Why does my Autistic child repeat their favourite scripts from shows?

What is Gestalt Language Processing (GLP)?

When children are learning to talk, there are two main ways they can develop language: analytic language processing and gestalt language processing.

Children who use analytic language processing learn language step by step. They learn single words first, then start putting two and three words together, and eventually form full sentences. You can think of this like building a house brick by brick. Each word is a brick, and over time, those bricks come together to make a complete house — a full, complex sentence.

Children who use gestalt language processing learn language in a different way. Instead of starting with individual words, they start with whole “houses” — full phrases or sentences — even though they may not understand what each word means yet. Over time, they begin to break these phrases apart, learn what the individual words mean, and then rebuild language in a way that makes sense to them and helps them communicate more clearly.

These ready-made phrases or sentences are called ‘echolalia’ or ‘scripts’. Echolalia is when a child repeats language they’ve heard from other people, TV shows, movies, or games. It can sound like a script that’s been memorised and repeated as a whole. If you’ve ever learned another language, you might recognise this — you may know when to say a phrase and roughly what it means, even if you don’t know the meaning of every word in it.

Even if a child who uses gestalt language processing doesn’t yet understand the individual words in their scripts, their language is still meaningful and purposeful. For example, a child might say ‘Are you ok?’ after they fall over. They’re not asking a question, they’re trying to communicate that they’ve fallen or that something hurts. In their experience, adults say ‘Are you ok?’ after a fall, so that phrase has become their way of communicating in that situation.

Children who use gestalt language processing often benefit from support from a speech pathologist, who can help them move from using scripts to creating their own flexible and meaningful language. Echolalia tends to follow a predictable developmental pathway as children begin to understand individual words and how to combine them. These steps are known as the echolalia stages, and they are outlined below.

Stage One

At this stage, children repeat whole phrases or sentences they’ve heard from other people, TV shows, movies, or games. They may not understand the individual words yet, but these scripts are still important attempts at communication and should be responded to and acknowledged.

Stage Two

As children continue to develop through gestalt language processing, they begin to mix, match, and shorten their scripts. For example, a child might know the scripts ‘It’s time to play!’ and ‘Do you want to go outside?’ and combine parts of them to say, ‘It’s time’ + ‘To go outside’. This shows growing awareness of how language works.

Stage Three

This stage starts to look more like early word use. Children begin to use single words on their own and show that they understand what those words mean. They may also start combining two words together, such as ‘red balloon’, to clearly communicate what they want or see.

Stage Four

At this stage, children begin creating their own original phrases and sentences. They start experimenting with grammar, although mistakes are still very normal at this point.

Stages Five & Six

Language continues to grow and become more complex. Children are able to use more correct grammar, express their thoughts more clearly, and generate their own flexible and meaningful language for a wide range of situations.

Echolalia stages must be fully worked through in order for a child to have complete language. There are no short cuts, and a child can only move from one stage to the next when they are developmentally ready. 

If your child is using phrases and sentences that they’ve picked up from TV shows or other people but doesn’t seem to understand or use individual words yet, it may be helpful to speak with a speech pathologist. At Kids Spot, we offer a free phone consultation for parents who have questions or concerns about their child’s communication development.