Echolalia in Autism: Types and Why Kids Echo Sounds - Verywell Health Echolalia is the precise repetition (echoing out loud) of words and sounds. Echolalia can be a symptom of aphasia, dementia, traumatic brain injury, and schizophrenia, but it is most often associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Echolalia is not always a self-calming tool for autistic kids, like rocking or hand-flapping tend to be ...