What is Gestalt Language Processing? Is Your Child a Gestalt Language Learner?

Summary

In this video, speech language pathologist Laura Strink discusses gestalt language processing, a method of language learning where children grasp language in chunks rather than individual words. She differentiates it from analytical language development and highlights the importance of recognizing the communicative intent behind scripting or echolalia. Strink suggests strategies to support gestalt language processors, such as modeling gestalts, tuning into melody, and keeping a dictionary of their unique language. She encourages seeking professional help from speech therapists familiar with gestalt processing.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Gestalt language processing is a significant topic in speech therapy, differing from analytical language processing.
• 👶 Analytical language learners acquire language by understanding words as single units and gradually expanding their usage.
• 🎭 Gestalt language learners often learn whole scripts or sentences as a single unit of meaning, leading to scripting or echolalia.
• 🧠 Just thought language processing in children can manifest as jargoning, echolalia, or scripting, often tied to emotional experiences.
• 🌈 Echolalia in children always carries a communicative intent, which should be acknowledged and reinforced.
• 🗣️ Reducing questions and modeling gestalts can support language development in children who use gestalt language processing.
• 🎵 Paying attention to the melody and intonation in language modeling can help children better understand and use gestalts.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Keeping a dictionary of a child's gestalts can help decode their unique forms of communication and support their emotional expression.
• 💼 Speech therapists at Emerge are familiar with gestalt language processing and can provide specialized support.
• 📚 Additional resources, including blog posts, Instagram accounts, and podcasts, are available for further understanding of gestalt language processing.

Q & A

What is gestalt language processing?

Gestalt language processing is a way of learning and using language where an entire script or chunk of a sentence is learned as carrying one set of meaning, often presenting as scripting or echolalia.

How does analytical language development differ from gestalt language processing?

Analytical language development involves learning words as single units and slowly expanding on that, while gestalt language processing involves learning entire scripts or chunks of sentences as a single unit of meaning.

What is the significance of understanding the difference between analytical and gestalt language processing?

Understanding this difference is crucial for supporting children's language development, as it helps in tailoring educational and therapeutic approaches to their specific language processing style.

Why is it important to recognize the communicative intent behind a child's scripting or jargoning?

Recognizing the communicative intent behind a child's scripting or jargoning validates their form of communication, which can positively impact their self-image and sense of being a competent communicator.

How can parents or therapists support a child who uses gestalt language processing?

Support can be provided by acknowledging the child's gestalts, reducing questions, modeling gestalts, tuning into melody, and keeping a dictionary of the child's gestalts to understand their meanings.

What is the role of intonation in gestalt language processing?

Intonation plays a significant role in gestalt language processing as it makes sentences more tangible and understandable, often reflecting the emotional state of the child.

Why should we not take a child's gestalts at face value?

We should not take gestalts at face value because they are rarely literal and understanding their underlying meaning requires deeper analysis, which can provide insights into the child's emotional state or intentions.

How can modeling gestalts help in a child's language development?

Modeling gestalts can help a child learn how to communicate effectively by providing them with examples of how to structure language in a way that is more likely to be understood by others.

What is the purpose of keeping a dictionary of a child's gestalts?

A dictionary of a child's gestalts serves as a reference for caregivers, therapists, and educators to understand the child's unique forms of communication and respond appropriately.

How can one learn more about gestalt language processing?

One can learn more about gestalt language processing by visiting the associated blog post, which includes resources such as Instagram accounts and podcasts.

What should one do if they suspect their child might be a gestalt language processor?

If one suspects their child might be a gestalt language processor, they should reach out to a speech therapist, as all speech therapists at Emerge are familiar with this method of learning language.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Understanding Gestalt Language Processing in Children

Laura Strink, a speech language pathologist, introduces gestalt language processing as a key topic in speech therapy. She differentiates between analytic and gestalt language processing, explaining that analytic learners acquire language by learning words as single units and gradually expanding their use, while gestalt learners absorb language in chunks or scripts, often leading to scripting or echolalia. Laura emphasizes the importance of recognizing the communicative intent behind echolalia and the need to support children's language development by modeling gestalts, acknowledging their scripts, and understanding the emotional ties behind their language. She also suggests keeping a dictionary of a child's gestalts to help others understand their communication.

05:02

🤝 Supporting Gestalt Language Processors with Speech Therapy

In the second paragraph, Laura Strink extends an invitation to parents who believe their child might be a gestalt language processor to consider speech therapy. She assures that the therapists at Emerge are well-versed in supporting gestalt language processors and encourages reaching out to start the therapeutic process. The paragraph serves as a call to action, offering hope and a pathway for families seeking to enhance their child's language capabilities.

Keywords

💡Gestalt Language Processing

Gestalt language processing refers to a holistic approach to language learning where children learn and use language in chunks or scripts rather than individual words. In the context of the video, it is presented as a 'hot topic' in speech therapy, highlighting its significance in understanding how some children, particularly those on the autism spectrum, develop language. The video emphasizes that gestalt language learners often start with scripting or echolalia, using phrases like 'let's go to the store' to convey a simple action like 'let's go.'

💡Analytic Language Development

Analytic language development is a method of language learning where children start by understanding words as single units and gradually expand their language use over time. This is contrasted with gestalt language processing in the video, where the speaker explains that analytic learners might first understand 'go,' then 'let's go,' and eventually use more complex phrases like 'let's go to the store.' This concept is crucial for understanding the different pathways children may take in language acquisition.

💡Echolalia

Echolalia is a term used to describe the repetition of words or phrases heard by a child, often seen in children with autism. The video script uses echolalia as an example of gestalt language processing, where a child might repeat a phrase like 'let's go to the store' to mean 'let's go.' It is highlighted as a form of communication that carries intent and should be validated as such by caregivers and therapists.

💡Scripting

Scripting in the context of the video refers to the use of memorized phrases or 'scripts' by children, which are often tied to emotional experiences. It is a characteristic of gestalt language processing and is seen as a form of communication that may not be literal but carries a specific meaning for the child. The video gives the example of a child saying 'zoom zoom zoom we're going to the moon,' which could have various meanings beyond a literal desire to travel to the moon.

💡Just Thought Language Processing

Just thought language processing is mentioned as a type of language development where children might use both analytic and gestalt methods. The video script does not delve deeply into this concept but includes it to acknowledge the diversity in language learning styles among children. It suggests that understanding a child's unique language processing style is essential for effective support.

💡Intonation

Intonation refers to the rise and fall of the voice, which can convey emotion and meaning. In the video, the speaker advises modeling gestalts with rich intonation to make them more tangible and understandable for children. This is particularly important in gestalt language processing, as the scripts used by children are often intonationally rich and tied to emotional experiences.

💡Emotional Experiences

Emotional experiences are highlighted in the video as being closely tied to the scripts and gestalts used by children in gestalt language processing. The speaker suggests that understanding the emotional context behind a child's language can provide clues to their communicative intent. For example, a child's scripting might be a reflection of their emotional state or a way to express a desire or need.

💡Language Development

Language development is the overarching theme of the video, with a focus on how children acquire and use language. The video discusses different methods of language development, including analytic and gestalt approaches, and emphasizes the importance of understanding these methods to support children effectively. It also touches on the role of emotion and intonation in language learning.

💡Communication Intent

Communication intent is a key concept in the video, emphasizing that every instance of scripting or echolalia by a child carries a communicative intent. The speaker advises that recognizing and validating this intent is crucial for supporting the child's language development and self-image as a communicator. The video encourages caregivers to look beyond the literal words and understand the underlying message.

💡Gestalts Dictionary

A gestalts dictionary is suggested in the video as a tool for documenting and understanding a child's unique language. It involves keeping a record of the child's scripts and their meanings, which can be referred to by speech therapists, teachers, and family members. This helps in decoding the child's communication and providing appropriate responses, thereby supporting their language development.

Highlights

Gestalt language processing is a new hot topic in speech therapy.

Analytical language development is the traditional way children learn language.

Gestalt language learners learn entire scripts or chunks of sentences as a single unit of meaning.

Scripting or echolalia is common in gestalt language learners.

Just thought language processing involves jargoning, echolalia, or scripting in younger children.

Autistic children often use scripting, repeating lines from movies or other sources.

Gestalts are rarely literal and are often tied to emotional experiences.

It's important to understand the communicative intent behind a child's gestalts.

Echolalia always communicates, and understanding this intent is validating for the child.

Modeling gestalts can support a child's language development.

Using intonation-rich sentences can make gestalts more understandable.

Scripts are often deeply tied to emotion and can provide clues to a child's emotional state.

Keeping a dictionary of a child's gestalts can help others understand their communication.

Speech therapists at Emerge are familiar with gestalt language processing and can provide support.

Resources for learning more about gestalt language processing include blog posts, Instagram accounts, and podcasts.

Transcripts

hello my name is laura strink and i am a

speech language pathologist here at

emerge pediatric therapy and today i

wanted to talk to you all about one of

the new hot topics in speech therapy

which is gestalt language processing

so one of the most important things to

know before we start talking about ways

to support your child who may be using

gestalt language processing is the

difference between analytical and just

thought language processing

analytic language development is the way

that we think about most children

learning how to access language and

learn about it so the way language is

developed with analytic language

learners is they learn words as being a

single unit and they slowly expand on

that with time so first they might

understand go then they might start

saying let's go then they might start

saying let's go to the store gestalt

language learners often learn language

where an entire script or chunk or

sentence is learned as carrying one set

of meaning so this often presents as

scripting or echolalia in some of our

kids so they might learn let's go to the

store and that means let's go and so the

way they develop language is going to

look really different so they might

start by saying let's go to the store

then they might start changing out one

part of that say let's go to emerge

let's go home and then you'll see them

gradually start using those chunks of

language in more flexible ways

lots of children are just thought

language processors and lots of children

are maybe both analytic and gestalt

language processors so it's really

important that we take bits and pieces

of what we know about how your child is

developing language and support them in

that growth so often what just thought

language processing looks like in

younger children especially is

jargoning or echolalia or scripting and

so your child might be saying a line

that they heard from a movie over and

over again which is really common

particularly in autistic children and so

it's our job as the um people who are

supporting our your children to figure

out what those scripts mean they are

often really intonationally rich so

you'll hear a lot of up and down and a

lot of rich melody to that speech and

they're often very strongly tied to

emotional experiences it's also

important to keep in mind that the

gestalts you hear from your child are

rarely literal so your child might be

saying zoom zoom zoom we're going to the

moon and that doesn't mean every time

that they're pretending to go to the

moon like in this show

it could mean i want to play with you or

it could mean let's go and so it's

really important that we don't take

these gestalts at face value but we

instead dig to figure out what their

meaning could be

so next we need to know a little bit

about how we can support our children

who use gestalt language processing the

number one thing to keep in mind is that

echolalia always communicates every time

you hear your child scripting or

jargoning there is communicative intent

if you know what that intent is then you

should reinforce that because that's

extremely validating for your child lots

of autistic adults still rely on this

type of communication and having people

recognize it as a valid form of

communication

has done wonders for their self-image

and for how validated they feel as

communicators

if you aren't sure what this script

means then it's important to acknowledge

that you heard them but don't go out of

your way to assign meetings this can be

frustrating

aside from acknowledging your child's

gestalts and scripting there are several

tangible things that you can do to

support their language development the

first thing is reduce asking questions

instead model gestalts so the

recommended gestalts that you might use

include let's it's and i'm statements

the more you model this the more likely

your child might be to pick up on these

really important um examples of how to

communicate with others

you can also tune into melody whenever

you're modeling gestalts for your child

knowing that intonationally rich

sentences are more tangible and more

likely to be understood might mean that

we model some of our gestalts and make

them really rich in intonation for our

children

it's also important to remember that

these scripts are often deeply tied to

emotion so if you do the detective work

then it may give you really important

clues as to your child's regulatory

state on whatever their scripting is

one more thing you can do is start

keeping a dictionary of your child's

gestalts that way your speech therapist

your child's teacher other members of

your family can refer to that and know

exactly what your child is communicating

when they're using these different forms

of communication

if you would like to learn more about

gestalt language processing you can

visit the blog post associated with this

talk which includes several great

resources for instagram accounts and

podcasts that you can listen to to learn

more and if you think your child might

be a gestalt language processor and

you'd like to work start working with a

speech therapist all the speech

therapists that emerge are familiar with

this method of learning language so

reach out to us and hopefully we can get

started on some speech therapy working

together with you

you