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Ear Worms and Echolalia
Why neurodivergent people repeat phrases
In my articles, I often speak on the more negative aspects of being neurodivergent, whether it’s dealing with autistic traits or facing discrimination because I’m autistic. It’s my mission as a writer to speak candidly on all aspects of the neurodivergent experience.
That being said, today’s article focuses on the lighthearted topic of echolalia in individuals with autism, ADHD, and other disorders. Defined as repeated words and phrases aloud, this autistic behavior is deeply fascinating to me and, in my opinion, worthy of a deep-dive.
Neurodivergence and echolalia
Repeating words or phrases is common among children of all neurotypes, but the distinction is the intent (and type) of echolalic speech. Neurotypical children lean towards , repeating the language of the adults around them as they learn to talk, seeking attention with gibberish, and making requests with phrases they’ve heard from their parents, but not getting the subjects quite right (i.e. “You want a sandwich?” instead of “I want a sandwich”).
Whereas neurotypical children grow out of this trait around age three, neurodivergent people maintain their echolalic speech well into adulthood. The purpose of the (typically delayed)…
