Gestalt Language Processing 101: Decoding Your Child’s Scripts and Echolalia
Does your child frequently repeat phrases that you say to them, phrases from their favorite show or song, or specific sounds? Perhaps they use them in place of other conversational phrases, or at times where they don’t quite fit. These may be signs of Echolalia and Gestalt Language Processing. It’s great to know sooner rather than later so that you can better understand the way they learn language and provide them with the tools they need to communicate.
What Is Gestalt Language Processing?
To better understand how your child processes language, let’s first dive into what Gestalt Language Processing, also known as GLP, is. A Gestalt language processor learns language in chunks and phrases rather than word by word. For example, a child may use the phrase “let’s go” before ever using the word “go” on its own. Over time, they may use different parts or variations of a phrase to make new ones, but the base of that language is still a phrase rather than any one word.
Common Indicators of Gestalt Language Processing
Children who are GLP may exhibit signs of it through a behavior known as Echolalia. Children with Echolalia frequently repeat specific phrases from their favorite songs, shows, or routine conversations. Sometimes your child might repeat a phrase you’ve just said to them. Other times, they may repeat something they’ve heard before. This is called Delayed Echolalia. To an adult, Echolalia may simply seem like repetitive noise. However, many children who are Gestalt Language Processors assign intent and meaning to these phrases and may apply them in conversation. Echolalia speech therapy helps children increase the variety of phrases and interchange them to expand their vocabulary beyond the specific phrases they are most comfortable with, offering more flexibility and range of expression beyond the limits of their repeated phrases.
How Find My Voice Supports Gestalt Language Development
At Find My Voice Speech Therapy in St. Petersburg, our skilled speech therapists use play-based speech therapy sessions to help your child expand their language beyond their scripts. By teaching your child a variety of phrases to eventually learn to use words to form their own sentences, better understand their meaning, your child will be able to develop more flexible, functional speech that serves them well as they learn and grow. From there, we work with your child to help them improve their spontaneous speech.
If you think your child may be using Echolalia or is a Gestalt Language Processor, we can help! Our complimentary screening can help us determine whether or not your child is a candidate for speech therapy services. If they are, we can move forward with testing and treatment. If not, we offer coaching for parents and caregivers to support your child’s speech if they need extra support. Please reach out to us to schedule an appointment!
