Echolalia
Echolalia is the automatic repetition of vocalizations made by another person. It is closely related to echopraxia, the automatic repetition of movements made by another person.
The word "echolalia" is derived from the Greek ἠχώ meaning "echo" or "to repeat", and λαλιά (laliá) meaning "babbling, meaningless talk" (of onomatopoeic origin from the verb λαλέω (laléo) meaning "to talk").
Immediate echolalia causes the immediate repetition of a word or phrase. Some autistic people and people with Asperger syndrome may use repetition as a method of allowing themselves more time to process language.
A typical pediatric presentation of echolalia might be: a child is asked, "Do you want dinner?" the child echoes back "Do you want dinner?" followed by a pause and then a response, "Yes. What's for dinner?"
In delayed echolalia, a phrase is repeated after a delay, such as a person with autism who repeats TV commercials, favorite movie scripts, or parental reprimands.
