Tips for Tracking Echolalia & Scripts

Interested in tracking a child's echolalic phrases and scripts? Here are some useful tips for tracking echolalia.

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If you have a gestalt language processor or hyperlexic child, then you know that echolalia is an important part of their language development.

You might also know that you can't always take echolalia literally. Sometimes, you have to do some detective work to find out the underlying meaning and communicative functions.

That's why it's so important to track echolalia and the scripts a child uses in the first place. It can provide you with so much valuable information.

But how to do you go about tracking echolalia or language gestalts? What kind of information should you include when making notes? How should you organize the information? It might seem a bit overwhelming to get started.

Well, that's where these tips for tracking echolalia come in. They should help you get started with documenting a child's language skills.

Tips for Tracking Echolalia & Scripts

The best place to start tracking is to simply observe and start documenting. You can use something like these echolalia tracking sheets or a notebook. You could also try a note taking app, Google doc, or Google spreadsheet to make notes. These methods will allow you to track echolalia while on the go, which can be handy.

When documenting the scripts that a gestalt language learner uses, you'll want to take detailed notes. Try to include as much specific information as possible, such as or including the following:

• The exact words or phrases that were spoken

• Whether the script is something new or something they've said before

• How many times the script was said

• How it was said (e.g., consider intonation and speed, was it all clear?)

• Date and time

• Location or environment where echolalia occurred

• What the child was doing (i.e., the activity or context)

• Who else was present, if applicable

• Who the script might have been directed to, if applicable

• The child's sensory needs

• Any accommodations or interventions that were being used

• The child's emotional state (e.g., were they anxious, sad, angry, happy, playful, etc.?)

• What the function of the script might have been (e.g., to regulate, to label, or to protest)

• Any potential sources for the script (e.g., something someone said, a line from a book or movie, a recent event)

• Any possible triggers (e.g., a change in routine)

• Any alternative communication attempts (e.g., gestures, sign language, an AAC device)

• How others responded to the script and how the child responded back (e.g., repeated the script back to the child and then the child made eye contact or smiled)

• What stage of Natural Language Acquisition the script might fall into (you might want to consult with an experienced speech therapist for this)

• Anything else that may be relevant

You might also want to consider recording, either audio or video, any play sessions (if you are a parent) or therapy sessions (if you are a therapist). That way you could transcribe or re-watch the sessions later. Who knows, you might pick up on more subtle cues or information that you might otherwise miss. It will also let you review the musicality, intonation, pitch, and speed of the echolalic phrases.

You might also find it helpful to collaborate with others. For instance, you might want to consult with a speech therapist, especially one familiar with gestalt language processing and Natural Language Acquisition.

Your notes can be helpful for therapists to determine what stage of language development a child is in and help the therapist better connect with the child during speech therapy sessions. And you might be able to help them determine the source of any scripts used in therapy that they might not be familiar with.

You might also want to chat with the child's teacher, classroom aide, daycare workers, other professionals, family members, or anyone else who might regularly interact with the child. They might be able to help determine where specific scripts come from, their possible functions, and their possible meanings.

It can also be helpful to keep in mind a child's interests and media consumption. Are there specific shows, songs, movies, or books that they watch or read quite frequently? Knowing this information can make it so much easier to identify the possible source for some of the scripts a child uses. So you might find it helpful to make a list of things they watch, read, or listen to on a regular basis.

Need an Easy Way to Track Echolalia & Scripted Phrases?

That's where these echolalia tracking sheets come in handy. There's even a digital spreadsheet version included if you'd prefer to be able to do it while on the go.

Grab your copy of the echolalia tracking sheets

A Quick Summary of Tracking Echolalia

Just to recap, here are the main echolalia tracking tips to keep in mind:

• Observe & document

• Take detailed notes

• Use an echolalia tracking sheet, a notebook, an app, a Google Doc, a spreadsheet, or whatever works best for you

• Consider recording sessions, either audio or visual

• Collaborate with others

• Consider the child's interests and media consumption

I hope you found these tips for tracking echolalia and scripts helpful.

Why You Should Track Echolalia & Scripts

Reasons why you should track echolalia and the scripts a child uses.

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Echolalia is meaningful communication. Full stop.

Historically, however, it wasn't always viewed this way. And, sadly, many still think that echolalia is meaningless.

Yet, for a lot of kids, like our gestalt language processors and hyperlexic learners, their language simply develops differently and echolalia is a big part of how they communicate.

The problem is that it's not always easy to determine what these kids might be trying to communicate with their echolalia.

That's why you should track echolalia and the scripts that a child uses. It gives you better insight into the child's language development and the echolalic phrases themselves. So let's take a closer look at some other reasons why tracking echolalia is so important.

Reasons Why You Should Track Echolalia & Scripts

As you'll see shortly, there are a wide range of reasons why you might find it helpful to track a child's echolalic speech and the scripts that they use on a daily basis. Sure it might seem like a lot of work at first, but doing so will provide you with plenty of useful information that will make it 100% worth it.

Remember, echolalia isn't meaningless. It communicates. It just requires some detective work. And tracking it can help make that detective work go a little bit easier.

So here are some reasons you should consider tracking a child's echolalic phrases and scripted language:

• To get a better understanding of the child's language development and which stage of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) they're in

• To know which scripts to model (i.e., you want to model something that makes sense for which stage they're in)

• To determine what the child is trying to communicate, the function of the echolalia, and the meaning of a script

• To ensure goals and therapy targets are appropriate (e.g., targeting WH- questions only when they get to stage 4+ of NLA)

• To monitor progress (i.e., checking that the scripts you are modeling are a good fit and/or that the child is moving to the next stage)

• To identify language patterns (e.g., the child says the same script every night before bed)

• To better understand the child's communication style and profile (take pronoun reversals for instance)

• To better collaborate with therapists, teachers, etc. who work with the child (i.e., you'll be able to provide them with more insight into what certain scripts might mean, what stage they might be in, etc.)

• To gain insights into the child's emotional state (remember, a lot of scripts stick because they are emotionally charged!)

• To understand which situations may be stressful or cause anxiety to the child (e.g., maybe you notice an increase in scripting when the child is feeling anxious)

• To better understand behaviors

• To better connect and communicate with the child

• To better support the child

You can see there are lots of positives to tracking echolalia. Essentially, it leads to better understanding and better support for the child. And who doesn't want that?

Need an Easy Way to Track Those Echolalic Phrases?

Now that you know why you might want to track your child's echolalic phrases, you need an easy way to do so. That's where these echolalia tracking sheets come in handy (there's even a digital spreadsheet version included if you'd prefer to go paperless).

Grab your copy of the echolalia tracking sheets

A Recap of Reasons to Track a Child's Echolalic Speech

As you can see, tracking a child's language samples can provide you with so much insight and context, from which stage of development they're in to how they're progressing or even what their emotional state is. It's far from meaningless information, no?

You can use the knowledge you gain from tracking the child's scripts to develop better goals and model appropriate scripts. Again, pretty useful information.

Seriously, there are so many wonderful reasons why you should track echolalia and scripted language. So now only one question remains...will you be giving it a try? If so, these tips for tracking echolalia might help.

Books About Supporting & Developing Language Skills in Hyperlexic Learners

Looking for hyperlexia related language development books? Here's a list of books about supporting and developing language skills in hyperlexic learners.

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Communication. Spontaneous speech. Echolalia. Conversations. Comprehension. Expressive language. Receptive language. These words come up time and time again whenever someone has questions about language skills in hyperlexia. Questions such as:

• How can I develop my son's expressive language?

• How can I increase receptive language for a young hyperlexic child?

• How can I help my daughter go from great vocabulary to conversational language?

• How can I support the transition beyond echolalia to authentic communication?

• Why can't my child carry on a conversation?

• How do I teach comprehension to my hyperlexic kid?

It can be quite overwhelming to know where to start and how to help develop those language skills at home with your hyperlexic child. Hence, why I get so many questions. 

Thankfully, there are some really great books out there that can help with the development of language skills.

So here are my top picks for useful books about supporting and developing language skills in hyperlexic learners. 

This list of books on language development will help you better understand how to build expressive language, move to more spontaneous speech, work on comprehension and communication, and so much more! They are also the books that you'll see me reference time and time again. That's how useful they are. 

They're seriously the best books for language development when it comes to hyperlexia (even if they don't specifically mention hyperlexia anywhere). So let's dig in!

Useful Books for Supporting & Developing Language Skills in Hyperlexic Learners

1. Declarative Language Handbook: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected, and Understood by Linda K. Murphy

At only 120ish pages, this little book packs a big punch. It shows you how to use declarative language instead of using questions or prompts. Making the switch to declarative language is a great way to develop inference skills and boost comprehension (among many other things). Using declarative language also gives hyperlexic kids new gestalts or scripts that are easy to mix and match, which, in turn will help them move from echolalia to more spontaneous speech. This book really is a must-read.

2. Hyperlexia: Therapy that Works Manual: A Guide for Parents & Teachers from The Center for Speech and Language Disorders (look for the download link near the bottom of that page)

This free ebook is indispensable for those supporting hyperlexic learners. The bulk of this manual focuses on addressing specific language objectives from requesting, protesting, and giving directions to explaining, sequencing, and answering questions. It is jam packed with great examples and suggestions for how to target a wide variety of language skills. It's a resource that you'll definitely want to keep handy!

3. Drawing a Blank: Improving Comprehension for Readers on the Autism Spectrum by Emily Iland

Despite not having the word hyperlexia in the title, this book is 100% about hyperlexia and the comprehension difficulties that come along with it. It gives you a good overview of what those issues can look like, as well as ideas to help. Heads up that some of the way autism is discussed in this book is dated, but overall, the information on comprehension and hyperlexia is excellent.

4. Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language by Marge Blanc

If you're wanting to work on expressive language and moving from echolalia to more spontaneous speech, then you absolutely need to read this book. It's all about understanding natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing and it's an excellent guide for supporting hyperlexic learners with their language development.

5. More than Words: A Parent's Guide to Building Interaction & Language Skills for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Social Communication Difficulties by Fern Sussman

This book might seem overwhelming simply because of how big it is, but it's really easy to digest. I promise. Besides, it's full of colorful illustrations. So, don't worry, it isn't just one giant wall of text on each page. Inside you'll find lots of tips and strategies for how to build and develop language and communication skills. It also discusses gestalt language processing frequently throughout. I highly recommend this book!

I really hope you find this list of books about developing language skills in hyperlexia helpful. All of these books have been invaluable resources to me over the years. In fact, they're often within arm's reach, on my desk, at all times.

What is Declarative Language & Why Should You Use it?

Wondering what is declarative language and whether you should be using it with your autistic or hyperlexic child? Below you'll learn what it is, its benefits, and how to use it. We'll also look at different declarative language examples.

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Many many months ago (maybe it was a year?) someone sent me a message on Instagram telling me about declarative language. She wondered if I was familiar with it at all.

That conversation led me to purchase the Declarative Language Handbook and it literally blew my mind! So thank you random Instagram friend, whoever you are.

The concept of declarative language is simple, as you will learn below. Yet, I could instantly see how powerful it was going to be to use with my both of my boys, especially my hyperlexic son, if I implemented it more. 

I had already been rephrasing questions over the years anyway because of the difficulties with WH questions that are common with hyperlexia. But the handbook gave me much more guidance on how to do a better job at it. It also explained why this type of language should be used. And, if you know me, you know I'm a sucker for learning the why behind things.

Learning about declarative language was a complete gamechanger. It's helped me become much more intentional about the language I use around my kids and how I phrase things.

As I've dived into learning everything I can about gestalt language processing over the years, I noticed that declarative language kept coming up as well. It's perfect for modeling scripts or gestalts and helping with those pronoun reversals. So it just further reinforced how beneficial it is to use this type of language with hyperlexic kids. They are gestalt processors after all.

So let's learn more about declarative language below and see some examples of it in action (contrasted with an imperative language counterpart). Then hopefully you can start using it with your own kids as well.

So...What is Declarative Language?

Declarative language is simply a comment or a statement. 

Usually, it's a statement that shares what one knows, observes, or thinks. A declaration, if you will. Makes sense given that it's called declarative language, right?

Unlike questions that are demanding and require a specific right or wrong answer (or imperative language as it's known), declarative language has no right or wrong answer. It doesn't even necessarily require a response. Instead, it invites a child to share in an experience and it helps kids take note of what may be important and to observe what's going on around them. 

Declarative language also gives you a chance to model your thinking to your child. It gives them an opportunity to hear your thoughts, understand your thinking, and to see your perspective. 

This type of language also opens up the chance for them to problem solve on their own instead of you telling your child to specifically do something (e.g., "Put your shoes on!"). 

Essentially, you're shifting away from being result or product focused and instead focusing on building important skills in areas such as executive functioning, language, independence, and social interaction. So let's take a closer look at some of the other benefits of using declarative language.

The Benefits of Using Declarative Language

At first, you might not think that making a comment or a statement instead of a question would make all that big of a difference. But declarative language is powerful!

Autistic or hyperlexic children will find declarative language useful because they often find WH questions tricky, mix up pronouns when echoing language (it's part of their natural language development as a gestalt processor), and/or need a bit of extra support when it comes to social skills, emotional learning, language, and nonverbal communication.

Here are some of the benefits of using declarative language, including some example. There's likely more than what I cover below, but it will give you a taste of what you can expect.

• Helps with social emotional development and self-regulation (e.g., "I notice that you're upset. Let's take a couple of deep breaths together." instead of "Calm down!")

• Validates a child's feelings and experiences (e.g., "I can see that you're frustrated that your sister is using the red crayon. I wonder if we could ask to borrow it when she's done with it." instead of "You're okay, it's just a crayon.")

• Provides the child with more information than a command does (e.g., "I need you to hold my hand while we walk in the parking lot so I can keep you safe." instead of "Hold my hand.")

• It's less likely to trigger fight, flight, or freeze responses because it uses fewer demands than questions (e.g., "Look, grandma and grandpa are leaving. Let's wave goodbye." instead of "Do you want to give grandma and grandpa a hug before they go?")

• Focuses on teaching instead of quizzing (e.g., "Wow, your shirt has a green dinosaur on it!" instead of "What's on your shirt?")

• Develops inference skills (e.g., "I think you forgot something at the end of that sentence." instead of "Add a period to the end of your sentence.")

• Encourages kids to problem solve (e.g., "Oh no, we're out of glue. I wonder what we could use instead." instead of "How will we finish this project without glue?")

• Teaches visual referencing and observation skills (e.g., "I think your shirt is on inside out because I can see the tag here." instead of "Is your shirt on inside out?")

• Helps kids develop their own inner voice and how to self-advocate through modeling and self-narration (e.g., "I'm frustrated. I think I need a break." instead of "Please stop doing that!")

• Develops executive function skills such as flexible thinking, focusing attention, organization, planning, and task initiation (e.g., "It's time to get ready for school. You'll need to grab your homework off the table and find your backpack." instead of "Go get ready for school.")

• Models gestalts/scripts that gestalt language processors can easily use and mitigate (e.g., "Let's go to the park!" instead of "Do you want to go to the park?")

• Develops social skills such as joint attention, perspective taking, social reciprocity, collaboration, and more (e.g., "I heard your brother calling your name. Let's see what he wants." instead of "What did your brother say?")

• It's flexible since there's often more than one way to respond to a statement or sometimes no response is required (e.g., "I see a rainbow over there." instead of "What do you see in the sky?")

• Gives kids a chance to discover mistakes they make without shaming or blaming (e.g., "I don't think I heard the toilet flush." instead of "Flush the toilet.")

• Models proper pronoun usage for gestalt language processors who often show pronoun reversals (e.g., "I think it's my turn." instead of "Are you done your turn yet?")

Now that you know about the benefits of using declarative language, let's look at how to construct a declarative statement.

How to Use Declarative Language

Remember, declarative language is about making comments or statements, not about asking questions. So one way to get started with declarative language is to take the question you were going to ask and turn it into a statement instead.

• "Do you want a snack?" ➡ "Let's have a snack!" 

• "Where's your backpack?" ➡ "I wonder where your backpack is..."

• "What book do you want to read?" ➡ "I forget which book you said you wanted to read."

It's also important to remember that declarative language isn't about demanding your child to do things. So try rephrasing any directions that you give your child into an observation instead.

• "Grab a fork." ➡ "I think we might need some forks."

• "Wash your hands." ➡ "Your hands look dirty."

• "Feed the dog." ➡ "The dog looks hungry."

I know it's not always easy to make these tweaks. I mean sometimes rephrasing questions or demands can be tricky and require a lot of intentional planning on your part. However, the Declarative Language Handbook does offer lots of guidance on how to construct these types of statements. A great starting point though is to use some of these words and phrases:

• Notice, feel, see, hear, think, imagine, forget, wonder, know, remember, perhaps, maybe, I don't know, might, sometimes, what a great question, let's find out together, I'm not sure, I like, I don't like, let's, we, us, I, my, me

• Any kind of emotional vocabulary like upset, frustrated, happy, sad, excited

I personally find that the easiest way to get started with declarative language is to think of ways to start your comment off with words and phrases like let's, I noticed, I wonder, or I see. Then once you get the hang of it, you can move to other types of phrases.

Anytime you are tempted to ask a question or give a command, take a second and pause. See if you can think of a way to rephrase it into an observation or comment instead. Try and switch that imperative to a declarative statement!

A speech language pathologist or therapist can also help you work on declarative language. 

If you need more specific tips, suggestions, and ideas for troubleshooting, then you'll want to pick up a copy of the Declarative Language Handbook. The book isn't very long. In fact, the main text of the book is only about 100 pages. So you could likely read it in an afternoon. But it will give you tools that will transform how you connect and speak with your child.

Buy a copy of the book

More Declarative Language Examples

As I've kind of mentioned already, it can take a bit of practice to get comfortable rephrasing questions and demands into declarative language. Sometimes it helps to see other examples like these:

• "What's the weather going to be like tonight?" ➡ "Maybe we should check the weather." or "Let's check the forecast." or "I see some dark clouds in the sky."

• "Hold onto the paper while you cut." ➡ "Sometimes it helps to hold the paper with your other hand to keep it steady. It might make it easier to cut."

• "Turn the page." ➡ "I wonder what's going to happen next..." or "I'm ready for the next page whenever you are." or "Let's see what happens on the next page!"

• "Who's at the door?" ➡ "I heard someone knocking on the door." or "I wonder who rang the doorbell." or "I know grandma was coming over at two and I noticed that it's almost two o'clock."

• "Want to play a board game?" ➡ "We could play a board game together." or "I'd love to play this game with you"

• "Clean your room." ➡ "I see that your toys are all over the floor" or "Hmmm...I wonder where the dirty clothes should go."

• "What's dad cooking for supper?" ➡ "I think I smell lasagna!" or "I wonder what's on the meal plan for supper tonight."

• "Tie your shoes." ➡ "I notice that your shoelaces are untied." or "I think you forgot something when you put your shoes on."

With these examples, I think you can see how inviting and flexible declarative language can be. These examples also show how using this type of language encourages kids to problem solve and observe what's going on around them, much like we discussed in the benefits section. 

A Quick Summary of Declarative Language for Kids

Okay, I know that was a lot of information and a lot of examples. So let's do a quick recap of what declarative language is, its benefits, and how to create declarative statements.

• Declarative language is a comment or a statement, usually about something someone knows, observes, or thinks. 

• Declarative language isn't about asking questions, making commands, or demanding someone to do something. It's about inviting them to share in an experience.

• Declarative language is a great way to build a variety of skills including social emotional regulation, executive functioning, perspective taking, inferencing, problem solving, self-advocacy, and so much more.

• To make a declarative statement, try to turn questions into comments and to rephrase commands or directions into observations. Words and phrases such as notice, wonder, think, feel, see, let's, we, I, and sometimes are great starting points.

I really hope you'll consider using declarative language with your kids. It's been extremely helpful for my family and I'm sure it will be for yours as well. Be sure to grab a copy of the Declarative Language Handbook to learn more.