The word Palilalia probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but you surely recognize or have heard of its symptoms: spontaneous and involuntary repetition of syllables, words or phrases.
Palilalia is a language disorder similar to stuttering This disorder is considered a tic, due to the unconscious and unwilling repetitions that are carried out.
Etymologically, the word “Palilalia” comes from Greek and is broken down into two parts: páli, meaning “again” and laló meaning “speak” Palilalia, which is also called paliphrasia, can be associated with pathologies such as Tourette syndrome, autism or certain dementias that we will see below.
In this article you will learn what exactly palilalia consists of, the most relevant characteristics of palilalia, the most common causes that can cause palilalia, related disorders and finally the treatments and ideas for this condition.
Symptoms
The palilalia It is considered a language impairment that is usually present in children of developmental age
Under this affectation, boys or girls emit syllables, words or phrases repetitively, but they can also emit unintelligible sounds, incomplete words or random words that do not fit with the context of the situation being talked about.
Palilalia is a disorder that can be easily confused with echolalia Echolalia is another language disorder in which there is also a repetition of syllables, words or phrases, but in this case the repetition is based on those words that have just been pronounced, as an echo, in some cases even emulating the pronunciation .
Furthermore, in echolalia the affected person may repeat words that he or she has heard on television programs, radio, movies, etc., that is, not necessarily in conversations. These imitated words can be repeated an unlimited number of times, depending on the degree of affectation in question, and these repetitions can be under situations that require a verbal response (called non-functional echoics), for example, when a child is He asks him “how old are you?”, to which the child responds: “you are, you are, you are”…
However, in both cases these repetitions are issued in an involuntary, semi-automatic and compulsive manner.
Causes
One of the reasons why palilalia is triggered may be that, in essence, Imitative behavior is a common and adaptive response in children, since they use it to learn and internalize certain data or information in general. However, it is common for this behavior to disappear over time, since these children in question develop other more functional behaviors.
It has been documented that There is a genetic vulnerability to suffer from disorders such as palilalia This vulnerability means that there is a predisposition to develop the disorder, but it is not a single cause, as other triggers are required to develop palilalia.
These factors would be environmental factors such as stress, anxiety (the repetition of words that the child suffers from usually generates great anxiety in the child, generating a vicious circle that does not solve the problem), boredom, frustration, developmental disorders, perinatal disorders, etc On the other hand, it has been postulated that there are physiological factors that may be associated with palilalia, such as excess dopamine.
Furthermore, there is a common factor in the majority of those affected by palalia, and that is that they usually having a premonitory feeling before repeating that syllable, word or phrase and this same sensation functions as an unpleasant stimulus, so that when the word is repeated, the person experiences relief, constituting a reinforcement of the behavior.
Related disorders
There are various disorders that are altering language functioning, which is why they are related to palilalia. Below we will see the disorders that are most commonly associated with palilalia.
1. Tourette syndrome
Tourette syndrome consists of chronic repetition of motor tics, accompanied by vocal tics One of the best-known symptoms of Tourette syndrome is the impulsive utterance of obscene or morally reprehensible words. Another very similar symptom is palilalia.
2. Autism spectrum disorders
The autism spectrum encompasses a series of disorders related to development. These disorders have in common affecting communication, behavior, and social interactions Palilalia disorder may also be present in the autism spectrum, because there is an alteration in areas of development such as language.
3. Dementia
Finally, dementia pathologies can be closely associated with palilalia. Dementias, which are pathologies where there is neurodegeneration, lead to loss of cognitive faculties
When neurodegeneration affects brain regions that are involved in language and self-regulation, language symptoms such as palilalia or echolalia may appear.
Treatment
Firstly, it must be taken into account that the diagnosis of palalia as a language and psychological disorder occurs when palilalia is considered to impair the person’s quality of life generating discomfort or suffering in the patient.
The treatment provided then usually varies depending on the degree of impact of palilalia on the patient’s daily life, taking into account factors such as the periodicity of the symptoms, or their duration. So a high frequency and duration of involuntary repetitions characteristic of palilalia can affect, for example, the patient’s quality of sleep.
Evidently There is nothing that will make the repetitions disappear forever, but there are procedures that alleviate these symptoms, such as behavioral therapies, carried out by psychologists specializing in language and/or childhood. These therapies can be accompanied by the help of speech therapists.
In more serious cases, neuroleptic medications can be used if advised by a specialist, in order to prevent the symptoms from affecting the patients’ quality of life, as we have already mentioned, impacting, for example, the quality of sleep.
In any case, parents or guardians of children must always be alert in order to avoid stressful situations for the child. In addition, learning relaxation techniques that make them stay calm in critical moments of constant repetitions is a good recommendation for parents.
