Child double speaking / repeating himself

I remember as a small child my mother and father commenting to me that
I was "double talking". By that I mean unconciously repeating phrases
or spoken sentences. For example, I would say "I rode my bike like a
rocket...I rode my bike like a rocket" Repeating the sentence without
meaning to or even realizing that I did. This was quite apparent to my
parents and others that I did this. As I grew older I grew out of it
and now at 38 years old I only do it when I am under extreme stress
and then only mouth the words the second time and never speak the
repeat out loud. I have a son who is 8 years old and he does exactly
the same thing. Sometimes he catches himself and says "I caught myself
double talking." It was not something that he learned from seeing me
do it because as I said I grew out of it many years ago for the most
part. It is just so strange that my son does the exact same thing
without any apparent reason. He started soon after he started talking
at age 3 or 4.
Is there a medical term for this and how common is it? Is it possible
that it is hereditary? It is not a big problem but it is something I
am concerned about.

Sounds like a form of tic disorder. Tourette's Syndrome is a tic disorder
and is known be inherited. What you're referring to is called palilalia.
It can be a symptom of Tourette's. Here is a link to some faq's...
http://www.geocities.com/mrindianajonesprm/TSFAQS.htm

"Scott Enlow" wrote in message
om...
I remember as a small child my mother and father commenting to me that
I was "double talking". By that I mean unconciously repeating phrases
or spoken sentences. For example, I would say "I rode my bike like a
rocket...I rode my bike like a rocket" Repeating the sentence without
meaning to or even realizing that I did. This was quite apparent to my
parents and others that I did this. As I grew older I grew out of it
and now at 38 years old I only do it when I am under extreme stress
and then only mouth the words the second time and never speak the
repeat out loud. I have a son who is 8 years old and he does exactly
the same thing. Sometimes he catches himself and says "I caught myself
double talking." It was not something that he learned from seeing me
do it because as I said I grew out of it many years ago for the most
part. It is just so strange that my son does the exact same thing
without any apparent reason. He started soon after he started talking
at age 3 or 4.
Is there a medical term for this and how common is it? Is it possible
that it is hereditary? It is not a big problem but it is something I
am concerned about.

(Scott Enlow) wrote in message . com...
I remember as a small child my mother and father commenting to me that
I was "double talking". By that I mean unconciously repeating phrases
or spoken sentences. ...
I have a son who is 8 years old and he does exactly
the same thing. ... He started soon after he started talking
at age 3 or 4.
Is there a medical term for this and how common is it? Is it possible
that it is hereditary? It is not a big problem but it is something I
am concerned about.

Most people would call that a form of echolalia, though technically if
it's whole sentences (rather than sounds or words) it's palilalia or
paliphrasia. It's considered a verbal tic, and can be one of the tics
that occurs with Tourette Syndrome or similar disorders such as
"transient tic disorder of childhood." It may also occur with some
cases of autism and some other neurological disorders. All these
conditions have an inherited component, so the fact that the same
trait cropped up in both of you is a pretty strong indicator that
you're dealing with an inherited neurological trait.

Just because it's neurological doesn't mean it's anything to worry
about. I'd guess that if you (and your son) had a disorder that
required evaluation and treatment, you'd have seen plenty of other
signs by now! But many inherited neurological traits are harmless and
perceived mostly as "quirks," and the people who have them never get
evaluated or diagnosed (and may never realize that their particular
funny mannerism actually has a name and a medical basis). Tourette,
for instance, can range from very mild to very severe, but it's
generally the severe cases you hear about because people with the mild
ones may never bother to see a doctor for their on-and-off "nervous
habits." I wouldn't be surprised if there are more people with
undiagnosed Tourette than with diagnosed cases.

Your description of age of onset, improvement with age, stress as a
trigger, etc. fits within the standard pattern for Tourette. If in
addition to the vocal tic, you or your son have one or more non-vocal
"nervous habits" (throat-clearing, eye blinking, hand or wrist
motions, etc.) that come and go unpredictably, you might technically
meet the diagnostic criteria for Tourette or a related tic disorder.
But even if that's the case, it's not necessary to get evaluated or
treated unless the tics are causing you a problem in your daily life,
or there are other neuro/behavioral problems (ADHD-type behavior,
uncontrollable tantrums, inability to cope with frustration, etc.),
which can also be manifestations of Tourette and related disorders,
even if the tics themselves are minimal.

If you do think it's a problem, your next stop for your son should be
a pediatric neurologist with a specialty in Tourette. The Tourette
Syndrome Association maintains lists of specialists and can either
point you to one in your area or direct you to a local chapter (whose
members can recommend local specialists). You'd want a Tourette
specialist even if you don't have Tourette, because this sort of
doctor will be most experienced in diagnosing (and ruling out)
disorders that involve tics. You can find the TSA at
http://tsa-usa.org . The information on that site may be helpful;
other useful sites include http://www.tourettesyndrome.net/ and
http://www.tourettesyndrome.org/ . Don't be spooked by the
descriptions you see on these sites; remember that most people who go
looking for information are dealing with situations far worse than
what you described. But it can be useful to know the range of symptoms
and associated conditions, in case there's something else occurring
with your son that you hadn't connected to the vocal tic.

--Robin
yeah, I write about this stuff for a living