Which disorder is characterized by repeating what others say?

• A. Aphasia
• B. Dyspraxia
• C. Echolalia
• D. Perseveration

Answer: (C)

Repeating what others say is echolalia. This feature involves the automatic repetition of words or phrases heard from another person. It can occur in early language development and in certain developmental disorders, especially autism spectrum disorder, where echoed phrases may be used for processing language or as a communication attempt. Echolalia can be immediate (right after hearing the words) or delayed (reappearing later). This is different from aphasia, which is a language impairment from brain injury that affects producing or understanding speech; dyspraxia, a motor planning problem that disrupts coordinating speech movements; and perseveration, which is the repetitive focusing on a thought or action rather than echoing someone else’s words.