Gestalt Language Processing

Gestalt Language Processing is a type of language development where children learn language as scripts, which are whole phrases or chunks of language. Children who learn language this way often start with whole phrases before moving on to single words. Gestalt Language Processing is a common form of language development in autistic children, with an estimated 75 to 90% of autistic children learning language this way. Neurotypical children can also learn language this way, but often move through the phases quickly.

Gestalt language processors go through a series of stages as their language develops.

Stage 1: Echolalia. During this stage, the child memorises whole phrases. These scripts may be repeated straight after they are heard (immediate echolalia) or may be repeated later in a range of different contexts (also known as delayed echolalia). These scripts are often tied to different experiences or emotions.

For example, a child may pick up the script ‘Five little ducks’ while listening to a song they like, and later repeat ‘five little ducks’ when they do another activity they enjoy.

Stage 2: Mitigated echolalia. During this stage, the child will begin to combine two scripts they have previously learnt to make a new utterance. For example, the child might combine ‘What’s next?’ and ‘Let’s get that’ to create ‘What’s that?’

Stage 3: Single words. This is the stage where we begin to see the child using single words and breaking them free from their scripts. Here, a child might begin to label different objects. They may also begin to join two words together as they head into the next stage. For example, rather than using the script ‘It’s a cow’, they may say ‘cow’.

Stage 4: Self-generated. This is the stage where the child begins to make their own, self-generated language. During this stage, we might see an increase in grammatical errors as they begin to make their own unique sentences. For example, they may say ‘He jump’ instead of ‘He jumped’.

It’s important to know when a child is a gestalt language processor, so therapy and strategies can be tailored to the child’s needs. This will not only support language use, but can also support development of social communication and comprehension skills.

For more information on Gestalt Language Processing, check out Meaningful Speech on Instagram for great content about GLP, or download their free GLP handout.