Echolalia and Social Scripting (Scripting)

There are two types of scripting Echolalia and Social Scripting. Children who script often have: Tourette Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Epilepsy, Autism, Speech Impairment, or are blind.

Echolalia is when a person repeats what another person says without awareness. This might be what someone reads, what someone says on television or movies, what someone sings, or what someone says in conversation. Most children who script do not necessarily know what they are saying, but can repeat large amounts of information. Even though they are talking, when asked a question, the child often has a hard time answering it.

Social scripting is when a person uses common phrases in everyday social settings (such as, Hi! How are you? Talk to you later. It was nice seeing you). For children with special needs social scripting can be difficult and might need to be taught. My son, who has struggled with socialization, attended a social class were they worked on social scripting or phrases to say in social settings. One class they worked on greeting each other and other people with, “Hi! My name is___________. What is your name? Would you like to play? Having key phrases to say when approaching people helps my son be able to interact with other children and eases his anxiety.

I really hate that scripting has a bad rep. Scripting can be useful and used to promote learning and communication. It can also be a way for the child to express themselves and their interest. Some parents do not like scripting because it is often not accepted by the social world. For us, scripting has helped my son learn how to communicate.