Pronoun reversal

Short description: Referring to the self as 'he', 'she', 'they', 'you', or by name

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Pronoun reversal, or pronominal reversal, is when individuals, typically children, refer to themselves as "he", "she", "they", or "you", or by their proper name (pronoun avoidance).[1] While it may signal autism spectrum disorder when it persists for an unusual length of time, some degree of pronoun confusion can occur as a part of normal speech development, and it is common in toddlers. Pronoun reversal is closely linked to echolalia: referring to themselves as they have heard others speak of them, resulting in the misapplication of pronouns.

For example:

Parent: What are you doing, Johnny?
Child: You're here.
Parent: Are you having a good time?
Child: You sure are.

As with many other autistic traits, if speech continues to develop more normally, this pronoun reversal might be expected to disappear. However, it can also be highly resistant to change. In some cases, targeted speech therapy or language intervention may help pronoun reversal, even after echolalia has diminished.

## References

1. ↑ (Psychiatrist), Goodman, Robert (1997). Child psychiatry. Scott, Stephen (Psychiatrist). Oxford: Blackwell Science. ISBN 0632038853. OCLC 36470680.

1. Tramontana, J., & Stimbert, V. E. (1970) Template:Some Techniques of Behavior Modification with an Autistic Child. Psychological Reports, 27(2), 498. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1970.27.2.498 (Original work published 1970)
2. {Davison, Gerald C., Neale, John M., & Kring, Ann M. Abnormal Psychology (Ninth Edition).. (n.d.) >The Free Library. (2014). Retrieved Oct 07 2025 from https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Davison,+Gerald+C.,+Neale,+John+M.,+&+Kring,+Ann+M.+Abnormal...-a0113304968}}

## External links

* Gold, Kevin and Brian Scassellati, "Grounded Pronoun Learning and Pronoun Reversal", Yale University (2006)

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Pervasive developmental disorders and autism spectrum (F84, 299)

Main|

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* Autism spectrum (High-functioning autism
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Related conditions|

* Alexithymia
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* Late talker
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Applied behavior analysis (ABA)|

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Developmental|

* Floortime (The PLAY Project)

Controversial|

* Auditory integration training
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* Chelation of mercury
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Related|

* Occupational therapy
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| Research|

| United States|

* Association for Science in Autism Treatment
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United Kingdom|

* Autism Research Centre (UK)

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Therapy|

| United States|

* Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD)
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Schools|

* ESPA College (UK)
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Organizations

| Americas|

| United States|

* Autism National Committee
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other|

* Centro Ann Sullivan (Peru)
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* Geneva Centre for Autism (Canada)

Asia|

* Action for Autism (India)
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Caribbean|

* Autistic Society (Trinidad and Tobago)
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Europe|

| UK|

* Autism Anglia
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other|

* Specialisterne (Denmark)
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Oceania|

* Luke Priddis Foundation (Australia)

International|

* Autism rights movement
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Literature

| Non-fiction|

* The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from My Silent Son
* Animals in Translation
* Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger's Syndrome
* Autism's False Prophets
* Extreme Love: Autism
* Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8
* Freaks, Geeks, and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence
* In a Different Key
* Life Animated
* Like Colour to the Blind
* Look Me in the Eye
* Mother Warriors
* My Autobiography
* Neurotribes
* Nobody Nowhere
* Overcoming Autism
* The Reason I Jump
* Somebody Somewhere
* Son-Rise: The Miracle Continues
* Strange Son
* Switched On
* Unstrange Minds

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Fiction|

* The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
* Dear John
* House Rules
* Mockingbird
* Saving Max
* Speed of Dark
* The Winter Journey
* With the Light

For younger people|

* Everybody Is Different: A Book for Young People Who Have Brothers or Sisters With Autism
* Ian's Walk: A Story about Autism
* Marcelo in the Real World
* Rage: A Love Story
* Rules

Journals|

* Autism
* Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
* Molecular Autism
* Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders

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