On the Echolalia of the Blind and of the Autistic Child

Abstract

Of the multiple manifestations of childhood echolalia, two are remarkably similar and unique from other types: echolalia of the autistic child and of a subpopulation of the infant blind. From case studies of the echoic blind a rationale is developed to account for these similarities and for the common bases of the behavior in both conditions. Among the variables examined are the human desire for communication, development of an audiovocal skill, arrested language development, profound difficulties in verbal comprehension and self-differentiation, consequences of sensory restriction from birth, and parental reactions to these handicaps. It is concluded that the direct effects of sensory restriction in the blind (and perhaps perceptual restriction in the autistic) tend to delay or preclude acquisition of the meaning and structure systems of language. Nevertheless, the quasisocial echoic behavior persists, reflecting the human drive to participate in communication by speech.