Category: Diagnosis

also known as the ability to out-do Spotify.

Echolalia – repetition of words just spoken by another person. Occurring with certain neurological, Neurodevelopmental or mental conditions.

Echolalia is common with ADHD, Autism spectrum disorder and Tourette’s syndrome. The repetition can be words or phrases. Researchers believe this symptom happens due to frontal lobe dysfunction. This is the area of the brain that manages your thoughts, movements and memory.

There are three theories relating to this.

 Dopamine dysregulation theory, is where too much, or too little can affect the way your brain tells your body how to communicate.

The broken mirror neuron theory is where specialised neurons aren’t working as expected.

The wealth of stimulus hypothesis, is where there is a disconnect between what you learn and how your body responds to it.

But now for, echolalia and me…. certain words sound and physically feel nice to say, other AuDHDers would say the same.

PIG.

PIG is a word that feels great to say over and over and OVER again. Though PIG feels great for me to say, some people may take offence, if they walk past me in the street. I really have to bite my tongue sometimes.

Chick, Chick, Chick, Chick, Chicken

There was an eventful shopping trip once. Whilst packing my shopping at a fast pace (I won’t name the shop), this one particular time, I had bought a pack of chicken breasts. Now I must say that with every item I put in the trolley I had said the name of it in my head. Back to the chicken, well the word “chicken” just seemed to roll off the tongue. It rolled off the tongue in the form off a song and let’s just say it wasn’t an inner monologue. I was in my happy oblivious world of white dancing hippos, fluffy clouds and tiramisu (yum). my husband caught my attention and as the white hippos took their bow, I realised where I was and what I was doing. I apologised profusely and continued packing the trolley, unfortunately I now had naked chickens dancing through rainclouds, going through my head.

Thank You for the Music.

Don’t get me started on songs…. Ok I’ve started. I seem to have a sub library of song lyrics available 24/7 at a moments notice, just call me Spotify on steroids. These can be blurted out at the most inopportune moments. At a male relatives funeral once, the speaker told us that “he always did it his own way” well here we go. I’m sat there head lowered, shoulders jiggling, not with tears but with giggles. Trying so hard not to channel my very own Frank Sinatra.

Once a lyric is in my head it is repeated like a revolving door on black Friday. Just one line on repeat. I feel like a stuck gramophone. I am just glad I don’t have to pay the royalties.

You can pick your friends but not your family.

My family torments me sometimes, especially my adult daughter, knowing there are some phrases that trigger me.

People of a certain age, ahem…. People who are old enough will understand the next few phrases. When my daughter feels in the mood to see me squirm, she’ll shout “Mother, I need to ask you something”. At this point I’ll stop doing whatever I’m doing and walk to the sound of her voice. “what’s up?” I’ll ask her. And this is where you’ll be old enough to know the answer or if you’re lucky enough not to know, ask your parents.

with a totally straight face she’ll ask me…. Who lives at the bottom of the garden? My eyes close, and my lips purse as she laughs out loud, I say yep, yes, yeah down at the bottom of the garden, among the birds and the bees, live a lot of little people, called the Poddington peas. The conversations always go the same, but she’ll change the kids TV programme. Mum, where did Mr spoon go? Oh, for heaven’s sake, we’re off to Button Moon, we’ve followed Mr Spoon, Button Moon. Numerous Magic Roundabout quotes, oh Florence. Then here comes the big one…. BBBBbuuuuurrrrrkkkkKKEEEE – don’t you open that trap door, cos there’s something down there! Even as I write this, I’m singing all of these, lets see which one sticks till I fall asleep.

You can find me by the sweetcorn….

My life is surrounded by echolalia. I know it, my family know it. If I ever get lost in a supermarket all they have to shout is “der, der, der” and all day, every day I will answer back “Green Giant”.

I’m predictable and stable with these stims. Sometimes they can be frustrating, but they are harmless. My family torment, but it’s done with love. I don’t have the maths ‘tism, but do I have the ability to remember lyrics, adverts and TV shows from over thirty years ago.

So here I am signing off.

Now where did Mr Spoon go?

Kayleigh x

Just pootling along