A condition, often associated with autism or certain neurological conditions, where a person unconsciously repeats or echoes their own previously spoken words or sounds.
Combines auto- (self) + echolalia (from Greek echo + lalia, speaking). Echolalia was already an established psychiatric term; the 'auto-' prefix specifies the self-directed variant.
Autoecholalia was initially misunderstood as a mere behavioral quirk, but modern neuroscience recognizes it as a window into how the autistic brain processes language differently—repetition isn't meaningless but serves functions like self-regulation and processing.
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