I seize up and interrupt myself and then cant speak.) I just started practicing speaking slower because of your “oversharing” video (which seems like it’s working so far!) so I have more time to think and therefore summarize my thoughts to people (spare them of having to listen to a monologue of me process my thoughts verbally in real time instead of just thinking for a second longer before I speak) but managing my cluttering is yet another incentive to do this because it prevents my thoughts from becoming disorganized. Also gives me time to breathe LOL! I speak slowly, and therefore more effectively. As you can see, I tend to be quite verbose and writing at length like this is absolutely normal to me. They say cluttering affects writing as well as speech. I’ve already tested out this ‘be slower’ solution while speaking and realized my excitement over having 20 sudden ideas I want to express at once (which normally derails my ability to organize my thoughts) can be channeled by articulating my intonation and using expressive hand and facial gestures, like I used to do as a kid but stopped doing for some reason, I hypothesize because of masking. Speaking slower makes me feel like I’m suppressing that excitement, but by channeling it into intonation and gesture (instead of speaking faster) it actually feels really good to use this almost hyperbolic verbal articulation and gestures, it feels so EXPRESSIVE, and it also allows me to communicate SO much more clearly. I haven’t figured out how to apply this to text though LOL, hence why I can’t sum up this comment when I have so many associations I want to share and am typing like a madman. Thanks for your time and efforts though, I truly appreciate it beyond words!! I feel like I can have genuine relationships for the first time in my life and real connections and LOVE and it’s indescribably amazing. People liking me for who I really am is life changing and so validating. Especially it’s amazing to figure this out at 26, compared to thinking this whole time that I would be misunderstood and alone forever. I still get overstimulated but at least I finally know why!! Talk about a new lease on life!
My brain spits out movie quotes, songs and other obscure references all the time. It can be triggered by overall context in the conversation or just single words or phrases. Definitely a great way to relay a set of thoughts or emotions quickly to those who can decipher it!
I was taught to do this in college for my RMT program. They called it 'active listening', you repeat back what they've said in clarifying questions as you gather information for direction of therapy. Helped a ton for me, even outside of school/work, as I wasn't always very....involved in conversations. Although, I do script pretty much everything, I don't have the memory for repeating back quotes and such.
This really hits close to home. I didn't know there was a term for that. - For me it's part of song lyrics. Everytime I hear someone say something, that matches a song quote I want to continue the lyrics and maybe sing along - Something I never heard someone else describe before: Everything that's human language that I hear repeats back in my head. That's the way I can listen to people, because there's no direct translation. Only when the voice in my head repeats it, I have a chance of understanding. Problem is when I run out of capacity, that inner voice starts lagging behind and I have to interrupt my conversation partner, if I can, and wait until the voice has finished repeating. This is often the point I repeat verbally what the other person said, or at least parts of it. This is the same voice that prepares "scripts". Everything I say or write, has to be said internally before I can write it down. Here's the problem, that my mouth/fingers are most often much slower, than my mental voice. That's the point I omit words when writing or stutter while talking. Oh, and that mental voice can be interrupted by real world voices, that's why I can't concentrate on language production when I hear some talk. - I think I did stim with words when I was younger, but not anymore. Probably peer pressure. PS: And now I wonder if there's pear pressure or pier pressure.
I do the sing-along thing too! Twinsies! I also got into a habit in a previous job, where I narrate what I'm doing to the tune of nursery rhymes. It was a completely acceptable behaviour in that setting, even encouraged, but now I've been away from that job for longer than I was even in it... and I can't stop.
@@crazyratlady3115 I can imagine that. There's even a word for programmers, that do this, it's rubber duck debugging. It's where you tell a physical object, like a rubberduck, what the code is supposed to do and it works surprisingly well.
Theres pear pressure simulations that they use to determine shipping arrangements, and pier pressure is the buoyant force that determines how much you can load on a pier before it sinks. (Alternatively it describes the water pressure a pier can resist before collapsing)
Yes, I do alot. I notice myself doing it mainly when I am alone and not around other people. When I am around others, that gets masked over as I am totally conscious of how I sound. Scripting is something I do without people around as well and sometimes scripting involves how I plan to mask certain things I may think which I deem as sounding inappropriately too much like echolalia. There are many times when masking, scripting and echolalia all seem to be closely involved with each other in certain circumstances.
Before I knew I was autistic, I used to do this all the time when I was way younger. I even still do it now every so often when it comes to having to remember to do something. But when I was younger like around kindergarten and 1st grade, I would repeat what someone like a teacher in school would tell me to tell my mom that like a event was going on in the school for example over and over again till my mom picked me up way later that day. Looking back I used to wonder what was wrong with me and why I would do that. Well now I know that I was autistic and many other autistic people experienced the same thing. Glad to know I wasn’t crazy or anything back in kindergarten and 1st grade lol.
@@PraveenSrJ01 In my case it's just at completely random times saying some word I learned from Duolingo. Especially if it contains sounds that I don't know from another language, like the Q in Arabic. I'll just be sitting there saying qiTa over and over and over, trying to form the Q sound. No idea if this qualifies as echolalia.
I've always used scripting, especially when I have to talk on the phone. It's ended up being quite useful in my job, as I regularly have to handover important information in a structured and consistent way. Scripting helps me to figure out how I'm going to prioritise and organise the information into a narrative that I can easily remember and communicate. It's also a strategy I use for 'masking under the mask' because about 90% of my spontaneous working vocabulary is vine memes and song lyrics.
I definitely use echolalia as an adult. I have ADHD and I don't think I have ASD, but there is such an overlap that I find ASD resources helpful. One of the biggest lightbulb moments for me in this video was right at the end: "do you stim using words?" I never thought about it that way! Sounds have always tickled something in me, and I find echoing them back to be pleasurable. I actually studied music in university for four years. I've never considered it could be a stim in the ND sense, but that's totally what it is. I absolutely use echolalia as a way of processing information. I used to do it a lot more as a kid. I would get very frustrated by the fact I could repeat EXACTLY what someone was saying to me, but it was just a collection of sounds with no meaning. When I found out what echolalia and auditory processing delay was it all made more sense. Thanks for the videos!
I think what they mean by “meaningless repetition” is the habit of repeating a word or phrase over and over either to yourself or to others. Probably because it feels good, like a stim. Like saying biscuit, biscuit, biscuit. I often repeat words or phrases in my head because I like the shape of them. I do sometimes use phrases in conversation just because I like how they feel, & this can get me into trouble because they might not be quite appropriate :(
Before I learned that I was autistic, I thought that it was before I didn't hanged out with many people, so it was normal to use the same phrases than them, but because they hanged out with more people they were the ones coming up with new things.
I often repeat what I hear in my mind or the most important parts out loud to the other person. I go over it to process and recall memories from similar situations, or times when I had the same feelings. I also have a very good memory the way you do, Paul! I also use a form of scripting for situations but I don't make it rigid. I come up with key points or ways to say things based on how the situation goes. I try really hard to keep things organic, it's gotten much easier over the years!
Just when I think you've listed off every single Autistic trait I have (and there's a lot; undiagnosed, but I'm pretty certain I'm Autistic), you come along and state another perfect one! I consistently quote things as a reaction to situations, without really thinking about it, even if the source is really obscure and no one else will get it. I also have a strong habit of, possibly related, copying movie characters. If I watch a movie and really resonate with one of the characters, I tend to find myself imitating them to an extent over the next few hours/days.
You explain very well why I'm in burnout and communicating is just too exhausting when I have to use these strategies and the other person has no clue of the reference I'm making.
I think of it like conversational mirroring. If I meet someone new, it's not uncommon for me to pickup their speech patterns, vocabulary, and mannerisms. I don't do it consciously, but I notice it whenever I find people that interest or excite me. Before learning about masking, I would have described it as trying someone on. It creates a illusion of social aptitude, which is a good survival skill, but not that great for me personally. Sometimes I get stuck playing the part of the mirror "character" I created, and I can't figure out how to be myself with the person I'm mimicking. It's ike I'm a d20, but I'm only allowed to land on three of my sides.
Thanks for this nicely done video, Paul. To answer your question about using echolalia, I'm not sure about my example, but I always have a song or part of a song that comes to mind in conversations. When I share it, it sometimes is understood and liked by others, but at times, it's an obscure reference or they think I'm a little quirky. One difference between this and ordinary quotes is that I usually sing the song. I tend to "break into song" quite frequently.
I stim on occasion using words or non - verbal vocalisations, I repeat stuff back to reinforce understanding and validate the speaker whilst giving myself more processing time. I also script ahead of time in preparation for an important conversation almost like what non autistic people sometimes do to practice for job interviews.
That’s cool that you mentioned your friend group. I also had a friend group and we were really obsessed with anime. It was kind of cringy looking back at it now, but we were really obsessed with that no and used to make cosplay UA-cam videos.😂 it was definitely cool to have friends, though that were passionate about anything. I always felt like until I found my group that I never had friends that really understood what I genuinely liked. Before that I was just pretending to have the same interests as other people in my school. I’m actually still friends with all of these people to this day! We mostly hang out on discord, but when everybody’s back in town, we actually meet up.
Yes to all of the above. Plus songs come to mind. As an adult, I don't sing them out loud, but as a kid I did. I love musicals, and my life truly is a musical, because my brain's reaction to most stimuli is to bring up a song. My daughter is similar. She's the only person I can truly be myself with.
Since most NTs favorite topic is themselves I use echolalia and questions about whatever they are interested in. The game is to keep them talking. I learn more than if I’m speaking. Most people don’t have the bandwidth to follow my understanding of the world anyway. If they are intelligent enough to follow my logic I’ll figure it out while they are talking. Plus people like it when someone is interested in them. Win win.
I script, I imitate people, I talk to myself outloud about what I need to do, I repeat what people say sometimes. I think going over my schedule helps me stay organized so, talking to myself really helps.
I'm undiagnosed, but I remember calling those learned words "discovery words", to the giggles of others(even adults). When I parrot others, it gets me into trouble, even now. Scripting included. I'm always told " Don't copy others!"
My son does this (he’s high functioning and diagnosed), and it pisses me and his mom off. He quotes things he knows nothing about, but someone said it in the internet. We’re trying to get him to stop and think before he speaks. Is this legit? Does it make sense? And most importantly, do people care?
@@billybee3423 maybe do more research on medical sites instead of UA-cam comments under a random post. If you care about your son’s wellbeing, learn about him and his diagnosis instead of getting pissed and trying to force him to conform to your lack of understanding.
@@billybee3423 You could try modeling the behavior you want to see from him. For example; you could try to stop and think before you speak. Clearly this channel is a forum where your son’s behavior (like mine, and many others) is an innate function of his developmental neurophysiology and nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe try encouraging him to like *himself* even if some hypothetical asshole he’s never met doesn’t.
When I was six or seven years old, I used to mouth words or phrases over and over, I guess I was practicing them or experiencing them repeatedly maybe because I liked them and wanted to savor them, I don’t know, but I didn’t realize I was doing that until one day someone made a remark about it. My friend who was my age said, “Oh she does that all the time.” explaining it away and dismissing it as something normal for me. That’s when it came to my attention.😊
I in my next private time will repeat to myself the critical part of a conversation or the line I said with most anxiety/ u certainty around saying it. To relive the event at a thinking pace so I can analyse how well it went, review whether my choices were right.
I am extremely good at parroting. I am musical and i can deconstruct the sound i hear and program it electronically with synthesizers. my synesthesia triangulates tactile, visual, olfactory and auditory impressions. I can draw photorealistically, I can do voice impressions of other people. This way of scanning my sensory impressions has given me a very robust memory and my education is stored very well.
I always tended to repeat musical lyrics instead. I'm a sponge to music, my peers called me "the human jukebox". When I hear a catchy tune it sticks and adds up to my memory bank (complete with artist, title and year of release) ... To pop up later in my mind. I have a song in store for every situation, it sometimes got me in trouble at school (once a teacher said the words "upside down" and I automatically started to sing Diana Ross 's song Upside Down... 🙃😅... Teacher not pleased, mates laughing). Now I'm careful about what I listen to , because I'm prone to earworms. It's useful though to always have a song ready in my mind, especially in tough times 😉. And, yeah, I am a musician.
My two adult children and I do this constantly! I didn't even know it was a thing. We usually do it with relating phrases from songs, but lines from a movie, key quotes in a book etc are verbal shorthand that convey a bigger picture or idea, as well as bring us all very quickly to a common or familiar place which we can meet at. Recently we have noticed and sadly been annoyed with my two year old granddaughter when she quotes from her Little Bear show, a very specific line.It happens when the three of us are talking together at the dinner table, and she is trying to follow the conversation and join in. It goes something like, "okay everyone. Now I'm going to teach you how to quack." Then she growls. We will repeat this over and over, interrupting and sometimes ending our conversation.Now I get it! She is trying to speak, but can't find the words to join in. Thank you for this. I will listen more closely for the bigger meaning of what she is quoting, and how she is using it to contribute and join in.Yes, I also see that sometimes toddlers are just interrupting!
Hi Paul, your content is awesome and educational as always--please never apologize for being "off topic" or "over time"--your flow of ideas always hangs together well and is relevant to the topic you've chosen, and more examples, whether prepared or spur-of-the-moment, always enhance your material. Keep on doing what you do best, and thanks for creating such an awesome channel. Have learned so much from your videos since first starting to research autism! :-)
I am very grateful to have someone that can really relate to my need for understanding , and accepting the answer I have been searching for . You are doing an amazing job of impacting the stigma that is Autism. You have allowed me to finally understand who I have inside my head. I am 52 now , and I have always surtched for the answers to my many problems I have faced . I'm overwhelmed and overjoyed to some degree, that , I am getting amazing clarity and understanding for what I must do. You have been given a gift your words, and how you choose to make a better way of communicating on every level of content. Thank you. Cheers
I was introduced to echolalia many years ago through my therapist. It probably saved my marriage. I thought my husband was making fun of me, repeating my words yet not paying attention to me! When in fact, and he still does, hear what I say and can repeat it back to me. Frustrating, annoying, make me want to stomp my foot? Yes, yes and yes but at least I understand where it originates from. My husband and one of our sons has Aspergers. I live it EVERY day. I love my Aspies!
Take it from a person on the other side , he’s absolutely just trying to compute what you said. Sometimes the harder we try to listen or understand regular thinking folks , the worse we get it wrong. It’s incredibly hard to describe how frustrating it is , to think you tried your best and miss so badly. And as a grown man , it’s very hard to say “ I cannot follow what you’re saying “. Or similar. It makes you feel dumb. Yet you know that you have more knowledge and understanding than most in a lot of things. So dumb isn’t an apt description either. I guess my point is thanks for being a person who tries to understand how we tick.
I entirely agree with Putter Vids, I spend my life trying to compute what other people say, or so it seems. This is because I know (from experience) that most people don't mean exactly what they say and so I repeat back what someone says sometimes (or pause for longer than most people would) to try and work out if there is something they 'meant' but didn't actually say... and yes, totally get the frustration to put in all the effort, try your best and get it so wrong...... because by this time the chances are the person thinks you did that because you think they are stupid or that you are trying to mock/criticise what they just said ...... so that's the end of the conversation...... What is the endgame here? SURELY it has to be that people should just say what they mean. SURELY it can't be the case that words ACTUALLY MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS depending on whether you are autistic or not, but that is what it seems like sometimes when what Putter Vids calls 'regular thinking folks' seem to know instinctively what to add on to words. I would like to put the case that this particular instinct is unreliable, and that ultimately it is unhelpful even to 'regular thinking folks' talking among themselves, because even they will not all add on the same things. Wouldn't it be easier if we could all agree not to add anything on at all... I went through a phase in my teens of being monosyllabic (and made to feel stupid because of this). I totally get why some autistic people don't speak at all.
@@cacheton5766 well said. I’ve always felt like others - at times - were just being so opposite of genuine. I own a business. And deal with customers on A long term basis . Some people , I communicate so well with. Others it’s absolutely as if I speak French or something. I ask in my head “ what did you hear “? As I replay exactly what I said. I’ve thought what you said many many times. I’m like “ one of us doesn’t understand that word “. Oddly enough. My father in law is the worst. I’ve known him 26 years now. And it took 20 of those for him to finally stop talking to me like I’m stupid. I mean I endured a lot of abuse. A couple times I blew up at him , and eventually as he watched me physically build a business , turn out profits , and raise my boy ( 13 now ) as my wife runs a huge office. Eventually he saw me as I was. Much much smarter than he. Lol. Arrogant ? Sure. But it’s also the truth. He’s pretty close to helpless. I describe him as living off the kindness of others. Meaning we haven’t killed him out of the kindness of our hearts. Among covering up countless things he does or doesn’t do since his wife died. God rest her soul. She was a saint. It was weird. As a kid I rarely spoke. I could. I just didn’t like people. Teachers etc. always making me speak. And once I started talking more as an adult , a lot of people now try to get me to shut up. 😂. These people have no idea what they want !
This is excellent! Love of poetry may be related to this, hearing it read, for instance. I've always memorized poems by reading them aloud over and over because I love the sounds and the words and meanings. Same with songs that are like poetry. Not exactly your point, I know. I didn't memorize them for any reason, just on my own by reading them. This video has reawakened how much I love both poems and songs. I think I drove people crazy playing the same song over and over but I just loved the sounds of the words and their meaning. I never thought it was unusual until I realized most people wanted to hear a variety of songs. Also, deeply listening to a person can be relaxing for me, so I know and like the technique you mention.
I have ADHD (and questioning autistic) and I often use echolalia to confirm that I’ve heard something properly. If someone is giving me instructions or otherwise informing me of important information I need to know, I’ll repeat the informational pieces that have successfully been delivered. For example, if someone were to say to me “when we get back we have to do project B and don’t forget that the key is under the rock” I might say “project B and key under the rock.” The other person appears satisfied and it helps soothe my nervous system 😁
I don't know if this counts but I will sing the same line or two of a song over and over sometimes. My brother and I also copied all kinds of noises we heard and repeated the ones we liked often.
I don’t do this exactly, but if someone says something and it’s a line in a song, I’ll sing that part of the song at them. It annoys my sister but she also finds it hilarious.
YESSSS!!!!! I do this and have done it since childhood. Used to memorize commercials on tv and repeat them as a kid. Now it’s memes, phrases, anything that can be utilized for a given moment. Sometimes a meme or phrase will just pop up in my head and I’ll repeat it over and over for NO reason??? Other times I can retrieve stuff for context!!
I do this a lot. I’ve done it since I was little, gathered phrases I’ve heard, many from movies, commercial jingles, songs or just by observing people.
WOW! Another terrific presentation, Paul - thank you! Before watching this, I understood echolalia to be represented by an important aspect of my life - a mystery I didn't solve until age 47 while researching Asperger's, which truly turned out to be a life-saving study all around. One of my earliest memories from childhood was my father yelling, "Clean your ears out!" He did this because I often said, "What?" Apparently I said it a LOT too, b/c I was ALSO given an excessive number of hearing tests, which always came back fine. Baffling! (I think they feared i lost hearing from recurrent ear infections - which I figured out in my 30's were actually due to a food allergy but that's another story.) In an instant one day in my early-40's, I suddenly realized, I don't ask "what?" b/c I'm not hearing what some1 says. If I WAIT before asking, it "sinks in!" A-HA - interesting! But ok, then WHY did I do it? Why was I making people repeat themselves if I actually HAD heard them? Fast forward to age 45 & my first day in prison. If ever there was a stressful situation for a naive Asper-gyrl, this was IT! As I entered the yard, another inmate began grilling me with questions. Her manner seemed friendly, but I was cautious. After maybe a half-dozen rapid-fire queries, she stopped, looked at me curiously, & asked, "Why are you repeating everything I say?" to which I answered, "Why am I repeating everything you say? Huh! I am aren't I? That's a good question..." I was as dumbfounded as she was. Less than 2 months after being released from prison, I FINALLY learned the answer to WHY I ask "what?" so often: I'm BUYING TIME for my slow processer to gather the incoming transmission & formulate an outgoing one. So fascinating! (I HAVE been working on WAITing instead of "WHAT"ing, btw.) I hadn't considered my lifelong finesse with songs/lyrics, tv & movie quotes, & cultural memes in general, to fall under a whole echolalia umbrella - very interesting stuff! And I, too, have an excellent memory, especially auditory memory & also short-term recall & yes indeed - I've used them for party tricks for decades! I'm continually amazed at how similar we are in terms of various Asperger's mechanisms & related memories. Thanks again, Paul - you've been a big help for me for over a year now & I appreciate you.
I have this with songs. I don’t really watch TV or movies, but listen to music and I’ll hear a phrase that relates to a song lyric and I’ll immediately think of and hear the song.
I collect comments and one-liners from everything I watch, not just funny ones, but also profound and some that I just enjoy the flow of the language. I read through them frequently and it helps balance me and it makes me happy to remember films I have seen and enjoyed. When I use them in conversation, it has a deep emotional meaning for me because it conveys the emotion from the scene in the original film, plus my own emotion while using it in context. It helps connect my internal and external worlds.
I trained as a peer counselor in highschool. They taught us several valuable communication skills, but I was already a master at parroting because I'd been practicing it my whole life. To this day, I am astonished by how few people are aware of this strategy. Even when it doesn't work out, most individuals will elaborate further on their original meaning, which helps to create an even clearer picture of the true meaning behind a word, sentence, story for the speaker. People are only just now starting to accept it as a mainstream form of 'good' communication LOL. I keep hearing it come up in podcasts as some new and innovative way for showing understanding, but it's literally been around for decades in the psychological community and autistic community. Other strategies that are highly effective: Content summarization - a more advanced form of parroting that basically involves repeating back the important parts of an entire story someone has shared. Basically give them a TLDR of their own ideas. Mirroring - the physical component of parroting. Adopting the same postures and mannerisms of an individual or group naturally increases their acceptance of someone. For instance, if someone has their arms crossed when they speak; speak to them with your arms crossed. Affirmations - short-form parroting, often in the form of a minor interjection at a short pause in conversation. Usually, this takes the form of saying something like, "I understand", "I see", or even just "yeah" or "mhmm." All of these active listening skill are acquired naturally as a means for survival in social settings by outsiders trying to fit in, but they are actually extremely valuable if you can let go of the negative associations you may have from using them in bad situations from the past.
My experience of echolalia is by repeating my own phrases or words twice. I often get strange reactions to saying things twice and I get upset with myself because people think it’s strange. I repeat tv ads if they say something fun or unusual or have an amusing sounding voice. I did also say the lines along with characters in movies sometimes, particularly if it was a movie that my lovely niece had watched many times, in fact we both did it. I only ever got to be miss trunchball though, never the nice characters :)
I have a similar thing. People once told me that when I finish a sentence, my lips echo the words I just said, producing no sound. I know as a fact that I started doing it on purpose, to practice clear enunciation, but realized than when I stopped doing it, it became harder to process words. I also really enjoy parroting, often to the detriment of the patience of ppl around me. Luckily I have 1 friend with the same habit, so we can get stuck in a loop for an hour.
This reminds me of the Star Trek The Next Generation episode Darmok, where the Enterprise meets an alien species that communicates by quoting phrases from their history and mythology that have specific meanings within their culture.
Your example of repeating segments or quotes from The Simpsons episodes you and your friends had seen smacked me in the face with the realisation I also displayed echolalia in this way. I did the same at university when recounting episodes of Doctor Who I had seen to a friend of mine, often quoting segments verbatim. I remember in particular quoting the exchange between the Daleks and Cybermen in episode S02E13 “Doomsday”.
My ex-boyfriend used to have a dig at me when I'd parrot back to him his questions. That is, if he asked me a question, I'd repeat that question word-for-word, as my strategy to process it prior to answering. It drove him mad. I try to do it in my head now. However, I'd definitely agree that communication with fellow fans of a TV show etc, is powerful.
I just recently learned what echolalia was, I just thought it was copying. I've always used it and still do. I use videos and TV to help me in conversations so, all TV is educational for me really. Also music, the more diversity the better because then I have a broader range of application.
Echolalia has helped me with practicing studying Japanese!! I would get so nervous practicing out loud, but if I would be watching anime and catch a phrase, I’d usually be able to at least whisper whatever word/phrase a few times.
Wow. This video spoke to me on so many levels. I’m only starting to realize how much I connect almost all aspects of my life to characters and plots from novels and sometimes in order to process difficult emotions that I can’t articulate, I re-read a book or series in which the heroine or plot somehow goes through similar emotions and they are resolved. I also quote song lyrics or music that I’ve identified with different emotional estates that I can’t articulate. That’s why I have EXTREMELY eclectic musical tastes and have found something to connect with from just about every genre I’ve heard. I use movie quotes in conversation and have had to struggle not to blurt out certain favorite soothing words or quotes at inappropriate times. I have a horrible memory for faces and peoples names, but I’m hyperlexile and words help me remember names and faces better. As a teacher and a librarian, we’d play name games where everyone described themselves with an alliteration and said something they liked or disliked (ex: I’m smart Su and I like reading). We’d go around the circle thanking the person who just went before us or in more random ways, but by the end of the game, I could remember them by associating with their alliterative name and what they liked. I really felt this one. Great job as always.
Love this video. I'm so grateful to this chanel😍. I've learned from Paul and YoSamidy Sam first that I have never stopped stimming with words and especially singing but also with favorite movies and cmmericials and I can't control the commercials though even of I don't like the catchy tunes I hear 😒. I eventually became a pretty good singer. My brother would get confused and think the radio was playing when it wasn't. I can sing with my voice sounding very similar to a violin🤔. I love that in my 40s I am understanding myself more and things are making more sense😭!!!❤
Recently have been realizing how often I echo, from an involuntary stress response (more classic echolalia) to a conscious conversation skill as presented here (which was taught in a social skills class long ago). Zoom classes+meetings were actually great for me in learning to unmask, and I realize that if I know I'm not being listened to, I'm constantly echoing people, for many and conflicting reasons, really: to agree, disagree, express surprise, or just to stim with an expression I liked. If I did this IRL it would come across as mocking, but I only would intend it as such some of the time! Now connecting the dots: echolalia! Only bc of Zoom did I realize how much I mask my echoing in person. Maybe my day to day existence would be easier if I could ease up on this a bit, without coming off as disrespectful, apart from the question of whether it's communicating anything.
This is one of those, "damn I knew that was because I'm autistic." kind of video. These are all things I do to cope and it's one of those things were I struggle with if I am masking or not. I use echolalia with old TV shows and movies. I also used those same tv shows and movies to inform my understanding of how people interact with each other. I never got a actual diagnosis but I self-diagnosed when I was a kid in the 80's. I use all the things talked about in this video and have fine tuned it to a science but I still script every variation of a conversation I can imagine. I have to do a lot of thinking when I have alone time. Not important, what is important is my thanks for helping with I knew I wasn't the only one, feeling.
Lol. This comes in handy sometimes. I e always used it. Last night we went to a restaurant that had song trivia night. They play clips of songs and you fill in a bingo board. I won 4 times for a total of 280 dollars of gift cards. Lol. Most songs I knew the name before the words started. Just from the intro music. My wife says “ how do you do that”. I simply pushed fast forward in my brain on the recording I have of each song. So I’d hear the intro and hit go fast. The words play fast until I hear the Title. When we got to 80s music I cleaned up.
Stimming with words! I think that's what I do! I just like the sounds and feel of certain words - windowsill, mariposa, miel... I'm not so keen on words that begin with b, or that have b and m in them (there are exceptions - bumblebee, mbira). I also moo and bark a lot. I love wordplay and I have always loved John Lennon's stories which rely heavily on wordplay (which is partially where my nickname comes from) and I will quote from them too - sadly I've only ever come across one person who has ever got those quotes.
Really interesting! I usually have called this "movie quote tourettes" because I'll randomly quote pieces of movies that come to mind when a situation calls for it. Now I'm going to investigate Echolalia and learn even more. Thanks!
I don't really do any of that. But I talk to myself in French a lot of the time. My native language is English. I started speaking to myself in French because I was trying to learn it and didn't have anyone else to speak it with. But I think it became a stim for me. It usually does help me to feel better.
Never heard this term before, but I'm glad I know about it now. I don't know if I imitate subject matter (I find myself defaulting to small talk topics typically), but sounds, someone's energy and even accent...wow, it doesn't take much. I usually leave the conversation wondering what happened to me or 'why did I say that/ talk like that?'. I like what you said about mirroring someone's words and that they' might have significance to person saying it; I think I'll make a conscious effort to do that. Usually if I try to think of something relatable it's slightly off. I keep hoping that at some point I could have an honest impromptu conversation but it's definitely a challenge .LOL! Great vid, thanks for making it.
as a song writer I often rely on alliteration to remember phrases. phrasing and the amounts of syllables are important too. as well as I find metaphore to be extremely useful when trying to describe my own emotions. I remember a visit with a previous therapist where during the session I asked where to sit and she said sit where you feel you should sit. so curled up on the floor because I was feeling low and it felt fitting.
Quoting movies/etc. as the most efficient means of expressing myself has been a source of both joy and pain for me. Pain, especially when I was younger and less experienced, when I miscalculated other people's familiarity with what I was referencing, sometimes disastrously (they took the opposite meaning/ were very offended). But it has also been a source of great joy - my siblings and I can have entire conversations in quotes, because we have the shared reference, and it's a special sort of comeraderie because we know we couldn't have that exact conversation with anyone outside the circle (spouses have been forced to watch many of these so they can be "caught up" to the family shorthand, haha.) I suspect this is part of why so many autistics enjoy participating in fandoms- besides enjoying the material itself, it's a way to connect with people who will have a certain amount of shared understanding, who will get your references and respond in kind.
Wow.. I always have been doing this with songs’ lyrics. They pop up at the right time all the times. I have a soundtrack on everything! Then, scripting, it is so just me l!
I really like the communication strategies you shared, echolalia may be a springboard to present them but echolalia is mainly repeating words or phrases/sounds after another person without reformulation or alterations. It is also seen in other mental health conditions. Here's my 2cents!!!
I was so amazed learning about this huge part of myself after my diagnosis. People always tried to make me quit, the sound effects one especially, but it was also why I could talk so much. But echoing others not only helps me with my own communication toolbox for others, echoing helps me stay engaged with a conversation bc I get distracted by my own memories. Its a regulation tool maybe? Ive always used things I learned to help me, even if its a metaphor. I cannot imagine stuff if Ive never seen it, or heard it, even tho Im creative. But with that, I just do it anyway, my creativity is in the "Just do it" even if I start off with a copycat thing. Now when it comes to spirituality and meditation, just "knowing" something is good enough. I "know" it even though there's no imagery connected to it. But usually with learning, like in school, this does not work at all. I have to already be exposed to things & see things all the way through before I can understand it that way, otherwise I cannot learn anything just by listening. So it's not helpful in school where they try to make us understand things before they teach it. But with my own world, my creativity allows me to be brave and start and get the ball going even though I have no idea what I'm doing.. 💜💜💜 I used that copy-cat tool often to get me started
I use echolalia fairly often, and in almost all the ways you mentioned. (Nice video BTW, I enjoyed your clarity) I have a lot of difficulty audibly, but I use echolalia in text as well. When I'm using a mirroring/parroting type during a conversation, I try to take it one step further than you described. I find some part that was shared with me, and I'll paraphrase it, making sure to use the same keywords, but wrapping those keywords in a sort of lingual blanket of other words which reflect my thoughts/feelings/understanding of what was said. If I want to keep the conversation flowing, I'll often input a question using things they have said as part of the question for them to expound upon. If I think they're still going with their story, I'll instead use a more non-committal/neutral type of response that lets them know I'm still actively listening. Of course there's also the sharing of memes and "inside jokes" and quotes of stuff between my friends and I as well. I think everyone does that, don't they?
Repeating things back, quoting and scripting is something I learned to do early in my life. I modeled myself on my idol. He was my role model. Doing so helped me to express myself to others in society. At an early age, I thought everybody loves him. If I can do what he does then everybody will love me too. I got respect back from others e.g. I got less bullied at school for a while. My modeling also extended to copying my idol's other aspects of expression such as body language and the way he dressed and thought. This obsession with my idol is what the consultant psychiatrist used to explain the Aspergers trait of my obsessional paranoia. Unfortunately, my obsession interfered with other areas of my life negatively. Sadly my idol passed away which changed me completely. I feel as though I have grown up more since. My obsessional trait has been transferred to other areas of my newfound interests such as the ridiculous amount of research that I do and my interest in horror movies and parapsychology.
Yes, when I was talking care of my now late fiancee, she would ask me to do things around the house. (E.g., get something, make food, clean, etc.) It was important for me to remember what she said, so I would repeat the word until I found the item, or performed that task.
Great video. Yeah I definitely have used Echo Lalia my whole life. “Luuuuke” will take most people to Star Wars “I am your father” I’ve always found music best expresses my current emotion. I have trouble discerning the lyrics in music, or quotes in films, coupled with extremely weak short term memory. Friends will always quote the last thing they read or saw or heard. I myself often parrot phrases from people around me and usually take it too far or keep using the phrases long after it’s relevance has passed. We’re still saying “ja ja ding dong” in our house 3 years after seeing that film. I notice my wife has several comfortable phrases from songs she repeats often to calm herself or get happy. She’s often quoting phrases which she believes have meaning. “Two birds in a bush is better than...” when the deal is made and all parties are in agreement she reminds herself of the meaning of this phrase. “The devil you know” when a laborer is really crap but you just want to finish the job and hopefully pick someone better next time.
Any mention of palalia in the vid? I find it's very rarely talked about, but seems to be almost as common as echolalia. Delayed echolalia is one that doesn't get talked about much either. Looking forward to the video Paul!
Omg! Palilalia is the word I've been looking for! I (self-diagnosed) do that and my brother (officially-diagnosed) also does that. I always thought that repeating myself under my breath was also echolalia, but now I have the correct word to describe what I'm doing. Thank you for mentioning this word! Now I have the correct words to distinguish between when I repeat what I said to myself and when I repeat/quote what others say
I have a hard time hearing sometimes so echolalia is very helpful to me and the person I'm having an interaction with, so that things are understood on both sides.
I always talk about the same topics and repeat my main thesis repeatedly in one conversation. It'a especially bad if Im expressing frustrations. I don't know what to do.... I used to hear that I was TOO quiet all the time. No one says that about me anymore becuase I tried to adjust and it had the opposite effect. Now I am having trouble shifting back to quiet mode. I prefer quiet mode personally now that I have tried being "chatty". I also have no filter when I get going. That is a huge problem. I over share and give my opinion that sometimes ends up seeming like a personal criticism of someone I am talking to. So yeah, I definitely prefer when I used to just say nothing, only answering questions with single word or short phrase answers. I feel like I'm being interviewed with all these questions people always ask. Anyway, here I've gone and done it again in text form. Sorry. Thanks for your time.
I just recently found your channel and I find that you present your content really well and very easy to understand. I found your content also incredibly fascinating especially being a neurotypical. Keep up the good work!
This is so true. It is often much more effective to use scripts, song lyrics, TV and movie quotes, scripture references, etc. to communicate, particularly with complex ideas that I am still fitting into my concept-matrices anyway. When I have to communicate without these tools, there is no telling whether what comes out of my mouth will make any amount of sense to those around me, not because it's inaccurate but just because I am paying attention to different details and categorizing differently. For example: Today, my physical therapist asked me to describe what I was feeling as he used a particular massage tool, and the first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "It feels like food." What I now realize I meant was that it had the give of kernals of corn on the cob when scraping butter over them with a knive, but the size was more like the little balls in tapioca pudding; my PT described it as "gravelly," which I understand, though my brain protests that gravel is much harder than that.
I didn't know this was a thing. Ive done all of these things my entire life (mid 40's). I just always thought I was a good mimic. Besides being a good party trick, it is an outstanding waiters' trick. Plus customers always marvel "you can remember 20 orders?!" I've had questions recently about where I fall on the spectrum, but this is unbelievably uncanny.
Firstly, Paul, you used the word “parroting” which you said is taught to people in the mental health field. I’m a psychotherapist and parroting, repeating verbatim is strongly discouraged because it can seem like the therapist is a tape recorder and can actually be translated as not listening at all, hearing but not listening, can be frustrating to the one who has shared. What you describe as the process of parroting is quite different from how parroting is defined in the mental health field (in case someone here looks it up and tries it which I would not recommend by definition). What you describe seems to me to be more of what might be called “active listening” (which can be difficult for autistic persons and or persons with ADHD, both of which I am/have). I would add the following statements to experiment with: 1. “What I heard you say (paraphrase and or give a few word for word details, points)…am I with you/did I hear you correctly” (solicit truth about what you missed as a way to practice this discipline of active listening)? 2. “I want to make sure I got everything you said (if you’ve been given too much information to process and paraphrase or you know you can’t remember a detail or two) can you repeat the part about…” or sometimes I ask for a summary and then go back through step one above. I use echolalia (I don’t call it that) a whole lot. Quotes from books, movies, other people. Because I was raised in a home with a non-professional actor (my mother) I learned about dramatic voice inflection so sometimes if I’m using echolalia in a conversation I will use a voice imitation of someone in the movie, or that I’ve heard in person. This drama-type added piece serves to keep me, as Paul said, from having to think about what I’m going to say and also helps me self-regulate because I fall into anxious analyzing of statements people use or ask that don’t make sense to me or seem senseless and without a quote I end up not saying anything at all as I’m stuck analyzing the phrase/question and that makes people frustrated because they might think I’m not paying attention, listening. If I can’t find a phrase/quote in my memory bank I will often say, “What do you mean by…”, “Can you be more specific”. All of my life I have off and on, a lot more in earlier life, made flatulence sounds (with my mouth) to myself and sometimes in front of others as a self-regulation method. Sometimes I have greeted family members with a flatulence sound (in person or on the phone). Sometimes I make flatulence sounds repeatedly to myself when I’m anxious or thinking about something. I know this is inappropriate but I’ve never been corrected so far. I know not to do this with colleagues but I might do it quietly when they are not listening. I have frustrated others, not on purpose, repeating strange “filler phrases” (e.g. cuz like I said, know what I mean, you hear what I’m sayin, and everything, on it, and that) over and over again out loud. Many times I do this even when when I’m alone. I’m fascinated by these strange filler phrases and I very often laugh out loud after I’ve said one to myself and then that makes others wonder why I’ve laughed in their presence when nothing was said - makes them feel self conscious (especially my wife). I know this is not a good thing to do and I try to control it but sometimes it slips out. I made a type of sound in my throat for over 20 years (in the category of self-regulation I think - a kind of stimming) and I stopped for awhile after my wife said I would be an old an in a nursing home rocking in a chair making that sound all day long. I’ve started up again after a 2 year break. Again, these are, for me, a self-regulation/stimming behavior and can reduce anxiety because I laugh at what I’m doing and laughter always is a relief outlet for me because I don’t normally laugh at “normal” things. Scripting is a way of life for me in some form for so many conversations I might have. If a family member that I struggle with is coming to my home 30 days out I will begin scripting to the point of anxiety building up and then I know I’m stuck in a kind of loop and need to get out but it’s hard to escape at that point. For me it’s in the category of perseveration. I’m working on ways to process emotions that accompany scripting as they occur so I can take a break and get out of my loop and to prevent my nervous system ending up in a collapse, shut down state.
Not to make light of your situation, I can respect your introspection and effort. However, the idea of "I know I shouldnt fake a fart around my coworkers, so I just do it when they cant hear." is really funny to me. This habit seems to give you more trouble than actual flatulence would.
Echolalia 100% - I only was only recently diagnosed ADS and learning about Echolalia contextualised so much for me. I have always ended up very easily stuck with what I'll call "words of power". These words are new additions to my vocabulary which at the point of learning them and their meaning empower me to express myself in new ways. I find that I'll start over using them and if situations where they just don't fit. But I'll be stuck with them for Months... sometimes even years. Hahaha I even often find myself going "Oh dear I used that 4-5 times in 1 min. 🤣😅 Maybe this is Echolalia or not but it certainly feels like it.
I absolutely use scripting. I go to and watch a lot of content around my work based subject. Primarily to ease my anxiety of not knowing something. However I also very much look for the right wording or analogies in those that help me to both further understand that topic and to reuse them to help explain things to others. I use echolalia much less than I used to since I moved countries a number of years ago. Since there is much less commonality between people here and those where I was brought up. So much less chance of people understanding me.
I'm always scripting and preparing phrases to respond to things i think i might encounter, so i get very scared of random encounters in public and usually won't just talk to any random stranger i meet, unless i start a topic of conversation i know enough about to be confident i won't run out of things to say, i also like to seem smart and clever and i do like to show off my knowledge of something. But i have learned to not go too far with it if the other person doesn't seem that interested, but what i also do is listen to what people are talking about and see if i can contribute to that topic, or i might try to change the topic to something i do know about. But i try not to annoy people or they won't want me around, i do get very lonely and want to talk too much sometimes when the chance comes to me to be social, it can be a problem sometimes, but im much better with it than i once was. I usually don't like to repeat the words that people use to talk to me without thinking, or i might agree to something without even meaning to. I do forget names and things that aren't important, if i hear someone's name i might not remember it unless that person then does something i think is useful and then i want to remember their name, i feel a bit bad doing that but it's quite an automatic process most of the time, there's too many things to remember in my life already without filling up on things that are irrelevant, most things are irrelevant until they suddenly become relevant. I often won't remember when or how i met someone because they weren't as important to me until later and then are worth remembering properly. I do like quoting things from TV and movies and seeing if people can get the reference or if its relevant to what's happening in a situation, its kind of fun to get a reference and i like playing that as a sort of game with people sometimes. As long as i don't get out of practice for too long and im not tired i can usually manage in most situations.
I’ve been wondering…can echolalia also be involuntarily copying peoples accents? That is, not the talent of being able to mimic accents, but rather when you meet someone you automatically pic up their accent without wanting to and not being able to find your own while talking to them (but then not at all being able to do this once they are gone). It can be extremely embarrassing when this happenes, particularly when people speak poorly…or have a very strong accent…and they think you’re making fun of them…but otherwise it is nice because it makes people feel comfortable…
"Picking up their accents" I do this a bit. Once I accidentally stuttered when responding to my friend who stutters. I was mortified to hear what had come out of my own mouth--it sounded like I was mocking him--until he just cracked up. Then we both had a good laugh. I'm glad he had a good sense of humor!
Another wonderfully informative and easy to listen to / understand video (sorry, non native speaker) Thank you for your videos, it really helps (at least it does me) to understand the mechanics behind the behaviour. I script, I repeat others words including if I am not careful their intonation and accents etc, I stim with music lyrics when feeling sad overwhelmed.
I may not use echolalia on a daily basis, but I do fall into using it in stressful times. I also mimic the person saying it, almost in the same tone. At least that gets me out of my monotonous voice, so I use mimicking while masking. I get where you are coming from, but is it not in a way of masking, especially when you use the tone, voice of the individual you are repeating? I can quote The Empire Strikes Back, and other Star Wars movie, but especially Episode 5. I get that if I listen to understand, and echo it back to the speaker, I may understand their point better. Problem is some people get upset when I mimic them, and they think I am mocking them. I am not good at listening to understand, because I am running through my head which expected script do I use here? So even if I listen to them, I may just go off on my own tangent. Communication is always fun and always a hurdle with us.
Cool description, thanks! I also didn't know about the scripting thing. That's interesting. I wonder if my funny habit if writing things on a paper before a visiting doctors or the like, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get out what my problem is. My doctors either laugh or get a bit unfriendly when I urge them to read and say I'd probably not say anything relevant otherwise.
There's a FRIENDS episode and quote for almost any situation. Neurotypical people often quote FRIENDS episodes when in situations they are experiencing.
I used to work with a guy whose echolalia manifested in entire phrases and he would keep pronouns the same. So he would say "I'll help you" when he wanted help, because that's what people about to offer help would say. Or "talk to your dad!" when he wanted to make a call to his folks. What a lot of people don't realize is how many forms echolalia can take. I knew I was using it way before I actually self diagnosed
I have a client I've just started with caregiving who does this very thing. I'm trying to understand it better, what you described is exactly what he does. I'm scared ill not understand when he actually needs assistance.
Sounds like your intentions are in exactly the right place. If you're trying to understand he's probably gonna be more than willing to help you understand him. I'm autistic and a caregiver, so I can say from both perspectives that the really frustrating staff are the ones who go in trying to correct, and refusing to meet in back and forth communication that are really frustrating.
So what I do actually has a name... I often repeat what others say (specially teachers) in my mind. I also repeat quotes from computer games, mostly right after they are said in the game but sometimes when the quote seems revenant to me in a situation/conversation; like someone talks about playing a game or something and I just go "wanna play too, it'll be fun" (it's from League of Legends, haven't played it for years) and sometimes I just say it to myself when I decide to play a computer game. Also when someone says something that partly has same words as a song I know, I quote the song lyrics. I have learned to do it mostly in my mind as others give me a weird look if I say random quotes outloud. Only place echolalia seems to be acceptable is language classes and of course when I'm alone, I won't hold back.
I had an “intern” (we called em interns but they were high school summer help) working for me that is an Aspie. He is high functioning somewhat like my son and I. Long story short, he always quoted/spoke like characters from “King of The Hill”. One day I caught him dozing off multiple times, and once he fell asleep I walked up and smacked the back of his chair and said “Damnit Bobby! Wake Up!”(I do a somewhat good Hank voice). His head popped up and he quickly told me he wasn’t sleeping like anyone would do, but later on in the day he complimented my Hank impression. It gave me smile even though I had to get on to him for sleeping several times after that. lol
you are a jerk....you should not do things like that to anyone.....it is horrible.....what is wrong with you......are you a baby. why would you do that >>>>ugggggggggg I would never work for you
I really love this analysis. I agree completely it is ignoring reality and the chance for insight to just call it meaningless. Lots of common human behaviour is echolalia-like - memes and quotes as you say, also idioms, mantras, chants, communal prayer, other ritual language, song lyrics, etc. What echolalia means to the person only they can say, if an observer doesn't see meaning it doesn't mean it's not there. It yet again represents the value of autistic people being the ones to discuss autistic experience.
In my family we have sayings, usually cute or funny phrases said by one of us as a young child and they stick and get brought up again and again. It's a very bonding thing as it's nostalgia and memory and fondness for the child-self and their view of the world. Most (maybe all?) cohesive social groups have in-jokes that are short-hand to express a history, bond and understanding.
My brain does a couple of echolalia-like things that I don't currently see much function in - adding song lyrics to the end of sentences for example. Sometimes that annoys me. But I think it's a brain seeking connections and patterns and most of the time my brain does that it's a wonderful thing, so I can forgive it for prompting me with random lyrics from songs I dislike now and then! 😆
So 4 out of 5 of my immediate family members are aut!stic and in our home it was normal that if you really liked a sentence someone just said (you thought it was funny or awesome or whatever), you'd repeat the exact phrase in the exact intonation they used, because you wanted to try saying it too, like tasting it for yourself, or you'd want to emphasize the funniness or awesomeness or something.
I think this is a form of echolalia, but I've never heard anyone else talk about this phenomenon, so I don't know if that's correct. I know that it's not normal neurotypical behavior, because when I did it to friends or classmates, they'd think I was mocking them.
Me and my totally autistic extended family do this. We also have entire conversations in song lyrics or film quotes.
@@Sky-Child :'-)
Thanks for confirming that it's a thing and it's not just my family being weird. Aut!stic communication is beautiful and I'm really sad neurotypical society has stomped so much of it out of us. I don't do the echolalia thing I described outside my home anymore because I've been accused of mocking people too many times.
Quoting songs and movies is more socially acceptable, but the media we consume is kinda alternative so most people don't recognize our quotes so we still keep that just within our home too.
Honestly it's hard for me to imagine what it would be like to not have an aut!stic home. That sounds really lonely.
omg i have had people thinking i am mocking them too!! so devastating because like you said we're just "tasting" the words haha it's good vibes
Wow! Me and my family echo each other also. Like an exclamation point. We can make songs out of ANYTHING!
Now that I'm reading others comments, I'm realizing that I too have repeated what people said to me because I actually liked (or disliked) the way they said it, ESPECIALLY if they have an accent.
Throughout my life, I've had to tell people my name is Karla "with a K".
Well unfortunately when someone SAYS my name differently (not necessarily wrong) just like misspelling my name with a "C", too hear someone pronounce Karla as collar or caller 😒 I grimace...
I cringe inside but without even thinking I repeat it back to them
🗣️INTENSELY.
As if that would force them to correct themselves and sympathize with how they verbally assassinated my name.
I have a channel inside my brain that repeats words all the time. And like people have said in other comments, often that channel is rehearsing words and phrases in foreign languages and I think it just is on auto replay and sometimes I have to look up what the vocabulary means because I have forgotten but the repetition channel is still grooving on those words.
It's only recently that I started thinking of it as internal echolalia. Most of the time I'm not choosing the words consciously. And most of the time I don't feel the need to say them out loud. They're already being said in there. :)
Had something along those lines happen today at work. A situation came up that made me think of a comment made in a video on another UA-cam channel I am subscribed to. I felt it was appropriate to the situation; so, I blurted out "I must really love so and so because after all, 'Love is what keeps you from barbecuing others when they so deserve it'".
Needless to say, I got some very surprised looks!
A bit much but sweet lol
I’m a walking movie/lyric quoter. Sometimes my echolalia does break up the rhythm of a conversation when someone doesn’t know the quote or lyric, but the times they do get it makes me really happy. Those are shared moments I have, and many of them are funny. My girlfriend loves it and doesn’t see it as a negative thing at all which is great because I can quote stuff all day long and she doesn’t get annoyed. One of my favorite echolalia memories we share was when we were talking about our disdain for the way our nation has been indoctrinated. That’s when I busted into my best Serj from System of a Down impression and sang INDOCTRINATION… OF OUR NATION! INDOCTRINATION… OF OUR NATION!! SUBJUGATION OF DAMNATION SUBJUGATION OF DAMN NUH!! 🤣🤣 we both died laughing from the outburst because it was sudden and obnoxious but 400% relevant to the conversation. It was like a perfectly placed punchline. That’s how I feel every time something like this pops in my head and almost like someone with Tourette’s, I have to say it, if not out loud, at least to myself.
I copy the way other people talk and what they say quite often. Sometimes I am even afraid, the "copied person" could notice. It does not really happen on purpose, their words just kind of become my own words. I also imitate noises, but only if strangers are not around . I script, what to say and what to do in different situations on a daily basis, never thought that could be a part of echolalia, too. Thank you for your positive perspective on echolalia👏! Until now I dismissed my habits as just useless and strange, mixed with a feeling of shame.
Okay, so 50 billion things... - The repetition of certain words for clarity reminds me of Japanese aizuchi I believe it’s called, a conversational style/structure where the participants make utterances back and forth before proceeding, like two blacksmiths taking alternating turns hammering a single piece of metal. I see it as a true signal that proves you’re engaged in the conversation, and when it stops you instantly know the person doesn’t understand so the silence prompts the speaker to elaborate... Negotiation experts from my culture have taught me that repeating back a word someone says often prompts them to elaborate on whatever you’re repeating. The idea is that you’re implying you don’t know something about the topic or are confused about it etc etc and usually the other person will sense that and explain whatever you repeated... I’m undiagnosed but watching your videos and those of others have made me designate this year the ‘year of epiphanies’ for me LOL, because I’ve always felt like a complete misunderstood alien, always wondered why I was different (in a way that’s only striking when most people are roughly similar), and never thought I’d have an answer for this lifelong quest of mine to discover why, and subsequently find a way to bridge the gap. But this explains literally EVERYTHING to me, and it’s so uncanny finding people I can truly relate to for the first time on a level like this. It’s mindblowing and almost too good to be true, and now the more I dive into it it’s like a goldmine of explanatory power and suddenly I have all these great tips and methods on how to manage my life and get more out of it from people with a similar perspective. Anyway, I’ve realized I’ve been stimming verbally my entire life. I’ll just say things for the sheer mouthfeel/sensation of it, and sometimes it can be exciting enough to make me laugh. I like deliberately mispronouncing words and do it almost impulsively for fun, trying to find the funniest way to say something, and sometimes others find it contagious. I always assumed that I’m just a weird eccentric artist so of course I’m going to be obsessive over words, the tools at my disposal for art creation. But this is all way more consistent with my general behavior even outside any artistic context. Also, someone here in the comments mentioned palilalia I think it’s called, and through defining that I just discovered “cluttering” and OMG I’ve been struggling with that for my entire life and just discovered it has a name and even a solution to it by speaking slower and articulating more. (Basically when I get excited and have too many thoughts at once I can’t decide which one to express (prioritize which idea is more important to explain first in order to provide the listener necessary context) so I seize up and interrupt myself and then cant speak.) I just started practicing speaking slower because of your “oversharing” video (which seems like it’s working so far!) so I have more time to think and therefore summarize my thoughts to people (spare them of having to listen to a monologue of me process my thoughts verbally in real time instead of just thinking for a second longer before I speak) but managing my cluttering is yet another incentive to do this because it prevents my thoughts from becoming disorganized. Also gives me time to breathe LOL! I speak slowly, and therefore more effectively. As you can see, I tend to be quite verbose and writing at length like this is absolutely normal to me. They say cluttering affects writing as well as speech. I’ve already tested out this ‘be slower’ solution while speaking and realized my excitement over having 20 sudden ideas I want to express at once (which normally derails my ability to organize my thoughts) can be channeled by articulating my intonation and using expressive hand and facial gestures, like I used to do as a kid but stopped doing for some reason, I hypothesize because of masking. Speaking slower makes me feel like I’m suppressing that excitement, but by channeling it into intonation and gesture (instead of speaking faster) it actually feels really good to use this almost hyperbolic verbal articulation and gestures, it feels so EXPRESSIVE, and it also allows me to communicate SO much more clearly. I haven’t figured out how to apply this to text though LOL, hence why I can’t sum up this comment when I have so many associations I want to share and am typing like a madman. Thanks for your time and efforts though, I truly appreciate it beyond words!! I feel like I can have genuine relationships for the first time in my life and real connections and LOVE and it’s indescribably amazing. People liking me for who I really am is life changing and so validating. Especially it’s amazing to figure this out at 26, compared to thinking this whole time that I would be misunderstood and alone forever. I still get overstimulated but at least I finally know why!! Talk about a new lease on life!
Yes, just like you said!!!
So, you say it reminds you of Aizuchi? ; - ) Haven't heard that word actually, going to look it up...
❤❣🥰❣❤
So we’ll said, thank you for this comment.
Thank you 50 billion times for introducing me to the concept of 'cluttering'. Seriously. Thank you thank you thank you.
My brain spits out movie quotes, songs and other obscure references all the time. It can be triggered by overall context in the conversation or just single words or phrases. Definitely a great way to relay a set of thoughts or emotions quickly to those who can decipher it!
I was taught to do this in college for my RMT program. They called it 'active listening', you repeat back what they've said in clarifying questions as you gather information for direction of therapy. Helped a ton for me, even outside of school/work, as I wasn't always very....involved in conversations. Although, I do script pretty much everything, I don't have the memory for repeating back quotes and such.
This really hits close to home. I didn't know there was a term for that.
- For me it's part of song lyrics. Everytime I hear someone say something, that matches a song quote I want to continue the lyrics and maybe sing along
- Something I never heard someone else describe before: Everything that's human language that I hear repeats back in my head. That's the way I can listen to people, because there's no direct translation. Only when the voice in my head repeats it, I have a chance of understanding. Problem is when I run out of capacity, that inner voice starts lagging behind and I have to interrupt my conversation partner, if I can, and wait until the voice has finished repeating. This is often the point I repeat verbally what the other person said, or at least parts of it. This is the same voice that prepares "scripts". Everything I say or write, has to be said internally before I can write it down. Here's the problem, that my mouth/fingers are most often much slower, than my mental voice. That's the point I omit words when writing or stutter while talking. Oh, and that mental voice can be interrupted by real world voices, that's why I can't concentrate on language production when I hear some talk.
- I think I did stim with words when I was younger, but not anymore. Probably peer pressure.
PS: And now I wonder if there's pear pressure or pier pressure.
I do the sing-along thing too! Twinsies! I also got into a habit in a previous job, where I narrate what I'm doing to the tune of nursery rhymes. It was a completely acceptable behaviour in that setting, even encouraged, but now I've been away from that job for longer than I was even in it... and I can't stop.
@@crazyratlady3115 I can imagine that. There's even a word for programmers, that do this, it's rubber duck debugging. It's where you tell a physical object, like a rubberduck, what the code is supposed to do and it works surprisingly well.
@@OperationDarkside My husband is an autistic programmer and he has a literal rubber duck on his desk haha.
Theres pear pressure simulations that they use to determine shipping arrangements, and pier pressure is the buoyant force that determines how much you can load on a pier before it sinks. (Alternatively it describes the water pressure a pier can resist before collapsing)
Omg are you me?
Yes, I do alot. I notice myself doing it mainly when I am alone and not around other people. When I am around others, that gets masked over as I am totally conscious of how I sound. Scripting is something I do without people around as well and sometimes scripting involves how I plan to mask certain things I may think which I deem as sounding inappropriately too much like echolalia. There are many times when masking, scripting and echolalia all seem to be closely involved with each other in certain circumstances.
Idk I can imagine the people what they are saying through glass, or far away. Scripting is almost twice with workers
Before I knew I was autistic, I used to do this all the time when I was way younger. I even still do it now every so often when it comes to having to remember to do something. But when I was younger like around kindergarten and 1st grade, I would repeat what someone like a teacher in school would tell me to tell my mom that like a event was going on in the school for example over and over again till my mom picked me up way later that day. Looking back I used to wonder what was wrong with me and why I would do that. Well now I know that I was autistic and many other autistic people experienced the same thing. Glad to know I wasn’t crazy or anything back in kindergarten and 1st grade lol.
@AutisticGaming2004
Nothing wrong with you then and nothing wrong with U now ! You are PERFECT
I find echolalia useful in learning new languages.
How exactly does that work for you?
@@PraveenSrJ01 In my case it's just at completely random times saying some word I learned from Duolingo. Especially if it contains sounds that I don't know from another language, like the Q in Arabic. I'll just be sitting there saying qiTa over and over and over, trying to form the Q sound. No idea if this qualifies as echolalia.
I love learning languages and get pronunciation very fast
NANI?
I totally rely on scripting when I'm trying to communicate in a non-native language--especially when I'm just learning it.
I've always used scripting, especially when I have to talk on the phone. It's ended up being quite useful in my job, as I regularly have to handover important information in a structured and consistent way. Scripting helps me to figure out how I'm going to prioritise and organise the information into a narrative that I can easily remember and communicate. It's also a strategy I use for 'masking under the mask' because about 90% of my spontaneous working vocabulary is vine memes and song lyrics.
I definitely use echolalia as an adult. I have ADHD and I don't think I have ASD, but there is such an overlap that I find ASD resources helpful.
One of the biggest lightbulb moments for me in this video was right at the end: "do you stim using words?" I never thought about it that way! Sounds have always tickled something in me, and I find echoing them back to be pleasurable. I actually studied music in university for four years. I've never considered it could be a stim in the ND sense, but that's totally what it is.
I absolutely use echolalia as a way of processing information. I used to do it a lot more as a kid. I would get very frustrated by the fact I could repeat EXACTLY what someone was saying to me, but it was just a collection of sounds with no meaning. When I found out what echolalia and auditory processing delay was it all made more sense.
Thanks for the videos!
I think what they mean by “meaningless repetition” is the habit of repeating a word or phrase over and over either to yourself or to others. Probably because it feels good, like a stim. Like saying biscuit, biscuit, biscuit. I often repeat words or phrases in my head because I like the shape of them. I do sometimes use phrases in conversation just because I like how they feel, & this can get me into trouble because they might not be quite appropriate :(
If I start walking around the house saying "biscuit, biscuit, biscuit" now, I'll be equal parts amused and annoyed ;)
Me and my kids do this. My son's favourite just now is very annoying but I am trying to be understanding
Before I learned that I was autistic, I thought that it was before I didn't hanged out with many people, so it was normal to use the same phrases than them, but because they hanged out with more people they were the ones coming up with new things.
I often repeat what I hear in my mind or the most important parts out loud to the other person. I go over it to process and recall memories from similar situations, or times when I had the same feelings. I also have a very good memory the way you do, Paul! I also use a form of scripting for situations but I don't make it rigid. I come up with key points or ways to say things based on how the situation goes. I try really hard to keep things organic, it's gotten much easier over the years!
Just when I think you've listed off every single Autistic trait I have (and there's a lot; undiagnosed, but I'm pretty certain I'm Autistic), you come along and state another perfect one!
I consistently quote things as a reaction to situations, without really thinking about it, even if the source is really obscure and no one else will get it.
I also have a strong habit of, possibly related, copying movie characters. If I watch a movie and really resonate with one of the characters, I tend to find myself imitating them to an extent over the next few hours/days.
You explain very well why I'm in burnout and communicating is just too exhausting when I have to use these strategies and the other person has no clue of the reference I'm making.
I think of it like conversational mirroring. If I meet someone new, it's not uncommon for me to pickup their speech patterns, vocabulary, and mannerisms. I don't do it consciously, but I notice it whenever I find people that interest or excite me. Before learning about masking, I would have described it as trying someone on. It creates a illusion of social aptitude, which is a good survival skill, but not that great for me personally. Sometimes I get stuck playing the part of the mirror "character" I created, and I can't figure out how to be myself with the person I'm mimicking. It's ike I'm a d20, but I'm only allowed to land on three of my sides.
Thanks for this nicely done video, Paul.
To answer your question about using echolalia, I'm not sure about my example, but I always have a song or part of a song that comes to mind in conversations. When I share it, it sometimes is understood and liked by others, but at times, it's an obscure reference or they think I'm a little quirky.
One difference between this and ordinary quotes is that I usually sing the song. I tend to "break into song" quite frequently.
I use to do this very frequently. Now not so much.
I stim on occasion using words or non - verbal vocalisations, I repeat stuff back to reinforce understanding and validate the speaker whilst giving myself more processing time. I also script ahead of time in preparation for an important conversation almost like what non autistic people sometimes do to practice for job interviews.
That’s cool that you mentioned your friend group. I also had a friend group and we were really obsessed with anime. It was kind of cringy looking back at it now, but we were really obsessed with that no and used to make cosplay UA-cam videos.😂 it was definitely cool to have friends, though that were passionate about anything. I always felt like until I found my group that I never had friends that really understood what I genuinely liked. Before that I was just pretending to have the same interests as other people in my school. I’m actually still friends with all of these people to this day! We mostly hang out on discord, but when everybody’s back in town, we actually meet up.
Yes to all of the above. Plus songs come to mind. As an adult, I don't sing them out loud, but as a kid I did. I love musicals, and my life truly is a musical, because my brain's reaction to most stimuli is to bring up a song. My daughter is similar. She's the only person I can truly be myself with.
Since most NTs favorite topic is themselves I use echolalia and questions about whatever they are interested in.
The game is to keep them talking. I learn more than if I’m speaking. Most people don’t have the bandwidth to follow my understanding of the world anyway. If they are intelligent enough to follow my logic I’ll figure it out while they are talking. Plus people like it when someone is interested in them. Win win.
Okay, so you’re my hero, which to me means an individual who inspires me. Thank you.
I script, I imitate people, I talk to myself outloud about what I need to do, I repeat what people say sometimes. I think going over my schedule helps me stay organized so, talking to myself really helps.
I'm undiagnosed, but I remember calling those learned words "discovery words", to the giggles of others(even adults).
When I parrot others, it gets me into trouble, even now. Scripting included. I'm always told " Don't copy others!"
My son does this (he’s high functioning and diagnosed), and it pisses me and his mom off. He quotes things he knows nothing about, but someone said it in the internet. We’re trying to get him to stop and think before he speaks. Is this legit? Does it make sense? And most importantly, do people care?
@@billybee3423 maybe do more research on medical sites instead of UA-cam comments under a random post. If you care about your son’s wellbeing, learn about him and his diagnosis instead of getting pissed and trying to force him to conform to your lack of understanding.
@@billybee3423 You could try modeling the behavior you want to see from him. For example; you could try to stop and think before you speak. Clearly this channel is a forum where your son’s behavior (like mine, and many others) is an innate function of his developmental neurophysiology and nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe try encouraging him to like *himself* even if some hypothetical asshole he’s never met doesn’t.
@@billybee3423 you don’t seem to have any empathy for your son or your intern. Maybe try to accept people for who they are.
I sometimes jump to the script before really hearing the question "Hello" "Good thanks, how are you?" Damn... 😅
When I was six or seven years old, I used to mouth words or phrases over and over, I guess I was practicing them or experiencing them repeatedly maybe because I liked them and wanted to savor them, I don’t know, but I didn’t realize I was doing that until one day someone made a remark about it. My friend who was my age said, “Oh she does that all the time.” explaining it away and dismissing it as something normal for me. That’s when it came to my attention.😊
I in my next private time will repeat to myself the critical part of a conversation or the line I said with most anxiety/ u certainty around saying it. To relive the event at a thinking pace so I can analyse how well it went, review whether my choices were right.
I am extremely good at parroting. I am musical and i can deconstruct the sound i hear and program it electronically with synthesizers. my synesthesia triangulates tactile, visual, olfactory and auditory impressions. I can draw photorealistically, I can do voice impressions of other people. This way of scanning my sensory impressions has given me a very robust memory and my education is stored very well.
I always tended to repeat musical lyrics instead. I'm a sponge to music, my peers called me "the human jukebox". When I hear a catchy tune it sticks and adds up to my memory bank (complete with artist, title and year of release) ... To pop up later in my mind. I have a song in store for every situation, it sometimes got me in trouble at school (once a teacher said the words "upside down" and I automatically started to sing Diana Ross 's song Upside Down... 🙃😅... Teacher not pleased, mates laughing).
Now I'm careful about what I listen to , because I'm prone to earworms. It's useful though to always have a song ready in my mind, especially in tough times 😉. And, yeah, I am a musician.
My two adult children and I do this constantly! I didn't even know it was a thing. We usually do it with relating phrases from songs, but lines from a movie, key quotes in a book etc are verbal shorthand that convey a bigger picture or idea, as well as bring us all very quickly to a common or familiar place which we can meet at. Recently we have noticed and sadly been annoyed with my two year old granddaughter when she quotes from her Little Bear show, a very specific line.It happens when the three of us are talking together at the dinner table, and she is trying to follow the conversation and join in. It goes something like, "okay everyone. Now I'm going to teach you how to quack." Then she growls. We will repeat this over and over, interrupting and sometimes ending our conversation.Now I get it! She is trying to speak, but can't find the words to join in. Thank you for this. I will listen more closely for the bigger meaning of what she is quoting, and how she is using it to contribute and join in.Yes, I also see that sometimes toddlers are just interrupting!
Hi Paul, your content is awesome and educational as always--please never apologize for being "off topic" or "over time"--your flow of ideas always hangs together well and is relevant to the topic you've chosen, and more examples, whether prepared or spur-of-the-moment, always enhance your material. Keep on doing what you do best, and thanks for creating such an awesome channel. Have learned so much from your videos since first starting to research autism! :-)
I am very grateful to have someone that can really relate to my need for understanding , and accepting the answer I have been searching for . You are doing an amazing job of impacting the stigma that is Autism. You have allowed me to finally understand who I have inside my head. I am 52 now , and I have always surtched for the answers to my many problems I have faced .
I'm overwhelmed and overjoyed to some degree, that , I am getting amazing clarity and understanding for what I must do. You have been given a gift your words, and how you choose to make a better way of communicating on every level of content. Thank you. Cheers
My echolalia is reading road signs or written information as well as repeating words back during conversation or repeating words that I've heard
I was introduced to echolalia many years ago through my therapist. It probably saved my marriage. I thought my husband was making fun of me, repeating my words yet not paying attention to me! When in fact, and he still does, hear what I say and can repeat it back to me. Frustrating, annoying, make me want to stomp my foot? Yes, yes and yes but at least I understand where it originates from.
My husband and one of our sons has Aspergers. I live it EVERY day. I love my Aspies!
Take it from a person on the other side , he’s absolutely just trying to compute what you said. Sometimes the harder we try to listen or understand regular thinking folks , the worse we get it wrong. It’s incredibly hard to describe how frustrating it is , to think you tried your best and miss so badly. And as a grown man , it’s very hard to say “ I cannot follow what you’re saying “. Or similar. It makes you feel dumb. Yet you know that you have more knowledge and understanding than most in a lot of things. So dumb isn’t an apt description either. I guess my point is thanks for being a person who tries to understand how we tick.
I entirely agree with Putter Vids, I spend my life trying to compute what other people say, or so it seems. This is because I know (from experience) that most people don't mean exactly what they say and so I repeat back what someone says sometimes (or pause for longer than most people would) to try and work out if there is something they 'meant' but didn't actually say... and yes, totally get the frustration to put in all the effort, try your best and get it so wrong...... because by this time the chances are the person thinks you did that because you think they are stupid or that you are trying to mock/criticise what they just said ...... so that's the end of the conversation......
What is the endgame here? SURELY it has to be that people should just say what they mean. SURELY it can't be the case that words ACTUALLY MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS depending on whether you are autistic or not, but that is what it seems like sometimes when what Putter Vids calls 'regular thinking folks' seem to know instinctively what to add on to words. I would like to put the case that this particular instinct is unreliable, and that ultimately it is unhelpful even to 'regular thinking folks' talking among themselves, because even they will not all add on the same things. Wouldn't it be easier if we could all agree not to add anything on at all...
I went through a phase in my teens of being monosyllabic (and made to feel stupid because of this). I totally get why some autistic people don't speak at all.
@@cacheton5766 well said. I’ve always felt like others - at times - were just being so opposite of genuine. I own a business. And deal with customers on A long term basis . Some people , I communicate so well with. Others it’s absolutely as if I speak French or something. I ask in my head “ what did you hear “? As I replay exactly what I said. I’ve thought what you said many many times. I’m like “ one of us doesn’t understand that word “.
Oddly enough. My father in law is the worst. I’ve known him 26 years now. And it took 20 of those for him to finally stop talking to me like I’m stupid. I mean I endured a lot of abuse. A couple times I blew up at him , and eventually as he watched me physically build a business , turn out profits , and raise my boy ( 13 now ) as my wife runs a huge office. Eventually he saw me as I was. Much much smarter than he. Lol. Arrogant ? Sure. But it’s also the truth. He’s pretty close to helpless. I describe him as living off the kindness of others. Meaning we haven’t killed him out of the kindness of our hearts. Among covering up countless things he does or doesn’t do since his wife died. God rest her soul. She was a saint.
It was weird. As a kid I rarely spoke. I could. I just didn’t like people. Teachers etc. always making me speak. And once I started talking more as an adult , a lot of people now try to get me to shut up. 😂. These people have no idea what they want !
This is excellent! Love of poetry may be related to this, hearing it read, for instance. I've always memorized poems by reading them aloud over and over because I love the sounds and the words and meanings. Same with songs that are like poetry. Not exactly your point, I know. I didn't memorize them for any reason, just on my own by reading them. This video has reawakened how much I love both poems and songs. I think I drove people crazy playing the same song over and over but I just loved the sounds of the words and their meaning. I never thought it was unusual until I realized most people wanted to hear a variety of songs. Also, deeply listening to a person can be relaxing for me, so I know and like the technique you mention.
I have ADHD (and questioning autistic) and I often use echolalia to confirm that I’ve heard something properly. If someone is giving me instructions or otherwise informing me of important information I need to know, I’ll repeat the informational pieces that have successfully been delivered. For example, if someone were to say to me “when we get back we have to do project B and don’t forget that the key is under the rock” I might say “project B and key under the rock.” The other person appears satisfied and it helps soothe my nervous system 😁
I don't know if this counts but I will sing the same line or two of a song over and over sometimes.
My brother and I also copied all kinds of noises we heard and repeated the ones we liked often.
I don’t do this exactly, but if someone says something and it’s a line in a song, I’ll sing that part of the song at them. It annoys my sister but she also finds it hilarious.
@@HyperWolf That does sound funny!
YESSSS!!!!! I do this and have done it since childhood. Used to memorize commercials on tv and repeat them as a kid. Now it’s memes, phrases, anything that can be utilized for a given moment. Sometimes a meme or phrase will just pop up in my head and I’ll repeat it over and over for NO reason??? Other times I can retrieve stuff for context!!
I do this a lot. I’ve done it since I was little, gathered phrases I’ve heard, many from movies, commercial jingles, songs or just by observing people.
WOW! Another terrific presentation, Paul - thank you! Before watching this, I understood echolalia to be represented by an important aspect of my life - a mystery I didn't solve until age 47 while researching Asperger's, which truly turned out to be a life-saving study all around.
One of my earliest memories from childhood was my father yelling, "Clean your ears out!" He did this because I often said, "What?" Apparently I said it a LOT too, b/c I was ALSO given an excessive number of hearing tests, which always came back fine. Baffling! (I think they feared i lost hearing from recurrent ear infections - which I figured out in my 30's were actually due to a food allergy but that's another story.)
In an instant one day in my early-40's, I suddenly realized, I don't ask "what?" b/c I'm not hearing what some1 says. If I WAIT before asking, it "sinks in!" A-HA - interesting! But ok, then WHY did I do it? Why was I making people repeat themselves if I actually HAD heard them?
Fast forward to age 45 & my first day in prison. If ever there was a stressful situation for a naive Asper-gyrl, this was IT! As I entered the yard, another inmate began grilling me with questions. Her manner seemed friendly, but I was cautious. After maybe a half-dozen rapid-fire queries, she stopped, looked at me curiously, & asked, "Why are you repeating everything I say?" to which I answered, "Why am I repeating everything you say? Huh! I am aren't I? That's a good question..." I was as dumbfounded as she was.
Less than 2 months after being released from prison, I FINALLY learned the answer to WHY I ask "what?" so often: I'm BUYING TIME for my slow processer to gather the incoming transmission & formulate an outgoing one. So fascinating! (I HAVE been working on WAITing instead of "WHAT"ing, btw.)
I hadn't considered my lifelong finesse with songs/lyrics, tv & movie quotes, & cultural memes in general, to fall under a whole echolalia umbrella - very interesting stuff!
And I, too, have an excellent memory, especially auditory memory & also short-term recall & yes indeed - I've used them for party tricks for decades!
I'm continually amazed at how similar we are in terms of various Asperger's mechanisms & related memories. Thanks again, Paul - you've been a big help for me for over a year now & I appreciate you.
I have this with songs. I don’t really watch TV or movies, but listen to music and I’ll hear a phrase that relates to a song lyric and I’ll immediately think of and hear the song.
I collect comments and one-liners from everything I watch, not just funny ones, but also profound and some that I just enjoy the flow of the language. I read through them frequently and it helps balance me and it makes me happy to remember films I have seen and enjoyed. When I use them in conversation, it has a deep emotional meaning for me because it conveys the emotion from the scene in the original film, plus my own emotion while using it in context. It helps connect my internal and external worlds.
I trained as a peer counselor in highschool. They taught us several valuable communication skills, but I was already a master at parroting because I'd been practicing it my whole life. To this day, I am astonished by how few people are aware of this strategy. Even when it doesn't work out, most individuals will elaborate further on their original meaning, which helps to create an even clearer picture of the true meaning behind a word, sentence, story for the speaker. People are only just now starting to accept it as a mainstream form of 'good' communication LOL. I keep hearing it come up in podcasts as some new and innovative way for showing understanding, but it's literally been around for decades in the psychological community and autistic community. Other strategies that are highly effective:
Content summarization - a more advanced form of parroting that basically involves repeating back the important parts of an entire story someone has shared. Basically give them a TLDR of their own ideas.
Mirroring - the physical component of parroting. Adopting the same postures and mannerisms of an individual or group naturally increases their acceptance of someone. For instance, if someone has their arms crossed when they speak; speak to them with your arms crossed.
Affirmations - short-form parroting, often in the form of a minor interjection at a short pause in conversation. Usually, this takes the form of saying something like, "I understand", "I see", or even just "yeah" or "mhmm."
All of these active listening skill are acquired naturally as a means for survival in social settings by outsiders trying to fit in, but they are actually extremely valuable if you can let go of the negative associations you may have from using them in bad situations from the past.
My experience of echolalia is by repeating my own phrases or words twice. I often get strange reactions to saying things twice and I get upset with myself because people think it’s strange. I repeat tv ads if they say something fun or unusual or have an amusing sounding voice. I did also say the lines along with characters in movies sometimes, particularly if it was a movie that my lovely niece had watched many times, in fact we both did it. I only ever got to be miss trunchball though, never the nice characters :)
I have a similar thing. People once told me that when I finish a sentence, my lips echo the words I just said, producing no sound.
I know as a fact that I started doing it on purpose, to practice clear enunciation, but realized than when I stopped doing it, it became harder to process words.
I also really enjoy parroting, often to the detriment of the patience of ppl around me.
Luckily I have 1 friend with the same habit, so we can get stuck in a loop for an hour.
@@zioqqr4262 I’m so glad you have a friend who gets you 👍
This reminds me of the Star Trek The Next Generation episode Darmok, where the Enterprise meets an alien species that communicates by quoting phrases from their history and mythology that have specific meanings within their culture.
Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.
@@silicon212Picard and Dathon at El Andrei.
Your example of repeating segments or quotes from The Simpsons episodes you and your friends had seen smacked me in the face with the realisation I also displayed echolalia in this way. I did the same at university when recounting episodes of Doctor Who I had seen to a friend of mine, often quoting segments verbatim. I remember in particular quoting the exchange between the Daleks and Cybermen in episode S02E13 “Doomsday”.
My ex-boyfriend used to have a dig at me when I'd parrot back to him his questions. That is, if he asked me a question, I'd repeat that question word-for-word, as my strategy to process it prior to answering. It drove him mad. I try to do it in my head now. However, I'd definitely agree that communication with fellow fans of a TV show etc, is powerful.
I just recently learned what echolalia was, I just thought it was copying. I've always used it and still do. I use videos and TV to help me in conversations so, all TV is educational for me really. Also music, the more diversity the better because then I have a broader range of application.
Echolalia has helped me with practicing studying Japanese!! I would get so nervous practicing out loud, but if I would be watching anime and catch a phrase, I’d usually be able to at least whisper whatever word/phrase a few times.
Wow. This video spoke to me on so many levels. I’m only starting to realize how much I connect almost all aspects of my life to characters and plots from novels and sometimes in order to process difficult emotions that I can’t articulate, I re-read a book or series in which the heroine or plot somehow goes through similar emotions and they are resolved. I also quote song lyrics or music that I’ve identified with different emotional estates that I can’t articulate. That’s why I have EXTREMELY eclectic musical tastes and have found something to connect with from just about every genre I’ve heard. I use movie quotes in conversation and have had to struggle not to blurt out certain favorite soothing words or quotes at inappropriate times. I have a horrible memory for faces and peoples names, but I’m hyperlexile and words help me remember names and faces better. As a teacher and a librarian, we’d play name games where everyone described themselves with an alliteration and said something they liked or disliked (ex: I’m smart Su and I like reading). We’d go around the circle thanking the person who just went before us or in more random ways, but by the end of the game, I could remember them by associating with their alliterative name and what they liked. I really felt this one. Great job as always.
Love this video. I'm so grateful to this chanel😍. I've learned from Paul and YoSamidy Sam first that I have never stopped stimming with words and especially singing but also with favorite movies and cmmericials and I can't control the commercials though even of I don't like the catchy tunes I hear 😒. I eventually became a pretty good singer. My brother would get confused and think the radio was playing when it wasn't. I can sing with my voice sounding very similar to a violin🤔. I love that in my 40s I am understanding myself more and things are making more sense😭!!!❤
Recently have been realizing how often I echo, from an involuntary stress response (more classic echolalia) to a conscious conversation skill as presented here (which was taught in a social skills class long ago). Zoom classes+meetings were actually great for me in learning to unmask, and I realize that if I know I'm not being listened to, I'm constantly echoing people, for many and conflicting reasons, really: to agree, disagree, express surprise, or just to stim with an expression I liked. If I did this IRL it would come across as mocking, but I only would intend it as such some of the time! Now connecting the dots: echolalia!
Only bc of Zoom did I realize how much I mask my echoing in person. Maybe my day to day existence would be easier if I could ease up on this a bit, without coming off as disrespectful, apart from the question of whether it's communicating anything.
This is one of those, "damn I knew that was because I'm autistic." kind of video. These are all things I do to cope and it's one of those things were I struggle with if I am masking or not. I use echolalia with old TV shows and movies. I also used those same tv shows and movies to inform my understanding of how people interact with each other. I never got a actual diagnosis but I self-diagnosed when I was a kid in the 80's. I use all the things talked about in this video and have fine tuned it to a science but I still script every variation of a conversation I can imagine. I have to do a lot of thinking when I have alone time. Not important, what is important is my thanks for helping with I knew I wasn't the only one, feeling.
Lol. This comes in handy sometimes. I e always used it. Last night we went to a restaurant that had song trivia night. They play clips of songs and you fill in a bingo board. I won 4 times for a total of 280 dollars of gift cards. Lol. Most songs I knew the name before the words started. Just from the intro music. My wife says “ how do you do that”. I simply pushed fast forward in my brain on the recording I have of each song. So I’d hear the intro and hit go fast. The words play fast until I hear the Title. When we got to 80s music I cleaned up.
Stimming with words! I think that's what I do! I just like the sounds and feel of certain words - windowsill, mariposa, miel... I'm not so keen on words that begin with b, or that have b and m in them (there are exceptions - bumblebee, mbira). I also moo and bark a lot. I love wordplay and I have always loved John Lennon's stories which rely heavily on wordplay (which is partially where my nickname comes from) and I will quote from them too - sadly I've only ever come across one person who has ever got those quotes.
Thank you for giving me a word to explain this communication tactic!
Really interesting! I usually have called this "movie quote tourettes" because I'll randomly quote pieces of movies that come to mind when a situation calls for it. Now I'm going to investigate Echolalia and learn even more. Thanks!
I don't really do any of that. But I talk to myself in French a lot of the time. My native language is English. I started speaking to myself in French because I was trying to learn it and didn't have anyone else to speak it with. But I think it became a stim for me. It usually does help me to feel better.
Never heard this term before, but I'm glad I know about it now. I don't know if I imitate subject matter (I find myself defaulting to small talk topics typically), but sounds, someone's energy and even accent...wow, it doesn't take much. I usually leave the conversation wondering what happened to me or 'why did I say that/ talk like that?'. I like what you said about mirroring someone's words and that they' might have significance to person saying it; I think I'll make a conscious effort to do that. Usually if I try to think of something relatable it's slightly off. I keep hoping that at some point I could have an honest impromptu conversation but it's definitely a challenge .LOL! Great vid, thanks for making it.
as a song writer I often rely on alliteration to remember phrases. phrasing and the amounts of syllables are important too.
as well as I find metaphore to be extremely useful when trying to describe my own emotions. I remember a visit with a previous therapist where during the session I asked where to sit and she said sit where you feel you should sit. so curled up on the floor because I was feeling low and it felt fitting.
Quoting movies/etc. as the most efficient means of expressing myself has been a source of both joy and pain for me. Pain, especially when I was younger and less experienced, when I miscalculated other people's familiarity with what I was referencing, sometimes disastrously (they took the opposite meaning/ were very offended). But it has also been a source of great joy - my siblings and I can have entire conversations in quotes, because we have the shared reference, and it's a special sort of comeraderie because we know we couldn't have that exact conversation with anyone outside the circle (spouses have been forced to watch many of these so they can be "caught up" to the family shorthand, haha.) I suspect this is part of why so many autistics enjoy participating in fandoms- besides enjoying the material itself, it's a way to connect with people who will have a certain amount of shared understanding, who will get your references and respond in kind.
It’s great for job interviews. Reappearing back the questions can buy you time to answer the question.
This may explain why I become almost unresponsive and seem grumpy when I am tired, because my brain is too tired to do this process.
A thought that came to mind, Counseling training has alot if paraphrasing/repeating back. It's all processing and reaffirming
Wow.. I always have been doing this with songs’ lyrics. They pop up at the right time all the times. I have a soundtrack on everything!
Then, scripting, it is so just me l!
I really like the communication strategies you shared, echolalia may be a springboard to present them but echolalia is mainly repeating words or phrases/sounds after another person without reformulation or alterations.
It is also seen in other mental health conditions.
Here's my 2cents!!!
I was so amazed learning about this huge part of myself after my diagnosis.
People always tried to make me quit, the sound effects one especially, but it was also why I could talk so much.
But echoing others not only helps me with my own communication toolbox for others, echoing helps me stay engaged with a conversation bc I get distracted by my own memories. Its a regulation tool maybe?
Ive always used things I learned to help me, even if its a metaphor. I cannot imagine stuff if Ive never seen it, or heard it, even tho Im creative.
But with that, I just do it anyway, my creativity is in the "Just do it" even if I start off with a copycat thing. Now when it comes to spirituality and meditation, just "knowing" something is good enough. I "know" it even though there's no imagery connected to it. But usually with learning, like in school, this does not work at all. I have to already be exposed to things & see things all the way through before I can understand it that way, otherwise I cannot learn anything just by listening.
So it's not helpful in school where they try to make us understand things before they teach it. But with my own world, my creativity allows me to be brave and start and get the ball going even though I have no idea what I'm doing.. 💜💜💜
I used that copy-cat tool often to get me started
I use echolalia fairly often, and in almost all the ways you mentioned. (Nice video BTW, I enjoyed your clarity)
I have a lot of difficulty audibly, but I use echolalia in text as well. When I'm using a mirroring/parroting type during a conversation, I try to take it one step further than you described. I find some part that was shared with me, and I'll paraphrase it, making sure to use the same keywords, but wrapping those keywords in a sort of lingual blanket of other words which reflect my thoughts/feelings/understanding of what was said.
If I want to keep the conversation flowing, I'll often input a question using things they have said as part of the question for them to expound upon. If I think they're still going with their story, I'll instead use a more non-committal/neutral type of response that lets them know I'm still actively listening.
Of course there's also the sharing of memes and "inside jokes" and quotes of stuff between my friends and I as well. I think everyone does that, don't they?
Repeating things back, quoting and scripting is something I learned to do early in my life. I modeled myself on my idol. He was my role model. Doing so helped me to express myself to others in society. At an early age, I thought everybody loves him. If I can do what he does then everybody will love me too. I got respect back from others e.g. I got less bullied at school for a while. My modeling also extended to copying my idol's other aspects of expression such as body language and the way he dressed and thought. This obsession with my idol is what the consultant psychiatrist used to explain the Aspergers trait of my obsessional paranoia. Unfortunately, my obsession interfered with other areas of my life negatively. Sadly my idol passed away which changed me completely. I feel as though I have grown up more since. My obsessional trait has been transferred to other areas of my newfound interests such as the ridiculous amount of research that I do and my interest in horror movies and parapsychology.
Yes, when I was talking care of my now late fiancee, she would ask me to do things around the house. (E.g., get something, make food, clean, etc.) It was important for me to remember what she said, so I would repeat the word until I found the item, or performed that task.
Great video. Yeah I definitely have used Echo Lalia my whole life. “Luuuuke” will take most people to Star Wars “I am your father” I’ve always found music best expresses my current emotion. I have trouble discerning the lyrics in music, or quotes in films, coupled with extremely weak short term memory. Friends will always quote the last thing they read or saw or heard. I myself often parrot phrases from people around me and usually take it too far or keep using the phrases long after it’s relevance has passed. We’re still saying “ja ja ding dong” in our house 3 years after seeing that film. I notice my wife has several comfortable phrases from songs she repeats often to calm herself or get happy. She’s often quoting phrases which she believes have meaning. “Two birds in a bush is better than...” when the deal is made and all parties are in agreement she reminds herself of the meaning of this phrase. “The devil you know” when a laborer is really crap but you just want to finish the job and hopefully pick someone better next time.
Yes, I quote from films sometimes but mostly
I quote lyrics from songs, even singing a line maybe. Most of my friends do music so it works out ok
Any mention of palalia in the vid? I find it's very rarely talked about, but seems to be almost as common as echolalia.
Delayed echolalia is one that doesn't get talked about much either.
Looking forward to the video Paul!
Omg! Palilalia is the word I've been looking for! I (self-diagnosed) do that and my brother (officially-diagnosed) also does that.
I always thought that repeating myself under my breath was also echolalia, but now I have the correct word to describe what I'm doing.
Thank you for mentioning this word! Now I have the correct words to distinguish between when I repeat what I said to myself and when I repeat/quote what others say
I have a hard time hearing sometimes so echolalia is very helpful to me and the person I'm having an interaction with, so that things are understood on both sides.
I always talk about the same topics and repeat my main thesis repeatedly in one conversation. It'a especially bad if Im expressing frustrations. I don't know what to do.... I used to hear that I was TOO quiet all the time. No one says that about me anymore becuase I tried to adjust and it had the opposite effect. Now I am having trouble shifting back to quiet mode. I prefer quiet mode personally now that I have tried being "chatty". I also have no filter when I get going. That is a huge problem. I over share and give my opinion that sometimes ends up seeming like a personal criticism of someone I am talking to. So yeah, I definitely prefer when I used to just say nothing, only answering questions with single word or short phrase answers. I feel like I'm being interviewed with all these questions people always ask.
Anyway, here I've gone and done it again in text form. Sorry. Thanks for your time.
I just recently found your channel and I find that you present your content really well and very easy to understand. I found your content also incredibly fascinating especially being a neurotypical.
Keep up the good work!
This is so true. It is often much more effective to use scripts, song lyrics, TV and movie quotes, scripture references, etc. to communicate, particularly with complex ideas that I am still fitting into my concept-matrices anyway. When I have to communicate without these tools, there is no telling whether what comes out of my mouth will make any amount of sense to those around me, not because it's inaccurate but just because I am paying attention to different details and categorizing differently. For example: Today, my physical therapist asked me to describe what I was feeling as he used a particular massage tool, and the first thing that popped out of my mouth was, "It feels like food." What I now realize I meant was that it had the give of kernals of corn on the cob when scraping butter over them with a knive, but the size was more like the little balls in tapioca pudding; my PT described it as "gravelly," which I understand, though my brain protests that gravel is much harder than that.
I didn't know this was a thing. Ive done all of these things my entire life (mid 40's). I just always thought I was a good mimic. Besides being a good party trick, it is an outstanding waiters' trick. Plus customers always marvel "you can remember 20 orders?!" I've had questions recently about where I fall on the spectrum, but this is unbelievably uncanny.
Firstly, Paul, you used the word “parroting” which you said is taught to people in the mental health field. I’m a psychotherapist and parroting, repeating verbatim is strongly discouraged because it can seem like the therapist is a tape recorder and can actually be translated as not listening at all, hearing but not listening, can be frustrating to the one who has shared. What you describe as the process of parroting is quite different from how parroting is defined in the mental health field (in case someone here looks it up and tries it which I would not recommend by definition). What you describe seems to me to be more of what might be called “active listening” (which can be difficult for autistic persons and or persons with ADHD, both of which I am/have). I would add the following statements to experiment with:
1. “What I heard you say (paraphrase and or give a few word for word details, points)…am I with you/did I hear you correctly” (solicit truth about what you missed as a way to practice this discipline of active listening)?
2. “I want to make sure I got everything you said (if you’ve been given too much information to process and paraphrase or you know you can’t remember a detail or two) can you repeat the part about…” or sometimes I ask for a summary and then go back through step one above.
I use echolalia (I don’t call it that) a whole lot. Quotes from books, movies, other people. Because I was raised in a home with a non-professional actor (my mother) I learned about dramatic voice inflection so sometimes if I’m using echolalia in a conversation I will use a voice imitation of someone in the movie, or that I’ve heard in person. This drama-type added piece serves to keep me, as Paul said, from having to think about what I’m going to say and also helps me self-regulate because I fall into anxious analyzing of statements people use or ask that don’t make sense to me or seem senseless and without a quote I end up not saying anything at all as I’m stuck analyzing the phrase/question and that makes people frustrated because they might think I’m not paying attention, listening. If I can’t find a phrase/quote in my memory bank I will often say, “What do you mean by…”, “Can you be more specific”.
All of my life I have off and on, a lot more in earlier life, made flatulence sounds (with my mouth) to myself and sometimes in front of others as a self-regulation method. Sometimes I have greeted family members with a flatulence sound (in person or on the phone). Sometimes I make flatulence sounds repeatedly to myself when I’m anxious or thinking about something. I know this is inappropriate but I’ve never been corrected so far. I know not to do this with colleagues but I might do it quietly when they are not listening.
I have frustrated others, not on purpose, repeating strange “filler phrases” (e.g. cuz like I said, know what I mean, you hear what I’m sayin, and everything, on it, and that) over and over again out loud. Many times I do this even when when I’m alone. I’m fascinated by these strange filler phrases and I very often laugh out loud after I’ve said one to myself and then that makes others wonder why I’ve laughed in their presence when nothing was said - makes them feel self conscious (especially my wife). I know this is not a good thing to do and I try to control it but sometimes it slips out. I made a type of sound in my throat for over 20 years (in the category of self-regulation I think - a kind of stimming) and I stopped for awhile after my wife said I would be an old an in a nursing home rocking in a chair making that sound all day long. I’ve started up again after a 2 year break. Again, these are, for me, a self-regulation/stimming behavior and can reduce anxiety because I laugh at what I’m doing and laughter always is a relief outlet for me because I don’t normally laugh at “normal” things.
Scripting is a way of life for me in some form for so many conversations I might have. If a family member that I struggle with is coming to my home 30 days out I will begin scripting to the point of anxiety building up and then I know I’m stuck in a kind of loop and need to get out but it’s hard to escape at that point. For me it’s in the category of perseveration. I’m working on ways to process emotions that accompany scripting as they occur so I can take a break and get out of my loop and to prevent my nervous system ending up in a collapse, shut down state.
Not to make light of your situation, I can respect your introspection and effort.
However, the idea of "I know I shouldnt fake a fart around my coworkers, so I just do it when they cant hear." is really funny to me. This habit seems to give you more trouble than actual flatulence would.
So that’s what you call my Rolodex of appropriate responses or lack there of
Echolalia 100% - I only was only recently diagnosed ADS and learning about Echolalia contextualised so much for me. I have always ended up very easily stuck with what I'll call "words of power". These words are new additions to my vocabulary which at the point of learning them and their meaning empower me to express myself in new ways. I find that I'll start over using them and if situations where they just don't fit. But I'll be stuck with them for Months... sometimes even years. Hahaha I even often find myself going "Oh dear I used that 4-5 times in 1 min. 🤣😅 Maybe this is Echolalia or not but it certainly feels like it.
I'm so glad you did this video! I use Green Acres or The Flintstones as examples of how much I like computers.
I absolutely use scripting.
I go to and watch a lot of content around my work based subject. Primarily to ease my anxiety of not knowing something. However I also very much look for the right wording or analogies in those that help me to both further understand that topic and to reuse them to help explain things to others.
I use echolalia much less than I used to since I moved countries a number of years ago. Since there is much less commonality between people here and those where I was brought up. So much less chance of people understanding me.
I'm always scripting and preparing phrases to respond to things i think i might encounter, so i get very scared of random encounters in public and usually won't just talk to any random stranger i meet, unless i start a topic of conversation i know enough about to be confident i won't run out of things to say, i also like to seem smart and clever and i do like to show off my knowledge of something.
But i have learned to not go too far with it if the other person doesn't seem that interested, but what i also do is listen to what people are talking about and see if i can contribute to that topic, or i might try to change the topic to something i do know about.
But i try not to annoy people or they won't want me around, i do get very lonely and want to talk too much sometimes when the chance comes to me to be social, it can be a problem sometimes, but im much better with it than i once was.
I usually don't like to repeat the words that people use to talk to me without thinking, or i might agree to something without even meaning to.
I do forget names and things that aren't important, if i hear someone's name i might not remember it unless that person then does something i think is useful and then i want to remember their name, i feel a bit bad doing that but it's quite an automatic process most of the time, there's too many things to remember in my life already without filling up on things that are irrelevant, most things are irrelevant until they suddenly become relevant.
I often won't remember when or how i met someone because they weren't as important to me until later and then are worth remembering properly.
I do like quoting things from TV and movies and seeing if people can get the reference or if its relevant to what's happening in a situation, its kind of fun to get a reference and i like playing that as a sort of game with people sometimes.
As long as i don't get out of practice for too long and im not tired i can usually manage in most situations.
I use echolalia in my conversation, particularly in job interviews. I have a very good long term auditory memory.
I’ve been wondering…can echolalia also be involuntarily copying peoples accents? That is, not the talent of being able to mimic accents, but rather when you meet someone you automatically pic up their accent without wanting to and not being able to find your own while talking to them (but then not at all being able to do this once they are gone). It can be extremely embarrassing when this happenes, particularly when people speak poorly…or have a very strong accent…and they think you’re making fun of them…but otherwise it is nice because it makes people feel comfortable…
"Picking up their accents"
I do this a bit. Once I accidentally stuttered when responding to my friend who stutters. I was mortified to hear what had come out of my own mouth--it sounded like I was mocking him--until he just cracked up. Then we both had a good laugh. I'm glad he had a good sense of humor!
Another wonderfully informative and easy to listen to / understand video (sorry, non native speaker) Thank you for your videos, it really helps (at least it does me) to understand the mechanics behind the behaviour. I script, I repeat others words including if I am not careful their intonation and accents etc, I stim with music lyrics when feeling sad overwhelmed.
Loved your video Paul! Really resonated with me. Thank you!
Great video. Yes, echolalia is a part of my life. It helps or hinders on a case by case basis.
I may not use echolalia on a daily basis, but I do fall into using it in stressful times. I also mimic the person saying it, almost in the same tone. At least that gets me out of my monotonous voice, so I use mimicking while masking. I get where you are coming from, but is it not in a way of masking, especially when you use the tone, voice of the individual you are repeating? I can quote The Empire Strikes Back, and other Star Wars movie, but especially Episode 5.
I get that if I listen to understand, and echo it back to the speaker, I may understand their point better. Problem is some people get upset when I mimic them, and they think I am mocking them. I am not good at listening to understand, because I am running through my head which expected script do I use here? So even if I listen to them, I may just go off on my own tangent. Communication is always fun and always a hurdle with us.
Cool description, thanks! I also didn't know about the scripting thing. That's interesting. I wonder if my funny habit if writing things on a paper before a visiting doctors or the like, because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get out what my problem is. My doctors either laugh or get a bit unfriendly when I urge them to read and say I'd probably not say anything relevant otherwise.
There's a FRIENDS episode and quote for almost any situation. Neurotypical people often quote FRIENDS episodes when in situations they are experiencing.
I used to work with a guy whose echolalia manifested in entire phrases and he would keep pronouns the same. So he would say "I'll help you" when he wanted help, because that's what people about to offer help would say. Or "talk to your dad!" when he wanted to make a call to his folks. What a lot of people don't realize is how many forms echolalia can take. I knew I was using it way before I actually self diagnosed
I have a client I've just started with caregiving who does this very thing. I'm trying to understand it better, what you described is exactly what he does. I'm scared ill not understand when he actually needs assistance.
Sounds like your intentions are in exactly the right place. If you're trying to understand he's probably gonna be more than willing to help you understand him. I'm autistic and a caregiver, so I can say from both perspectives that the really frustrating staff are the ones who go in trying to correct, and refusing to meet in back and forth communication that are really frustrating.
He sounds super low functioning
So what I do actually has a name... I often repeat what others say (specially teachers) in my mind. I also repeat quotes from computer games, mostly right after they are said in the game but sometimes when the quote seems revenant to me in a situation/conversation; like someone talks about playing a game or something and I just go "wanna play too, it'll be fun" (it's from League of Legends, haven't played it for years) and sometimes I just say it to myself when I decide to play a computer game. Also when someone says something that partly has same words as a song I know, I quote the song lyrics.
I have learned to do it mostly in my mind as others give me a weird look if I say random quotes outloud. Only place echolalia seems to be acceptable is language classes and of course when I'm alone, I won't hold back.