Echolalia Protocol 

What does it assess?

• Functions of delayed and immediate echolalia. 

Who is it suitable for?

• Child or adult with developmental disabilities.
• Also suitable for child or adult with visual impairment. 

Who is it not suitable for?

• Anyone without echolalia or people with head injury, for whom echolalia may be indicative of perseveration. 

How is it administered?

• Information about the person’s echolalia is collected by a speech pathologist through interviews of carers, observations/ conversational samples and hypothesis testing. 

How is it scored/ interpreted?

• The speech pathologist uses the information to determine the functions of echolalia and determine the potential for developing the person’s generative expressive language skills. 

What is its availability?

• Included for photocopying in the kit.
• No cost. 

How does it contribute to a communication assessment for someone with behaviours of concern?

• Contributes to a functional assessment of the person’s behaviours.
• Contributes to the understanding of the person’s expressive and receptive language skills – administration of the Test of Auditory Comprehension of Language is also recommended to enable understanding of how echolalia may relate to the person’s receptive language skills. 

References:

Iacono, T. and T. Caithness (2008). Assessment issues. Autism and augmentative and alternative communication. P. Mirenda and T. Iacono. Baltimore, Paul H. Brookes: 23-48.

Prizant, B. (1982). Gestalt language and gestalt processing in autism. Topics in Language Disorders, 3, 16-23.

Prizant, B. (1985). Intentional communicative behaviour of children with autism: Theoretical and practical issues. Australian Journal of Human Communication Disorders, 13, 21-59.