Is your child a Gestalt Language Processor? Here’s 3 signs they might be.
First things first- what is a gestalt language processor? Gestalt language processing is a way that many children, especially those on the autism spectrum, develop language. While the “typical way” to learn language is by learning words, phrases, and then sentences, GLPs learn language by breaking down larger chunks of language in order to determine the meaning of individual words. Often, these phrases are learned through their environment, shows, music, etc. These scripts- or gestalts- can sometimes be misunderstood, or viewed as meaningless, when in reality, they are meaningful! Gestalt language processing occurs in stages. It begins with a child using scripts which helps them to communicate, but can be difficult to understand if you don’t have the context from the script. Next, children will begin to mix and match these phrases, experimenting with the language that they know. They will then begin to pull single words from these phrases, understanding the meaning of that single word. Once they begin using single words, they can then begin generating their own sentences.
Here’s an example:
A child watches their favorite TV show, and a character gets covered in mud. The character says “Oh no, I have mud all over my new shoes”
Your child is in the kitchen, and spills spaghetti sauce on their shirt and says “Oh no, I have mud all over my new shoes”
This seemingly makes no sense. There’s no mud, and the spill is on their shirt. So why would they say that?
This is a gestalt. They are using the language they know to describe their current situation. They might not know the individual meaning of the words “mud” or “shoes,” but they remember from their show that when the character got dirty, they said “Oh no, I have mud all over my new shoes”
So how can you tell if your child might be a GLP?
First, they will often echo things they hear (echolalia). Often we hear these echolalic phrases from youtube, TV, games, and their own families. These echoes can be immediate or delayed. Sometimes they seem to have no meaning, but there’s almost always a reason for the echoed phrase or sentence. If your kiddo is frequently repeating what they hear, they may be a GLP!
Second, they will often speak using these long scripts or gestalts (whole phrases), but struggle with single word use. Sometimes scripting is done in a stimming manner (meaning, they are repeating something they like over and over for the sake of regulation), but often, there is some context to the script being used. If you have a kiddo who struggles with single word communication, but uses long strings of scripted language, they may be a GLP!
Third, they will often use long strings of words that aren’t intelligible (clear and understandable), despite having regular intonation (the rise and fall of pitch while talking). We often see this when a child begins scripting something they haven’t memorized yet but know the intonational patterns for. It will sound like a long, nonsense sentence with a few known words thrown in. If your child is speaking in long, unintelligible sentences, while also maintaining appropriate intonation, they may be a GLP!
So why does all of this matter? Why can’t we treat GLPs like any other language learner? Kiddos who are identified as GLPs benefit from therapy that addresses the differences in language learning styles. If a child learns language in a different way than their peers, then therapy should probably look a little different for them!
At Confident Communicators Speech Therapy, we believe that a child’s language needs should always be taken into account when creating a treatment plan, goals should directly relate to their language learning style, and the needs of the individual should be looked at while creating a plan.