Definition
a) ‘The meaningless repetition of words and phrases.’
b) ‘The repetition of words and phrases by a child that is learning to speak.’
(From The Oxford English Dictionary prepared by J.A. Simpson and E.S.C. Weiner, 1989:55)
While echolalia appears to be part of a developmental phase in normal hildren, peaking at about age 30 months (G. K. Zipf, 1949; S. Hill, 2008), its occurrence or persistence past age three or four is considered pathological (Fay, 1967; Ricks and Wing, 1975).
Causes
This condition is often seen to arise after an event of Cerebral Infarction (stroke). It is also believed to arise due to the presence of various mental conditions:
Alzheimer’s Disease
Autism
Asperger Syndrome
Aphasia
Rubinstein-Taybi Syndrome
Schizophrenia
Tourette Syndrome.…
