[Baggy]

I'm finding this hard to explain. DD tends to whisper a lot of the things she says out loud to herself.

For example she would say "I'm going to draw a picture" and then she would whisper "draw a picture" to herself.

She generally doesn't like loud noises if they aren't 'normal' to her. For example my SIL (7yo) had a noisy remote control car on Christmas and Ruby didn't like the noise - so she hid in the bathroom until we put the car away. She doesn't like doing anything that 'could' be dangerous - like climbing slides that are too high or going past her ankles in the sea. She can be pretty anxious and shy at times.

I was just wondering if her anxiousness and her strange whispering are related?

And if anyone else children do this? If they do - is it anything to worry about? Or is it usually just a phase.

TIA.

[mpoppins92]

I know a similar four year old, who would whisper things after he said them and also keep whispering peoples names or phrases from a conversation that he wasn't actually apart of;

E.g. Me: I heard mel moved house
Mum of child: Yes she was really happy to be in her own place
4 year old would then whisper *Mel's new house* a few times

Turned out he has a problem with auditory processing and he said these things because it was easier to remember when he said it in his own voice. He was also a bit anxious, but I don't really know if the two were related. Not sure if that's what your looking for, he had other signs such as not being able to follow many instructions, being uncomfortable around loud noises and speech difficulties. Then again I have met many many shy kids of that age, in fact most kids of that age I have come across in my work have been shy, I think the shyness could be an age thing.

[Kalota]

Hi OP, it sounds like echolalia - I'm a teacher and throughout the years I've had a couple of echolalic children who do the same thing! It could be due to a number or things, or it could be a totally random phase that will pass. Echolalia is a normal phase of human language development, but usually with children younger than 3 or 4, so it could be indicative of a language disorder or ASD. Or it could just be a phase, like I said

Here's some info on echolalia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echolalia

If you google it heaps of links come up!

It's interesting you say that she whispers it as well, that is not uncommon at all I've found. I had an echolalic little boy this year who would whisper the part of every sentence I said to him. E.g. "What are you having for lunch?" He would whisper under his breath "having for lunch..."

This post has been edited by Kalota: 29/12/2012, 07:44 AM

[Baggy]

Thank you both for your replies I found them really helpful

Should I just wait it out and see if it passes? Or is it something I should get checked out?

[cinnabubble]

This is my totally uninformed opinion, but I'd get it checked out. Not only to put your mind at rest, but if she needs some kind of therapy/assistance/whatever it'll be easier to manage before she starts school than after.

[babychacha]

I would get it checked out too.

[Summers.]

I did the same thing as a kid but I was completely unaware of it. It used to drive my family nuts. It was pretty subtle to most people though.

I was recently diagnosed by my uni with ADD, and with an Auditory Processing Disorder. The latter condition makes me very sensitive to strange and loud noises. I can't stand them. A dog barking isside is physically painful to my ears, for example as is a vacuum cleaner.

The auditory processing condition was attributed to my whispered (or even just silently mouthing) repetition of phrases. It was something to do with me trying to keep the information in my head so that I could follow instructions/ not forget what I was doing and process the information properly.

I also used to say "what?" a lot even when I had 'heard' what ha been said. I just hadn't processed the instructions properly in a way I could comprehend them. I was taken to an audiologist for this reason when I was about 13, but of course it showed that my hearing was 'fine', though compromised a bit with background noise ( kids with APD also get distracted by background noise.)

It is really best you take note of anything you think is relevant (such as the whispering) and get her assessed - but *don't* just take her to an audiologist. They only take note of if you have hearing loss, and consequently I really struggled all through school and was often punished for things outside my control.

Good luck OP.
ETA:
I am not entirely correct about not seeing an audiologist. I should correct that to see an educational and developmental psych first, then later get we tested for an audiologist who tests her hearing generally and specifically tests for APD. Mine didn't test for this, just determined that I could hear perfectly in 'ideal' environments which is typical for kids with APD.

This post has been edited by Summers.: 29/12/2012, 09:11 AM

[Therese]

I would get it checked out as well.

[Kalota]

I would get it checked out as well, because mostly echolalia is associated with different kinds of language difficulties. Also since your DD experiences discomfort with loud noises and anxieties associated with some activities, I would probably investigate it a little further Like I said it could be a passing thing, but you never know if it is part of a language disorder or autism to some degree, so it's best to investigate!

[Baggy]

Thank you everyone.

I'll book an appointment for Wednesday or Thursday and see what the GP has to say.