The 'Rare' Speech Disorder That 'Occurs Frequently' In Autism

You might associate autism with phenomena like “stimming”, avoiding eye contact, or repetitive movements like rocking or flapping hands. But not every autistic person shows that behaviour, and some display those that are lesser-known.

For instance, autism has been linked to “hyper-empathy”, or a very intense emotional reaction to animals, plants, people, and/or objects. It’s also associated with “echolalia”, or repeating the words and phrases others have said – about 75-80% of verbal autistic people exhibit this behaviour.

And palilalia, a generally “rare speech disorder”, may “occur frequently” among people with autism and developmental disabilities too, according to a 2005 paper.

What is palilalia? 

Dr Luke Beardon, a senior lecturer in autism at Sheffield Hallam University, told HuffPost UK that palilalia happens when a person with autism repeats their own word or phrase.

It could even involve the repetition of syllables rather than entire words: these are usually said at least twice, experts say, and each utterance tends to get quieter or faster as they go along.

This might be especially common in children, Dr Beardon added. 

Why does palilalia happen? 

There’s no single answer here. But the lecturer informed us that “some children use word repetition to self-regulate when they might otherwise be feeling distressed – so it can serve a very important purpose”.

“For others it is a natural way of processing language, understanding it and developing it. As is almost always the case, every child needs to be understood within their own lens.”

And there can also “be an immense level of sensory satisfaction and self-soothing in the repeating of a particularly delightful word – this can be absolutely joyous!”, he added.

Sometimes, this response depends on a person’s environment, added Dr Stephen Connolly, another senior lecturer in autism from the Sheffield Hallam Institute of Education. 

“There can be environment-specific and context-specific echolalia and palilalia as with other mechanisms for anxiety/sensory/regulation soothing/communication,” he stated. 

Someone might have the response at home, where they feel most comfortable, but may not show the behaviour in certain social settings, for instance. 

Is palilalia linked to autism? 

Echolalia and palilalia is “associated” with autism, said Dr Beardon, but are “not exclusive” to it.

They might also be linked to ADHD, and researchers have found cases of it among those with conditions like schizophrenia, degenerative brain diseases including later-stage Alzheimer’s disease, and brain damage. It can be a part of Tourette’s syndrome, too.

And repeating yourself sometimes does not necessarily mean you have palilalia.

So, it “doesn’t mean one is autistic – but being autistic does mean that there is a higher likelihood” of experiencing signs like palilalia and echolalia, Dr Beardon ended.