Echolalia and Scripting: Supporting Autistic Rights and Fighting Speech Stigma
There is significant stigma around the actions and verbalizations of autistic individuals. Autistic self-advocacy groups like #ActuallyAutistic and the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, have been combating this stigma in recent years. At Resonate, we’re taking action to be part of this change.
Read on to learn what echolalia is, the functions of echolalia, scripting, and why we need to support, celebrate, and advocate for the ways that autistic people communicate.
What is echolalia?
Echolalia is just one form of vocal expression common among autistic and neurodivergent individuals. These individuals may echo sounds, words, and phrases from the environment.
This can look like:
Repeating the beeps of a crosswalk signal
Mimicking a sentence with the same inflection as the person who spoke it.
Repeating back a question, (“Do you need help?”) rather than rephrasing into an answer
Reciting a whole episode of their favorite show verbatim
What is echoed and how soon the echo occurs will often vary from day to day and person to person. Immediate echolalia is just what it sounds like - an immediate echo - whereas delayed echolalia occurs any time after the original sound.
What is the function of echolalia?
Echolalia may be conscious or subconscious, but it is not random or purposeless. Something may remind an individual of what they heard, or they may recall and choose to use a sound or phrase for a number of different reasons.
A music therapy study on speech production from 2009 identified six functions of echolalia:
Maintaining equilibrium (stimming or self-soothing)
Exploring sounds
Expressing emotions
Maintaining focus
Masking (observing and imitating others to camouflage autistic traits)
Communicating
Which of these functions is being utilized may be unclear to outside observers, especially those who don’t know the individual well. The best way to learn the purpose of an autistic individual’s verbalizations is by building a relationship with that individual. However, some initial clues may be found in context. If a new sound is repeated immediately, especially if it is a sound from the environment and not a verbalization, it is more likely to be exploration. If a phrase is only used in certain contexts or times of day, it is more likely to be communicating or expressing emotion.
Looking into the origin of the phrase and noticing what is happening when it is used may give a clue into its meaning.
An example of this would be if an individual has heard “It will be okay” as comfort when they or others are distressed, they may use that phrase to communicate that something is wrong.
Echolalia as masking is often more difficult to spot, as its purpose is to blend in. It is more common among, but not exclusive to, autistic women and girls. It may look like repeating sentences from previous social interactions - especially with nonautistic individuals - in order to avoid standing out. Individuals will use scripts they’ve heard appropriately and in context, often imperceptibly. It sounds as though they’re producing their own sentences and statements, but it’s actually echolalia.
What is scripting?
There are many other types of vocalization patterns besides echolalia. Among these are palalia, in which someone repeats their own speech, and verbal stimming, which can be vocalizations, singing, or words. Scripting is generally understood as a form of delayed echolalia. Scripting is sometimes called “TV talk” because phrases are often repeated from TV and movies. It is a resourceful skill that requires a good memory and the creativity to apply phrases from one medium into an often entirely different context.
Scripting may serve any of the purposes echolalia does, as listed above. Additionally, just like quoting or sharing a gif from your favorite TV show, scripting acts as a social tool to connect with others through the media they enjoy. This is particularly true among autistic individuals, who may swap quotes as a way to socialize and share interests. Scripting is more and more becoming acknowledged as a “unique, nuanced, and important part of autistic culture.”
Scripting may also look like quoting long chunks, or even entire episodes, of a preferred show. An individual may play and act out scenes and entertain themselves this way. Shorter chunks from a book or song might be used to communicate with others what they’re feeling or experiencing. By looking into the original meaning of the scripted passage, it may be possible to determine why it is being used in a given moment.
What is the Stigma Surrounding Echolalia and Scripting?
There is significant stigma around the actions and verbalizations of autistic individuals. Autistic self-advocacy groups like #ActuallyAutistic and the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, have been combating this stigma in recent years. However, many organizations which claim to benefit the autistic community are continuing to contribute to the stigma against the way autistic people uniquely communicate.
Just over fifty years ago, scientific articles and studies were using appalling language to refer to these kinds of behaviors. An article from 1965, “Screams, Slaps, and Love,” - which would go on to influence the “treatment” of autistic children through physical punishment and electric shock - acutely demonstrates the stigma around echolalia. These useful, soothing, and often communicative verbalizations are described under the heading “[An] appalling gallery of madness.” The author goes on to describe how one child would “infuriatingly parrot back everything said to her,” and another “had a photographic memory for jingles and ads which he chanted hour after hour.” The punishment for these verbalizations? Screaming, slapping in the face, and electric shock. Rewards for acting “normal,” as dictated by the researchers, included the basic human necessities of food and affection.
This language and type of punishment, which are entirely dismissive and cruel, were not simply a product of their time. The author of this article, Dr. Ivar Lovaas, was foundational in creating some of today’s most popular programs for autistic children. His philosophy of pain and reward is echoed through current treatments. As of 2021, the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Massachusetts still uses electric shock punishment on children with disabilities. Many programs still use food and affection as rewards for desired behavior.
If you’re an autistic individual looking for therapy services, or the parent/caregiver to an autistic individual, there are ways to see if a therapy/provider is affirming of autistic people and the way they communicate or if they’re contributing to the stigma.
Red Flags to Watch out for When Screening a Therapist/Provider:
Claims that autism can be “cured” or “recovered from”
Using necessities - like food, water, and affection - as rewards for behavior
“Mind reading” of the autistic person - assigning meaning and intention without adequate context
Punishing stimming
Forced prevention of stimming
Ignoring the autistic person’s emotions or distress
Forcing eye contact
“No” isn’t an option when asked to perform a task
Using “normal” as a goal
Requiring speech as the only form of communication
Our Approach to Echolalia and Scripting at Resonate:
At Resonate, we enthusiastically support stimming, and whatever communication style is most comfortable for each of our clients.
Supporting all communication styles may look like:
Using music to reflect spoken phrases back to clients
Supporting speech without assigning meaning based on our own assumptions
Allowing clients to stim and self-regulate in any safe way they prefer
Using instruments, letters, singing, and visuals to aid in communication
Asking questions of care providers to gain insight into the original context of a scripted phrase or phrases
As always, the best way to learn about the autistic experience is from the autistic community. Below are videos and articles written by individuals with first-hand experience with echolalia and scripting. If you have any other questions about echolalia, our approach, or music therapy please don’t hesitate to reach out! We provide in person services for autistic individuals in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as well as Telehealth services for autistic people everywhere.
Bonus! Curious why echolalia happens?
For some autistic individuals, language is acquired through what is called Gestalt language processing. This means that rather than learning words individually, language is built in larger “chunks.” These chunks can be phrases or sentences that are then manipulated and rearranged for expression.
Often, this means that a whole phrase takes on its own meaning, and it may be more difficult to arrange words in new ways. For example, someone may learn the phrases “I need help” and “I want food” without applying the individual meaning of each word to say “I want help.” The whole phrase has meaning as a unit.
This does not mean individual words are never acquired or used, it is simply a way of understanding initial language learning. In such cases, individuals may echo phrases exactly as they are heard. It is helpful in these cases to phrase sentences from the autistic individual’s perspective. So, instead of saying, “Are you all done?”, saying “I’m all done” so they can echo back what they heard and assign meaning to the phrase as they say it.
Gestalt language processing is not the only reason echolalia happens, however, and different echoes can have very different origins and meanings.
Additional Resources on Echolalia and Scripting:
Lyric Rivera, an Autistic self-advocate from Texas, runs the internationally recognized neurodiversity lifestyle blog Neurodivergent Rebel.
Autism & Vocalizations – My Autistic Experience with Echolalia, Palilalia, and Verbal Stimming
Autistic Speech Patterns – Echolalia, Palilalia, & Verbal Stimming
Amythest Schaber series “Ask an Autistic”:
Look up “Ask an Autistic Episode #7 and #18”
Stephany Bethany:
Danielle Sullivan: