Understanding Gestalt Language Processing

By: Morgan Bliss MS CF-SLP
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As a parent, you might be asking yourself “how does my child learn language?” There are two different ways children learn language. One type of language acquisition is analytic language processing. Analytic language processing is what most individuals think of when they think of how children learn language. Analytic language processors acquire language by learning single words, then begin to combine words, then use phrases, and eventually are speaking in sentences. Another type of language acquisition is gestalt language processing. Children who are gestalt language processors (GLPs) learn language in “chunks” meaning that they learn whole phrases before acquiring single words. While gestalt language processing is most commonly associated with individuals with Autism, both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals can be GLPs. Sounds a bit confusing, right? Let’s break it down. 

Children who are GLPs learn multi-word “chunks” that they hear from television shows, videos, or communication partners (teachers, parents, siblings, etc.). These chunks are referred to as gestalts. Gestalts can also be referred to as delayed echolalia. Echolalia refers to when a child immediately repeats or echoes what someone says. Delayed echolalia refers to when a period of time passes before the child repeats/echoes. GLPs first hear these gestalts and then use these gestalts to communicate. Although the gestalts a child uses may be complex in nature, they use them without having an understanding of the structure of the phrase or sentence. More specifically, the child does not have an understanding of the words they are using and how they fit together (e.g., verb tenses, plural -s, present progressive -ing, sentence structure), but rather has an understanding of the meaning of the phrase. When children use these gestalts you may hear some of the following: long unintelligible phrases, rich intonation, use of phrases/longer utterances, and single words. 

In her book Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language, Marge Blanc M.A., CCC-SLP outlines the 6 stages of gestalt language processing. 

• Stage 1: Use of gestalt language wholes 
• Stage 2: Mitigation of wholes into phrases; recombination of phrases 
• Stage 3: Isolation of single words; recombinations of single words 
• Stage 4: Beginning grammar 
• Stage 5: More advanced grammar
• Stage 6: More complex grammar. 

Let’s review some examples of each stage. These examples are adapted and taken from Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language, Marge Blanc M.A., CCC-SLP.

Stage 1
“Let’s get out of here” 
“To infinity and beyond” 
“Baby are you okay? I’m okay” 

Often when children use these whole phrases, they are associated with the meaning in which they first heard them. For example, the gestalt “Baby are you okay? I’m okay” a child used when a train fell off of the train tracks and onto the ground. This child may have heard this gestalt when he fell or from a television show or video where someone fell and got hurt. 

Stage 2
“Let’s get out of here” is mitigated and can be used in different ways. These whole chunks are broken down into smaller pieces that can be “mixed and matched.”  
For example: 
“Let’s get + some more” 
Let’s get + some food” 

Stage 3 
These smaller chunks are then broken down into the single words: Let’s, get. 
For example:
Let’s go 
Get more

Stage 4-6
Children start to use grammar and begin to create novel sentences. 
4: We gotta go back in
5: I know what to do: play inside! 
6: When do you wanna come in, because that’s what I want to do. 

After reading this, you might be saying to yourself, “I think my child is a GLP. How do I help them learn language?” Because these children learn language in chunks rather than single words, the way you model language to your child is different! Typically parents model single words, then model word combinations, etc. However, that is the approach that is best suited for analytic language processors. For children who are GLPs, parents should model whole phrases. Some examples of these whole phrases are: Let’s open it, I need help, Let’s get some more, No I don’t want it, I want more, etc. These phrases should be functional and should be modeled from the parent from the child’s point of view (i.e., I need help versus asking do you need help). It is important to model it from the child’s point of view as they will learn this gestalt as a whole. If you modeled “do you need help?” when the child needs assistance with something they will say “Do you need help?” to their communication partner. 

Another helpful tip, is to keep a running document on your phone, piece of paper, etc. of all of the gestalts you hear your child using and the context in which they are using them. Often parents or caregivers don’t understand the meaning behind the gestalt or have difficulty understanding what their child is trying to communicate. For example a child who might want to go for a walk or car ride might say “to infinity and beyond!” to request this. Keeping a running document may be a helpful way to try and determine how your child is using these gestalts and what they are communicating. 
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Blanc, M., & Lyon, J. G. (2012). Natural language acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language. Communication Development Center. 

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