Animal Echolalia

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I don't think I've ever done a lot of echolalia in the traditional sense - repeating things that people say to me out loud. But I do experience internal echolalia (things I hear people say repeating over and over in my thoughts), and this:

Whenever an animal makes a sound, I get the impulse to repeat it back to the animal. I still do this, but not as much as I used to. Animals don't scare me the way people often do so I'm more comfortable interacting with them.

Is this considered echolalia or is it normal?

I don't know if it's considered echolalia, but I do this. My neighbors used to have a hound dog, and she would make this sound that was impossible for me to resist repeating. When my cat meows, ( and she is very vocal) I always make the same sound. This usually turns into an interesting dialogue. When hearing animals in public, I echo them under my breath.

That's funny, I don't have echolalia and never did but I do tend to repeat loud birds, especially ravens - they just beg to be repeated. I also repeat car honks sometimes but that is all.

Much the same here. Gotta talk to the kittahs.

Absolutely do. Cats meows seems to almost demand a repeat. Dogs, especially retrievers who "groan" also seem to deserve a response. Crows make me feel the same.

Some machine sounds have the same effect. The tail end of a siren, the sound of a paper shredder and the little beep that the parking garage ticket machines make when you pull out the ticket.

The one that my wife laughs about most is the ding that the toaster oven makes when it's done. In that case I tend to just say "ding" rather than imitating the sound exactly. I guess my voice is not high pitched enough.

I can do an almost perfect monkey call. I have not done it in a few years though, as you can imagine it's very loud and people would consider it odd behaviour.

LL

I've done that since i was a little kid around five. We had chickens, so i would learn their different sounds and repeat them. Its irresistable almost. I only do it around people who know me well. My classmates called me the walking barnyard.

Not to mention i like to talk to the kittehs too.

I do this with my cats as well, my one cat doesnt meow right, she does this weird me ow me ow ow owme lol, its weird so i always repeat it back to her, she always gives me a weird look afterwards lol.

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I was going to say that I just echo cats but reading the thread more, I realize I copy a lot more; cats, dog yawns (my dog yawns in a passive-aggressive crying whine), chickens, ducks. I can do a really good monkey call but I don't do it to echo them, I do it to entertain my son.

And yes, I echo the microwave, "ding".

But urban NTs seem to be the ones most likely to echo cows when they see them. Years ago, someone pointed out that urbans really get excited when they see cows.

Yes I always seem to talk back to animals, and at times feel I can communicate with them. At times it feels like I can relate more to animals and children, adults can be hard work... its like we have an understanding, second sense..

My dog often reacts when I echo him. Sometimes he acts like I'm speaking his language with a thick foreign accent and he's struggling to understand what I'm saying. Other times he acts like he thinks I'm making fun of him.

I like echoing sheep. Their vocalizations are fun to reproduce. "Bah" isn't anything like the real sheep sound. It's more like "mm-a-a-a-a-a-a".

I often imitate my dog's noises...never thought of it as echolalia, though.

I find myself squeaking, sometimes. :O)