5 year old 'echoing' himself. Why?

[Boot]

My DS has developed a habit of repeating what he said under his breath just after saying it out loud. It's almost like he's listening to himself. Is this a normal phase? I haven't brought it to his attention at all and I'm not worried about it, I'm sure it will pass, but I've never heard another kid do this. Are there any speech therapists here who can explain it? FWIW, he's a very verbal kid. 

[jgallagher66]

My dd who is also 5 does this too. I've never heard of other kids doing this so I'm interested in reading what others have to say. She is also very verbal and one of those kids that say crazy things that make adults laugh.

[pek64]

It's called echolalia. There are multiple causes, including nutritional deficiencies. Make sure your children get all the nutrients the brain needs (omega-3, b-12, etc). If it doesn't improve, do more research.

Good luck!

[Daffodil]

I think both my kids have done that at times.  I'm sure DD did.  I bet you occasionally do the same thing with something you've said, only in your head instead of under your breath.  I know I do.

[StephManietta]

My DS (8) has been doing this since he was about 6, I have mentioned it to his Drs who never seemed concerned. He has alot of other issues and I figured it was part of something else so I will be watching to see what others have to say.

Oh yeah, it seems to worsen with anxiety for my DS.

[jgallagher66]

Echolalia is when someone echoes what is said to them by someone else. I'm not sure if this is what the op meant. My daughter repeats things that she has said. Many of these things are quite clever and witty and I feel like she's storing it away to bring back later at the right time. I apologize to the op if I misunderstood the post but I thought they meant that their ds repeated what he said himself like my dd does.

[Boot]

Originally Posted by jgallagher66 

Echolalia is when someone echoes what is said to them by someone else. I'm not sure if this is what the op meant. My daughter repeats things that she has said. Many of these things are quite clever and witty and I feel like she's storing it away to bring back later at the right time. I apologize to the op if I misunderstood the post but I thought they meant that their ds repeated what he said himself like my dd does.

You didn't misunderstand. He repeats himself, not others. It sounds like this might be common among verbal children. He loves language. He's always asking what worlds and phrases mean and trying them out for himself. He is delighted when he finds a new and interesting insult - 'nincompoop' being the latest. 

[tbone_kneegrabber]

Kids repeat themselves a lot.  My Ds will say something in the car, then he will tell me what he said, then he will tell dp what he said, then he will say it again quietly to himself and we are all in the car together!  We heard it the first time dude!  This occurs frequently when he has made a joke especially a pun or witty one-liner.  I always feel like he's so proud of himself that he needs to make sure everyone heard that *he* came up with something funny all by himself!  

[pek64]

I was incorrectly told when my son was young that it was echolalia. Looking it up on the Internet now, it seems to be called palilalia, especially if done as a whisper.

[LynnS6]

My very verbal daughter does this sometimes. I think she's practicing. Some people learn by watching (my son) and others by doing. Dd loves language, playing with language and learning about language. She spends probably a couple hours every week playing with google translate.

Unless it's occurring in inappropriate situations or bothering him, I wouldn't worry.

[Boot]

Thanks for giving me the word 'palilalia'. I was able to find quite a bit about it and it seems pretty common. There is a good thread in Ask an Expert:

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1320845/6-yr-old-started-to-whisper-repeat

It does seem to be more common amongst bright, verbal, perfectionist and anxious kids. My son is all of these. 

[pek64]

Glad to be of help. For my son it got worse when he was refusing to eat meat. I tried to get him to take suppliments for b-12, but he avoided them as much as he could. After he started eating meat again, it went away. It still happens on occasion, but very rarely.

[Boot]

Originally Posted by pek64 

Glad to be of help. For my son it got worse when he was refusing to eat meat. I tried to get him to take suppliments for b-12, but he avoided them as much as he could. After he started eating meat again, it went away. It still happens on occasion, but very rarely.

Hmmm, interesting. My son's vegetarian. Need to look into his supplements.