This page attempts to provide an inclusive, non-oralist (aka non-speech centered) definition of Gestalt Language Processing and Natural Language Acquisition. It is not meant to be a comprehensive guide, or an academic paper, as many of those already exist and can be found in Resources.
The Basics
A Gestalt Language Processor (GLP) is someone who primarily takes in language from ‘whole to part’. That means they take in or absorb language as chunks, usually with emotional context, before later breaking them down into words that are “referential” - ie that have a literal definition. This is in contrast to an Analytical Language Processor, who takes in language from ‘part to whole’ - first taking in single words and their definitions, and then putting them together into longer wholes and chunks like sentences.
A GLP will take in a chunk of language (called a “gestalt”) that has meaning to them, and usually is full of emotional context. Over time, they will typically move through “stages” (see the section on Natural Language Acquisition below), and they will start to break down those longer chunks into smaller pieces, and then later be able to put those smaller pieces together into phrases.
As a simplistic example, maybe a GLP kid gets lost on the subway. And while they’re lost and afraid, they hear the phrase “Stand clear of the closing doors”. They might start to think of that phrase (aka that “gestalt”) whenever they feel afraid in the future. Over time, they may start to understand the shorter chunk “closing doors”, and then over time they’ll understand “closing” and “doors”, with their referential / definition meaning, and then they’ll start putting those words together into sentences in their mind.
An analytical processor, by contrast, will first learn what “stand” and “closing” and “doors” mean, and over time will start to be able to put those together into sentences. (Of course, language and people are more nuanced than that!).
Many speech language therapists believe that most autistic people are Gestalt Language Processors. And you do not have to be autistic to be a GLP.
While there is a lot of material out there on how to support a GLP, the important thing to know is that traditional SLP methods often don’t work for “early stage” GLPs. For example, take an “early stage GLP” being taught single words in a specific context like therapy. Maybe they’re taught “dog” with a specific dog or picture of a dog. Since they are taking in those single words as one full gestalt that can’t be broken down into pieces, they aren’t able to generalize “dog” to many different dogs and then use it in a longer phrase. When an early stage GLP is taught small words, progress will be slow to minimal, or there may be a lot of progress (they can request a cookie, or are thinking about “cookie”!) and then a plateauing.
As an important side, many GLPs may have a difficult time taking any small piece of information that they are taught and generalizing it to new situations. For this reason, and many others, lack of generalizing what they are taught at a table or in a therapy session to other environments is rampant in the non-speaking autistic community.
Of course, people are more complex and there is no “always”. It’s thought that GLP vs Analytical Processor isn’t actually black or white, and people likely fall more on a continuum. More research needs to be done overall on this topic.
A GLP will take in a chunk of language (called a “gestalt”) that has meaning to them, and usually is full of emotional context. Over time, they will typically move through “stages” (see the section on Natural Language Acquisition below), and they will start to break down those longer chunks into smaller pieces, and then later be able to put those smaller pieces together into phrases.
As a simplistic example, maybe a GLP kid gets lost on the subway. And while they’re lost and afraid, they hear the phrase “Stand clear of the closing doors”. They might start to think of that phrase (aka that “gestalt”) whenever they feel afraid in the future. Over time, they may start to understand the shorter chunk “closing doors”, and then over time they’ll understand “closing” and “doors”, with their referential / definition meaning, and then they’ll start putting those words together into sentences in their mind.
An analytical processor, by contrast, will first learn what “stand” and “closing” and “doors” mean, and over time will start to be able to put those together into sentences. (Of course, language and people are more nuanced than that!).
Many speech language therapists believe that most autistic people are Gestalt Language Processors. And you do not have to be autistic to be a GLP.
While there is a lot of material out there on how to support a GLP, the important thing to know is that traditional SLP methods often don’t work for “early stage” GLPs. For example, take an “early stage GLP” being taught single words in a specific context like therapy. Maybe they’re taught “dog” with a specific dog or picture of a dog. Since they are taking in those single words as one full gestalt that can’t be broken down into pieces, they aren’t able to generalize “dog” to many different dogs and then use it in a longer phrase. When an early stage GLP is taught small words, progress will be slow to minimal, or there may be a lot of progress (they can request a cookie, or are thinking about “cookie”!) and then a plateauing.
As an important side, many GLPs may have a difficult time taking any small piece of information that they are taught and generalizing it to new situations. For this reason, and many others, lack of generalizing what they are taught at a table or in a therapy session to other environments is rampant in the non-speaking autistic community.
Of course, people are more complex and there is no “always”. It’s thought that GLP vs Analytical Processor isn’t actually black or white, and people likely fall more on a continuum. More research needs to be done overall on this topic.
How do I know if someone is a GLP?
In people with reliable access to speech, you may notice echolalia - repeating, verbatim, phrases they hear in movies, songs, and from the people around them. These phrases may be said in times that don’t make sense to you the listener, if you are thinking about the literal definition of the words. But they make sense after you do the detective work, or ask them!
For people with unreliable access to speech, like non-speakers, it can be harder to tell if someone is a GLP because we don’t know what language processing is going on in someone’s mind if the person can’t tell us! Anecdotally, here are some ways parents have noticed their kids may be GLPs:
For people with unreliable access to speech, like non-speakers, it can be harder to tell if someone is a GLP because we don’t know what language processing is going on in someone’s mind if the person can’t tell us! Anecdotally, here are some ways parents have noticed their kids may be GLPs:
- They may have a really, really deep relationship to music. Music can be used to set the mood, or indicate what is happening next, more than a typical kid - more effectively than words, photos or videos.
- They may not watch any TV shows or movies with dialogue, instead watching videos of music, sometimes loving the theme song but not the show.
- They could have a LOT of intonation when babbling. As if they’re speaking another language (and sometimes strangers will, indeed, ask what language your kid is speaking).
- They may like to rewind a short part of a video clip or song or part of a video game over and over.
- It could be that when they do have vocalisations, they’re lines of songs. Even if you don’t understand them, maybe you can tell by the melody
- They may have intelligible single words and gestalts, (or words and gestalts on their speech-generating devices), from books, songs, and repeating what other people say, but they never combine them into new phrases themselves.
- They may really love finding “patterns” on their own. Some kids will listen to a song or watch a video, and then deep dive into finding songs and videos that are related.
- They may learn things by first looking at the whole, and then parts. They may only want complete sets like the WHOLE alphabet together, or being upset if you remove a sticker from a sheet because they want all the stickers intact on the sheet.
- They may do ok with single words but get SO EXCITED when you say phrases that they know and love
What is NLA / Natural Language Acquisition?
Now that we’ve defined what a GLP is, it’s important to get a deeper understanding of how a GLP processes language over time.
Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) is the term used to describe how a GLP acquires language. However, it is often also used to refer to a therapeutic approach of how to support GLPs. It is not a rigid set of rules to follow, because the therapeutic approach cente the child’s communication, and a child is not a robot!
A GLP will encounter the following stages of language processing. Usually in a somewhat linear pattern where they are mainly in one stage or another, but not always:
For someone with reliable access to speech, we figure out what stage they’re in by taking language samples.
For people with unreliable access to speech, it’s very difficult to assess what stage someone is at because they aren’t able to express what language is in their mind. There is really no research yet to say how to assess a non-speaker’s stage, and most parents in this situation don’t even bother trying, although some people who have a deep understanding of NLA will make educated guesses about the general range of stages (stage 1-2? Stage 3? Stage 4+?) based on a one-time utterance here or there, or perceives changes in understanding language. Others don’t bother trying because they’re in tune with their kid’s communication.
For many people with unreliable access to speech they may be at a higher stage in terms of their language processing, but for reasons unrelated to NLA they may still only be able to speak in stage 1 and 2 gestalts. These gestalts are often just easier for someone to access with their mouths because they have more practice with it, or it could be really satisfying to say, or for many other reasons. It can be a mistake to try to assess stages for non-speakers because you could assume they are at stage 1 and follow best practices for someone at stage 1, when really in their mind they are stage 5 but unable to express it.
As mentioned above, stages 4-6 are, really, about expressive language. In Barry Prizant's original model, it ended with stage 4. Stages 5 and 6 are for people with reliable access to speech.
Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) is the term used to describe how a GLP acquires language. However, it is often also used to refer to a therapeutic approach of how to support GLPs. It is not a rigid set of rules to follow, because the therapeutic approach cente the child’s communication, and a child is not a robot!
A GLP will encounter the following stages of language processing. Usually in a somewhat linear pattern where they are mainly in one stage or another, but not always:
- Stage 1: Gestalts - Language heard in one situation and used (whether through speech, speech-generating devices, or just in someone’s head) in another.
- Stage 2: Mitigated Gestalts - Language from Stage 1 is broken down into smaller parts, which are then combined in new ways (either demonstrated through speech, or in someone’s head)
- Stage 3: Isolation & Combination of Single Words - Mitigations are further broken down into single words that are combined without grammar.
- Stage 4: Self-generated phrases and simple sentences - The child is experimenting with meaningful word combinations and emerging grammar.
- Stage 5: Self-generated sentences used in everyday situations - The child is adding more advanced grammar to their basic sentences. Note that stage 5 and 6 are considered an expressive language stage and for people who have unreliable access to speech, Barry Prizant - the original researcher of GLP - just labeled it Stage 4+.
- Stage 6: Self-generated sentences used in more complex situations - Using sophisticated grammar correctly.
For someone with reliable access to speech, we figure out what stage they’re in by taking language samples.
For people with unreliable access to speech, it’s very difficult to assess what stage someone is at because they aren’t able to express what language is in their mind. There is really no research yet to say how to assess a non-speaker’s stage, and most parents in this situation don’t even bother trying, although some people who have a deep understanding of NLA will make educated guesses about the general range of stages (stage 1-2? Stage 3? Stage 4+?) based on a one-time utterance here or there, or perceives changes in understanding language. Others don’t bother trying because they’re in tune with their kid’s communication.
For many people with unreliable access to speech they may be at a higher stage in terms of their language processing, but for reasons unrelated to NLA they may still only be able to speak in stage 1 and 2 gestalts. These gestalts are often just easier for someone to access with their mouths because they have more practice with it, or it could be really satisfying to say, or for many other reasons. It can be a mistake to try to assess stages for non-speakers because you could assume they are at stage 1 and follow best practices for someone at stage 1, when really in their mind they are stage 5 but unable to express it.
As mentioned above, stages 4-6 are, really, about expressive language. In Barry Prizant's original model, it ended with stage 4. Stages 5 and 6 are for people with reliable access to speech.
Does a GLP need therapy?
Nope! No more than an analytical processor, or any of us, need speech therapy!
Some GLPs, just like some analytical processors, need support to progress through the stages, or support to communicate in ways that are accessible for them and the therapist needs to understand GLP while helping them find communication methods for them (e.g. AAC).
GLPs often get labelled as speech-delayed when they are toddlers because they are in stage 1 or stage 2 and their speech is labelled as “wrong”, or it is unintelligible because they’re trying to say a 10 word gestalt! But we know that for many kids like this, including the author of this article, they just end up being a “late talker” with no therapies at all.
Make sure you work with a therapist who understands the essence of NLA and can center your child’s needs rather than following a handbook.
Some GLPs, just like some analytical processors, need support to progress through the stages, or support to communicate in ways that are accessible for them and the therapist needs to understand GLP while helping them find communication methods for them (e.g. AAC).
GLPs often get labelled as speech-delayed when they are toddlers because they are in stage 1 or stage 2 and their speech is labelled as “wrong”, or it is unintelligible because they’re trying to say a 10 word gestalt! But we know that for many kids like this, including the author of this article, they just end up being a “late talker” with no therapies at all.
Make sure you work with a therapist who understands the essence of NLA and can center your child’s needs rather than following a handbook.
How do I support a GLP?
The first, and best, and most important thing you can do, is embrace a GLP exactly as they are, where they’re at, with joy and excitement! For example, if it seems like what they’re doing is mostly listening to music, enjoy that music with them! Give them access to Spotify whenever they want it (turn on the lyrics function!), dance, sing (if they let you!), and find remixes (if they let you!).
If they keep watching a section of a TV show over and over that says “wow, this is awesome!” then start saying “wow this is awesome!” in exactly that intonation, whenever you’re around a really awesome thing. Enjoy life with them. 🙂
There are so many resources out there that go into detail about *how* to support a kid in the various GLP stages, so dig in more. Note that most resources tend to assume it is someone with reliable access to speech, or reliably able to use a high-tech speech generating AAC devices, so just remember that this is about *processing* not speaking, and then above all, let your kid lead.
If they keep watching a section of a TV show over and over that says “wow, this is awesome!” then start saying “wow this is awesome!” in exactly that intonation, whenever you’re around a really awesome thing. Enjoy life with them. 🙂
There are so many resources out there that go into detail about *how* to support a kid in the various GLP stages, so dig in more. Note that most resources tend to assume it is someone with reliable access to speech, or reliably able to use a high-tech speech generating AAC devices, so just remember that this is about *processing* not speaking, and then above all, let your kid lead.
Where does AAC fit into this?
Anyone - a GLP or an Analytical Processor - may not be able to access speech. And for them, AAC may be very helpful! AAC is Augmentative and Alternative Communication and is often a short-hand for “high tech speech generating device”. AAC actually is any alternative to speech - which could be photo cards, Youtube, Google maps, Spotify, or grabbing a box of crackers and handing it to you.
A GLP, especially in the early stages, may need a different way of having AAC set-up and modeled for them that focuses on phrases, and often media. Many GLPs communicate using YouTube, songs, TV shows, video games, and other methods to get their point across. They tend to be multi-modal when they’re supported! Many parents find the most luck when their kid is given access to broad technology, that works for that kid and family, and will find a kid could pull up a certain video, Google Map, or song, to communicate what they’re thinking.
A GLP, especially in the early stages, may need a different way of having AAC set-up and modeled for them that focuses on phrases, and often media. Many GLPs communicate using YouTube, songs, TV shows, video games, and other methods to get their point across. They tend to be multi-modal when they’re supported! Many parents find the most luck when their kid is given access to broad technology, that works for that kid and family, and will find a kid could pull up a certain video, Google Map, or song, to communicate what they’re thinking.