How to Respond When Your Child Repeats Phrases (Echolalia Tips)

My child repeats phrases, how should I respond? Repeating words or phrases — often called echolalia — can be a normal part of development or a communication strategy, especially in autistic children. Listening, modelling the language you want to hear, and using simple supports helps children move from repetition toward meaningful communication. 

What Is Repeating Phrases (Echolalia)?

When a child echoes what they hear, that behavior is called echolalia. It can happen immediately (right after hearing something) or after a delay (repeating lines from a show later). In autism, echolalia is very common and often part of how language skills develop. Around 75–80 % of verbal autistic individuals show this pattern at some stage.

Why It Happens

Echolalia isn’t random. It can help children:

• Process language — repeating phrases helps them internalize words.
• Communicate needs or emotions when they lack other words.
• Self-regulate in stressful situations by echoing familiar language.

Seeing repetition as a communication step helps you respond in ways that support growth.

How Should I Respond?

Here are strategies for answering the question my child repeats phrases, how should I respond? in ways that support communication:

1. Acknowledge their communication.
Respond to the phrase they say — even if it isn’t clear yet — to show you’re listening.

2. Model what you want to hear next.
Instead of saying the exact phrase back, gently model a more functional response. If your child echoes “Want juice?”, respond with “Yes, I want juice, please.”

3. Use simple choices and visuals.
Offer choices with visuals (like pictures of juice or water) so the child can point and reduce repetition while practicing meaning-based words.

4. Collaborate with professionals.
Speech-language therapy and behaviour strategies can help expand echolalia into original sentences.

Why This Approach Works

Echolalia, according to studies, often serves as a stepping stone toward purposeful communication rather than a behavior to suppress. Supporting it appropriately helps expand meaningful speech without discouraging the child’s current communication efforts.

Conclusion & CTA

Understanding my child repeats phrases, how should I respond? means viewing repetition as a communicative effort and using strategies that guide your child toward purposeful language. These responses support development and reduce frustration. 

To learn personalized ways to respond and help your child grow communication skills, contact Apex ABA to schedule a consultation and build a tailored communication plan with our experts.

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Sources:

1. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/echolalia‍
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9997079/