Palilalia vs. Echolalia IF you’ve spent time with JJ, you might have noticed how he communicates in unique and repetitive ways. We often hear people talk about “echolalia” in relation to autism, but JJ also displays something called “palilalia.” These terms describe different speech patterns that are a big part of how he processes the world. • Echolalia is when someone repeats words or phrases they’ve heard from others. For JJ, this often means quoting entire scenes from his favorite movies or r