Thanks to @mynookly and for everyone who voted, to help our "Gestalt Language Learning" story win the Judges Choice Award!

We have been loving using Nookly to create personalized social stories - you can create your own character and write your own story (in a matter of MINUTES), or adapt one from the shared library. We've been using Nookly for creating stories about everything from using AAC devices, to social communication, to gestalt language learning. Our kids love seeing "themselves" represented in the stories as well!

Click here to read Halle's story, and use our code: HAEPISLP1 to try 1 month of Nookly for free!

I LOVE Stage 4 of the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) framework for gestalt language processors, because for the first time, kids are now *self-generating* their own grammar and are no longer scripting adult language. However, this means they WILL be making mistakes as they learn, and will sound "younger" than when they were scripting adult language models. Instead of focusing on correcting errors, we want to celebrate the new grammar concepts they are gaining such as:

• using pronouns
• different verb tenses (e.g., past vs present)
• using articles and modifiers

When we hear grammar errors, we don't need to worry about correcting! We can just validate what the child said and recast back with the correct grammar, without explicitly correcting.

Playing with language is just that - play!

Let's talk pronoun reversal in gestalt language processors.

As a parent, you may have wondered why your child always seems to confuse "I" and "you"? As an SLP, you maybe have wondered, how do we target this? When we understand that our GLPs are picking up verbatim utterances from adult models that they have attached meaning to (as their gestalts), it makes a lot of sense!

When we honour and understand these utterances without trying to change them, and instead change how WE model language, that's when we will see a shift happen.

We can expect NOT to see kids began to tease apart these pronouns on their own until stages 3-4, so we don't want to rush it. Instead, focus on modelling from the child's perspective or a joint perspective (e.g., "we are ____"; "let's go _____").

Have questions about pronoun reversal in GLPs? Drop them below!

Our gestalt language processors' first step in their language development is acquiring verbatim scripts or phrases that are meaningful to them, and using them spontaneously later in other contexts (this is referred to as "delayed echolalia" or using "gestalts").

The great thing is that our GLPs will acquire phrases when they are modelled naturally, but there are a few considerations we should keep in mind, such as:

1. modelling phrases that will be easier to mitigate (mix and match) later in Stage 2, and can be used easily across contexts. Instead of modeling "I want apple," I would more likely model "give me that!," as that can be modelled in SO MANY MORE contexts.
2. using varied intonation and giving your phrases a musical quality is often more appealing to GLPs as they more often attach meaning to the way a script sounds than the actual words
3. narrating from the child's perspective (such as "pick me up!" instead of "you want to be picked up") helps attach meaning to common phrases the child may hear and want to say. By narrating, we are filling the child's environment with new potential language to pick up, and by using declarative language, we are taking any pressure off to respond in a certain way.
   
4. following the child's lead and interests will allow for the child to be intrinsically motivated, which transfers over to communication as well

The shift from modelling "survival language" (sentence strips, single words, labelling) can feel like a big one, but your GLP will develop more flexible language if we meet them where they are at as gestalt language processors. 

I think this clip demonstrates a few things we really strive for at HAEPI SLP: following the child's lead, embracing all play, and modelling without expectation both on AAC and verbal phrases for gestalt language processors.

The @gestaltgoodness cards shown were also a great addition - my kiddo loved listening to the child model via the QR code. Usually I stay completely away from flash cards with GLPs, but these ones are designed for the communication partners (not necessarily the child), so WE can remember to model naturally in play, and use easily mitigable phrases across contexts.

I also loved introducing the cards to school staff to further explain how we can model (!!!), because it takes a while to become natural for anyone new to GLP!

*I received these First Phrases cards as a gift, with no expectation to review. Just love them that much!*

When mitigating in Stage 2 of Natural Language Acquisition, we want to use a Stage 1 gestalt that a child already has and alter it.

This can look like fitting different endings/beginnings within existing "frames," or shortening existing gestalts.

Wondering what this looks like in action? Watch as Halle demonstrates in a mock play-based speech therapy session! Tune into our FREE 1-hour webinar on GLP for more info on Stage 2.

Let us know in the comments if you found this helpful!

When we model in Stage 1, we aren't actually modelling "gestalts" since gestalts have specific meaning to the GLP. Instead, we are modelling functional phrases (ideally across a variety of contexts) that MAY be picked up with meaning. 

Wondering what this looks like in action? Watch as Halle demonstrates in a mock play-based speech therapy session. Tune into our FREE 1-hour webinar on GLP for more info on Stage 1. 

The goal here is to fill the GLP's environment with phrases (e.g., "open it up," "put it on," "ready, set, go") that are easier to mitigate in Stage 2.

Let us know in the comments if you found this helpful!

I recently presented on gestalt language processing for NOSM University, Canada's only independent medical school, on GLP for healthcare professionals in the North. While this is the target audience, the webinar is available for free to everyone and would be appropriate for parents, professionals, or anyone who would like to learn!

Follow along while we dive into the research, look at the Natural Language Acquisition stages in depth (including mock therapy videos), and discuss implications for GLPs with AAC.

Watch the webinar (and get access to the slides) here!

Let's talk pronoun reversal in gestalt language processors.

As a parent you may have wondered why your child always seems to confuse "I" and "you"? As an SLP, you maybe have wondered, how do we target this?

When we understand that our GLPs are picking up verbatim utterances from adult models that they have attached meaning to, as their gestalts, it makes a lot of sense! When we honour and understand these utterances without trying to change them, and instead change how WE model language, that's when we will see a shift happen. And we can expect NOT to see kids began to tease apart these pronouns on their own until stages 3-4. We don't want to rush it, instead we should focus on modelling from the child's perspective or a joint perspective (e.g, "we are ____; "let's go _____").

Have questions about pronoun reversal in GLPs? Drop your questions below!

Wondering how you can adapt your language targets when working with gestalt language processors vs analytic language processors? (Not sure if your child is a GLP or an ALP? Click here to find out!)

Here are some of my top tips to help with modelling language for both GLPs and ALPs:

1. Both early analytic language processors and gestalt language processors will benefit from the use of declarative language (avoiding questions). Stick to narrating what is happening!
2. Model the GLP phrase/gestalt. GLPs will be more likely to acquire the entire gestalt, while ALPs will be more likely to acquire the most salient single word. When working with suspected ALPs, stress that single word (e.g., PUSH the button)
3. Focus on gestalts/phrases that contain core words that can be used across a variety of contexts. Examples include, "turn it on", "help me," "I like it," "give me some more." The core words that will likely be most salient to ALPs include "on," "help," "like," "more."

Check out a glimpse of Kaelyn's Music-Directed Speech Therapy session with a Stage 1 GLP and new AAC user!

Music is highly motivating for many gestalt language processors due to musical features like intonation and pitch. You'll notice how this child actually requested help when he gestured for Kaelyn to touch his device, which demonstrates how quickly he has learned the purpose of an AAC device for communication. Furthermore, watch how Kaelyn honours every mode of communication, whether it be speech, gestures, or AAC.

This child also receives GLP-focused intervention with an SLP to expand his repertoire of Stage 1 gestalts.

Lastly, we have the school to thank for letting us work in the sensory room, where this child can receive external sensory input to aid in regulation. We love a full team approach!

The process of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) that gestalt language processors (GLPs) go through can sometimes be complicated to envision... so let's sweeten the deal with The Chocolate Analogy!

Introducing our new-and-Marge-approved Chocolate Analogy -- updated to include real child gestalts and demonstrating the progression through all 6 Stages of Natural Language Acquisition (from Stage 1 gestalts/"scripts" to Stage 6 fully-developed self-generated grammar). This sweet analogy provides a visualization of how our GLPs move through each of the NLA stages.

The chocolate bars themselves each represent a full, unmitigated gestalt. If we break off a row (or part of the gestalt), we can combine with other rows in a process known as mitigation. After this, we can break down even further to the individual squares of chocolate, which is finally when we hear those freed words, and can start combining referentially. Lastly, the individual squares can be combined in beginning grammar to form novel, self-generated language.

If you liked our original Chocolate Analogy, check this one out for a more accurate representation through ALL 6 stages.

Big thanks to Marge Blanc, author of Natural Language Acquisition (2012) for helping us get this to you!

P.S., You can download the PDF handout version of our chocolate analogy (below) on our resources page, or by clicking here!

Tag along with Kaelyn to a Music-Directed Speech Therapy session with a gestalt language processor in stage 2 (mitigations!) of the Natural Language Acquisition framework. Kaelyn is working on naturally modelling mitigations (or changing some parts of a script/song within a familiar "frame") in her music directed sessions, and I love how she pauses to allow this child to fill in the blank with a new mitigation (or, she can model something new in that spot!).

Notice how her client is moving, exploring, and staying regulated with movement while still participating in the session! She also used one of his special interests (bees!) to guide her activity. Well done Kaelyn, we love seeing how your clients are responding to your sessions!

Our gestalt language processors (otherwise known as intonation babies!) benefit so much from having musical language input.

I'm seeing this firsthand with Music-Directed Speech Therapy -- a unique service we offer which is carried out by a board certified music therapist (Kaelyn!) and overseen by me (Halle!) based on my SLP treatment goals.

I've been integrating music so much into my practice, even though music therapy is (definitely) not my background! Lately, I've been loving creating songs to go with activities that emphasize easily-mitigable Stage 1 gestalts. I made this song up today during a session and it's here to stay!

Did you catch all the gestalts?

1. Spin the wheel
2. Do it again
3. What will we find
4. Open it up
5. Close it

Let me know if you try this (or something similar) with your GLP! 

This is a little snippet from a regular speech session with a gestalt language processor (not even a Music-Directed Speech Therapy session with our board-certified music therapist, Kaelyn!). I'm not a music therapist, but I'm learning more everyday about how our GLPs respond and thrive with music in their intervention, and I'm getting more comfortable bringing music into practice thanks to both Kaelyn and @crescendo.communication. 

I'm really excited to continue learning more about how we can support our GLPs through music.

Fun fact: I sang in a children's 4-part choir for 8 years, and I wrote songs in my teen years. I'm having fun playing around and improvising in sessions - and hey, that's what stage 2 mitigation is all about!

Take a peek into a child-led treatment session with a gestalt language processor in Stage 2 of Natural Language Acquisition (if you'd like an overview of the Stages, check out our chocolate analogy).

This child LOVES plants, and spontaneously said "duck sitting on the milk thistle," which I suspected was a Stage 2 utterance ("duck sitting" + "on the milk thistle"). I repeated this back to him, and played around with OTHER variations of that utterance, such as "duck sitting" + "on little blue" or "on the tree."

This stage is super fun because gestalt language processors start becoming flexible with language and can be more specific while still maintaining the "frame" of the original utterance.

Remember, our kids learn BEST when we don't have an agenda with an activity (even a book!) and target their goals naturally as they come up.

Also, it's too good not to share, but my Little Blue Truck minis from @speechtreeco pair perfectly with the giant Little Blue Truck book from @entershinebookshop, and ALL 4 of my kids today LOVED it.

Do you have any questions about Stage 2?

This is one of my favourite free resources I've been sending to families who are interested in learning more about gestalt language processing and the stages of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA).

Instagram is great for sharing information about NLA, but there's nothing like hearing directly from the leaders in the field in an easily digestible and comprehensive one hour, on-demand video training.

Natural Communication also offers full courses on NLA for professionals and parents wanting a more in-depth look into NLA. I'm currently enrolled in their English course now (their original course was in Spanish!).

I also love all of the free handouts on their website. Definitely check them out if you are on your GLP and NLA journey!

You've likely heard of echolalia or 'scripting,' but did you know there is an immediate echolalia and a delayed echolalia? 

Immediate echolalia refers to a word or phrase that a child repeats *immediately* after it is heard, whereas delayed echolalia refers to utterances that are repeated moments, days, weeks, or even months after it was originally heard. Both are likely to be repeated using the exact same intonation as the original source.

It is important to make the distinction between the two types when scoring language samples of gestalt language processors while monitoring their progress through the stages of Natural Language Acquisition (I typically score Immediate Echolalia as '0' and Delayed Echolalia as '1').

Working with a speech-language pathologist or team that is well-versed in understanding and honouring echolalia will help kids who process language this way!

At HAEPI SLP, we are so excited to have SLPs, CDAs, and a music therapist on board who honour all types of communication. 

One of the first strategies I encourage those working with gestalt language processors to use is...

Eliminating questions and using declarative language.

This is harder than it looks! We ask our children tons of questions each day, and with our GLPs who aren't ready for questions until stages 3+, this can result in frustration for both the adult and the child.

We can set our GLPs up for success by naturally modelling declarative language. Try making observations and suggestions while narrating what is happening. This kind of language allows us to share an experience while taking the pressure off the child to respond in a particular way.

We also want to validate the language the child uses. I try to repeat what is said so they know I hear them and what they say really matters to me!

The benefits of using declarative language include:

• Encouraging independence
• Increasing spontaneity
• Deceasing prompt dependency
• Modelling natural language for GLPs
• Reducing performance-based stress
• Allowing space for connection

I encourage you to try asking *NO QUESTIONS* the next time you play with a GLP. I still catch myself doing it! 

I've talked about gestalt cognitive processors in a previous post, but here is another real-life therapy example of gestalt thinking and patterns. This child has special interest in the alphabet and numbers, so I try to incorporate that into our gestalt language therapy (following his lead and playing the way he wants to play!) .

He LOVED the Alphabet Acorns, which are acorns that say a letter and have an item inside that starts with that same letter, and then the top of the acorn also has the lowercase letter. He opened all the acorns, while I modelled some gestalts, "open it up!", "take it out", "we did it."

He started lining them up - nothing new here. But then I looked closer and he's LINING THEM UP IN ORDER of the alphabet - Apple, Boat, Car, Dinosaur, Elephant, etc. Keep in mind this is the FIRST time I've brought this toy, and he figured out what goes next SO FAST! Personally, once I get to about H in the alphabet I have to start from the beginning each time, but he was just placing them all into their spots without a second thought! He also had them spaced perfectly.

It was amazing! Many Autistic individuals have gifts when it comes to seeing patterns, organization, etc.

The gestalt part came in when I realized I was missing the 'k' toy. This whole alphabet is a gestalt (a set) to him, and is incomplete without the 'k.' However, he showed his flexibility in new situations when I explained it was missing, and we put the letter 'k' above where it should go.

Do your clients/children have a special knack for patterns? How easy is it for us to miss these kinds of gifts if we aren't looking?!

I encourage you to dig deeper into your client's gifts and strengths in each session.

In order to really understand gestalt language processing, we need to understand gestalt cognitive processing. Most kids who process the world this way have episodic memories. Identifying this is key to understanding how their language is formed.

Keep reading to see the difference between these in my birthday example. For analytic language processors, who process things by semantic meaning, they will probably associate the words "happy birthday" with the semantic meaning - what you say when it's someone's birthday.

But the phrase "happy birthday" could mean a number of different things to a gestalt language processor. In this case, I suggest that maybe a child hears "happy birthday" for the first time or the first *meaningful* time when it's loud and it's dark - and they are scared! So maybe, every time it's dark and they feel scared they say "happy birthday!", because that's how that phrase is stored in their episodic memory.

For another GLP, maybe they were excited the first time they heard "happy birthday" and now that's something they say when they feel excited. Some GLPs may never pick up "happy birthday" as a gestalt.

Our GLPs require more detective work with their episodic memories, but it is worth it! ​

As shown by this real-life example, it's important to do the detective work to figure out the meaning behind delayed echolalia and the gestalts that are picked up by your child naturally, because gestalts communicate!

In this example, the child is communicating with a gestalt that had been stored in his episodic memory. During the balloon exercise, he might *feel* the same excited way he felt watching the scene in the show, and is expressing that feeling with his gestalt.

Now that we recognize and understand why he is using this gestalt, where it came from, and what it means to him, we can validate his gestalt. 

We might also model something else that is a little easier to understand and mitigate, such as "it's a surprise"!

As mentioned in our previous post, the first stage of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) is the use of delayed echolalia... aka gestalts! In other words, children in Stage 1 NLA are processing *all* incoming language as gestalts.

A gestalt is simply a word or phrase that a child has heard that they could then use (verbatim) after some time has passed (days, weeks, or even years later!). It is basically a "chunk" of language that gets stored in a child's memory for later use.

Your child's gestalts may be short, long, from media sources (books, TV shows, songs, or movies), totally nuanced or even unintelligible, but they are never *wrong*. So, before gestalt targets are chosen and modelled, always try to acknowledge their original gestalt.

When it comes to choosing gestalts, just remember: "We are not replacing the child's language, but merely offering suggestions of useful phrases based on our observations and detective work." — @meaningfulspeech

The families I work with are always SO creative in figuring out ways to translate our SLP goals into methods that work within their homes and dynamic lives!

There is no one-size-fits-all approach for parent coaching and the carryover of skills between SLP sessions, but the important thing is that each family finds what works for them.

This family uses a wall-mounted white board to show which Stage 1 gestalts we are working on modelling throughout the day.

This acts as an easy, accessible reminder for them (as well as any extended family members or childcare providers that they may have in their home), and as a bonus, it was SUPER helpful to me during the session as well!

I also love how they've recognized and included that we are targeting 'language modelling', and that the child doesn’t necessarily need to say the exact phrase. Rather, the goal is for *us* as communication partners to be able to readily model these gestalts in the child's everyday environment.

Suffice to say, I'm very proud of this family.