In my previous post, I provided a summary/overview of echolalia. Please look back at that post if you need a quick recap!
So now that we have a better understanding of how children who use echolalia tend to learn/acquire language, I want to give you guys a few tips on how best to foster their communication development. The following list will summarize communication strategies when working with children who use echolalia:
- You should INTERPRET rote/memorized phrases and not take them literally. If a child says “Look at this!” This may mean he wants you to look at an object but it could also mean “this is fun!” or “I need help.” Interpreting and learning your child’s phrases is so important! Remember, children with echolalia tend to learn phrases/sentences first before they know the meaning of each individual word in the sentence, so they tend to overgeneralize these phrases across contexts/situations.
- Don’t necessarily expect children who use rote phrases/sentences to be able to use each individual word they might say in their message in another novel context. Since these kids tend to learn in larger chunks (whole sentences/phrases) first and then slowly start to mitigate and learn the meaning of each individual word as their language progresses, it will take time for them to be able to use complete self-generated novel phrases.
- MODEL what you want them to repeat/say. For example, instead of asking “Do you want to eat a banana?” Say to your child “I want a banana.” Model phrases as if you are your child!
- Although modeling requests will be easier than answering questions, we do also want children to be able to answer questions once they’re ready and are requesting well. When asking questions to your child, ask the question and then immediately verbalize the answer you expect them to say. For example, with the question mentioned above, you could say “Do you want a banana? (Pause) Yes.”
- MODEL and NARRATE! Narrating your own actions as well as talking about what your child is doing during play, mealtime, etc. is giving him the language models he/she needs to be able to use functionally.
- When children don’t have a lot of verbal language yet, it’s best to keep your models short and repetitive. For example, at dinner time use the same phrase with a different food— “I want pasta! Oh, now I want more water. I want my meat cut for me!” Even though the beginning part of the phrase is the same (I want__” the ending part can change each time to show them how to generalize this phrase to different contexts.
- Once a child has many functional rote phrases, you can start to model more novel language for them to hear, process, and eventually use. Example: “I’m going to cut my meat. Now I need to go get some more water from the sink!”
We hope this gives you some good ideas and a place for you to start if your child is using echolalia. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have specific questions about your child and their unique needs! Until next time,
-Allie-
