Pronoun Reversals: Why we should use first person pronouns (I, me, we, etc.) when modelling with GLPs

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Halle Demchuk, MSc(A), SLP (@haepislp)

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!

by Halle Demchuk, SLP

Paediatric SLP | GLP-Trained Clinician | Owner of HAEPI SLP