Development of Unconventional Verbal Behavior in Children With Pervasive Developmental Disorders : Focus on Functions of Unconventional Verbal Behavior

Abstract

Children with pervasive developmental disorders frequently use stereotyped and repetttive language known as echolalia, In previous studics, these utterances havc been defined as unconventienal verbal behavior that could be classif"ied into 4 types: immediate echolalia, delayed echoialia, incessant questioning, and repeti- tive language. It has been suggested that th ¢ se 4 types ol' utterances difTering functions, such as selfiregulation, turn-taking, and protesting. In the present study, we examined the developmcnt of unconventional verbal behavior by focusing on these functions. When we interviewed the participants, whe were the parents of l6 children with pervasive developrnental disorders, we asked them: (1) the time when each t'unction occurred, and (2) whether each function had disappeared or not. The results showed that in thc children's deveiopmental proccss, the selflstimulatory function of dclayed echolalia had occurred before incessant questioning appeared. Moreover, some functions tended either to disappcar or to continue during develepment. Finally, the devclopmental features of unconventional verbal behavior based on thc various functions are discussed.