Echolalia???

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Hello All,

I found this site by accident...

After noticing that I seemed to be developing certain traits I did a google search, which led me to the word echolalia which led me here.

For quite a while I have repeated the last part of a sentence 'mentally'. It was usually someone elses - especially on TV - but sometimes my own.

This seems to be getting worse because it developed into muttering them to myself and now the muttering seems to be getting louder. It seems worse when I am engrossed in a TV programme and I 'hear' myself repeat before I can stop it and think 'what the heck are you doing???'

I am 39 years old with no problems of that kind (as far as I know!) other than the occasional mildish depression (much better in recent years).

I'm not quite sure what question to ask, but if anyone here could perhaps throw a bit of light on my situation I would be very grateful for your time.

This is a common symptom for those with AS. Sometimes, when working, I'll recall certain snippits of conversation I've had with others, either that same day up to years ago. And I'll find myself mouthing or saying out loud certain sections or words that struck me at the time. So, naturally, it looks like I'm talking to myself. Which I am, I suppose.

Does this mean you have AS? Maybe, but maybe not. Look at other threads here, see if other things sound familiar to you, too.

Thanks for your reply sacrip,

I've found a good thread on symptoms thats on the forum. (Looked first at social characteristics then physical manifestations, waiting for next topic)

A lot look familiar at first glance but I will go through them more thouroughly and probably talk to my wife about it.

I find I talk to myself a lot and have (sometimes heated!) theoretical conversations with myself about things that have/might have happened. Consequently having a lot of 'what are you DOING' moments with myself...

I'll keep looking...cheers.

yes def very common among asd, i do it a lot with everything, i even repeat noises like for exaMple repeat the sound of a car revving its weird.

omg I thought this was schiozphrenia! I experience the same symptoms, like I'll play through conversations in my head, and sometimes I will have a random song, or quote stuck in my head out of no where. Sometimes my head is spinning with thoughts!

afaik ecolia is a symptom for both schitzophrenics and autistics/aspies. Try one of the aspie tests on this site, the 200 hundred question test seems to be a very good indicator. If it's not AS, then it might be schizophrenia or a random quirk.

I tend to echo the last word I hear in my head too, but I'm both AS and Schizotypical so I'm not sure if that helps :lol:

It's not schizophrenia. Just a typical AS trait. I do it too. Vivid music stuck in my head, repeating phrases, recalling conversations, never ending thoughts...

This is why we stim I think. Our brains lack a system idle loop process, so when we have nothing to do we find something to occupy us. I don't have any random thoughts or anything like that when I'm playing an engrossing video game for example, or watching something REALLY interesting on TV. It takes enough thinking and concentration to keep my brain busy. But if I'm just sitting in my office, or driving, or walking, it isn't enough for my brain and it needs more.

Well you could be schizophrenic and AS for all we know. But probably not, eh?

I often automatically repeat the last thing that is said to me...often in order to register it and because I have auditory processing difficulties and it is confirmation that I heard correctly.
I will also repeat the same sentences over and over...(though I have heard NTs do it too..)..I think though that they do it to make sure what they are saying is acknowledged by someone...and I do it for myself...

I do this often, but more so if I'm watching TV. I often repeat dialogue on anime shows all the time, usually involuntary and especially if I've seen it. But I have a good memory so I can say it at anytime, but it happens more often when I'm by myself. What's even more weird, if I've seen an action on a show I'll even repeat that, especially if it's an anime show and opening, but i repeat everything to the smallest line especially if I'm listening to music. Weird

You know what Autism was called before the creation of the word Autism? Childhood schizophrenia.

There is a more progressive view of autism in the melding of neurobiology and psychiatry that considers low functioning and high functioning autism, aspergers, ADHD, OCD and schizophrenia to all be part of the same family of physiological differences in the brain that fall under the umbrella of the Autistic Range or Autistic Spectrum, and the divisions to be an artificial separation that hinders understanding of the needs of the individuals on the spectrum.

Given the higher than expected relative to general population presence of schizophrenia amongst those diagnosable as autistic, along with increased incidence of ADHD, OCD, BPD(bipolar), if one wishes to obey the principle of parsimony, the simplest explanation is that those disorders in isolation is just a low symptomatic version of the larger thing we know as Autism. CT and fMRI scans continue to support this view.

It is entirely appropriate from a neurobiology stance for individuals with any combination of these disorders present to be identified as an autistic individual.

Don't quote me the DSM, that thing is fifteen years out of date at best, and designed to describe behaviors evident in somebody with the underlying brain they assumed. Science has moved forward, even if many claiming to be practitioners of psychoanalysis in a medical professional capacity have not. Take a look at the findings of the APA board convening on the next version of the DSM, and take a look at the actual medical studies they are basing their changes on. Please do explain to me why you come to a different conclusion than I have if you do.

I've always made and 'imitated' sounds/accents etc - mainly for humerous purposes I thought. As i've gotten older though it has become more apparent that men my age don't do that...if you see what I mean. Not that they never do it but I do it as a matter of course and havent 'grown out' of it.

Its been rather a revelation to me to take a step back from myself and look at many of the behaviours I exhibit and realize that they are not altogether usual. I don't see people around me doing them.

Given me something to think about.

Thanks for your reply Age1600.

I did the 'Aspie Quiz' at rdos . net and the result was...

Your Aspie score: 134 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 72 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Can you recommend a test considered particularly useful?

Thanks for the reply ryan93.

This is interesting. I think I would say that the conversations I have with myself come at both stimulated and none stimulated times. But I THINK there is usually some cue for them...whether mental or visual.

But when I'm watching the TV it is often (but not always) when I'm engrossed/involved/amused/emotional about it that it 'bubbles up'. Taking me by surprise and more recently - as I mentioned - becoming more vocal.

Thanks Dilbert.

Besides that I think we should all be quoting the ICD - what to do to establish a common ground of AS/autism right now as long as there is no next-generation set of criteria that is in use? So if we were not to quote the DSM, does that mean we will base any diagnoses of AS on believes and opinions until we get another (valid or invalid) international standard that many people agree on and use for diagnosis.

I mean, yes, the DSM might be outdated and plain wrong in several aspects, but literally stopping to refer to it means we got no current standards and everybody might go about what they want to do. I see a problem there, personally. I think the AS category is already too broad and tugged into most different directions. There are already enough people saying they have AS and that AS has 'has little in common with autism and autism is ret*d' or people who dislike that people with AS are associated with kids and teens with severe/profound autism and claim that 'AS is hardly any problem at all and doesn't have a lot to do with real autism'.

In society each of us who doesn't agree with these and other statements is dealing with lots of ignorance. So I really can't see the sense in rejecting a common ground however inaccurate its details turned out to be with more than a decade passing when many people automatically use that to do what they feel like.

Wow, i do that too! Any little noise that i think sounds interesting, really. Animal sounds a bunch, too.