Echolalia, IQ, and the Developmental Dichotomy of Speech and Language Systems

Abstract

Language and speech performances of 22 echolalic three-year-olds were compared with a nonechoic group of the same age who were individually matched for four-year IQ as well as for race and sex. Results revealed poorer performances by echolalic subjects on all language measures, but no differences in articulation. The mitigated echoers had higher verbal performances than the pure echoers and a significantly higher mean IQ. The results are discussed in terms of the relative independence of the audio-motor system from the syntactic-semantic system.