Understanding the Difference Between Analytic and Gestalt Language Processing
Tuesday, August 6th, 2024
Language development in children can follow different paths, with two primary processes being Analytic Language Processing (ALP) and Gestalt Language Processing (GLP). Understanding these processes can help parents and therapists use the correct approach in order to support each child's unique way of developing language.
Analytic Language Development
Analytic Language Processing involves breaking down language into its smallest components and building up from there. Children who follow this path typically start with single words, which they gradually combine to form phrases and then sentences. The stages of ALP look like this:
- Single Words: The child begins by learning and using individual words.
- Two-Word Combinations: The child starts to put two words together, such as "want cookie".
- Phrases: The combinations become more complex and meaningful, evolving into short phrases.
- Sentences: The child constructs full sentences, progressively improving in complexity and grammatical accuracy.
Gestalt Language Development
Gestalt Language Processing, on the other hand, involves understanding and using language in larger chunks or "gestalts." These children might start by imitating whole phrases or sentences they've heard, often referred to as "scripts". Gestalts may be learned from movies, videos, songs, or other people. The stages of GLP include:
Stage 1: Whole Gestalts or Scripts “Echolalia”: The child uses entire phrases or sentences learned from others or media, such as "I want a cookie" or "Let's go outside.”
Stage 2:Mitigated Gestalts or Partial Mix and Match Scripts: These scripts become more flexible, with children starting to mix and match parts of different phrases.
Stage 3: Single Words or Combination of Words: The child begins to use single words from their learned scripts and recombine them in new ways, forming new phrases. You can see that children start learning single words after they learn phrases! So labeling objects would be seen at this stage!
Stages 4-6: Beginning Grammar, More Complex Sentences: Ultimately, the child creates original sentences. This is where we would focus on grammar.
Children who are Gestalt Language Processors learn a phrase and the meaning behind it is based off of the context it was used in. For example, I work with a child who says, “Oh yum. Cookies!” The child will use this phrase every time she is hungry. It doesn’t necessarily mean she wants cookies. However, she does want something to eat when she says it!
GLPs are often “intonation” kiddos, meaning they often pick up on phrases with a rich intonation, as it catches their attention and they find it interesting. Many younger children use jargon with rich intonation and while you may think they are just babbling, they are in fact attempting to communicate something.
It is important to remember that gestalt language processing is not a diagnosis. It is just another way of processing language and therapy must reflect the way you child processes language.
Many Autistic children are gestalt language processors. However, some children who are not Autistic may also be a gestalt language processor. If your child uses immediate or delayed echolalia in their speech, don’t dismiss it. There is often communicative intent behind echolalia and it’s your job to figure out the meaning!
How Do I Know if My Child is a Gestalt Language Processor?
Identifying if your child is a gestalt language processor involves looking at their language development and how they are currently communicating. Here are some signs that might indicate a child is a gestalt language processor:
1. Echolalia: Your child speaks in full sentences, phrases, or scripts they have heard from TV, music, books, or other people.
2. Use of Intonation: Their speech is often melodic with a lot of variation in intonation, although individual speech sounds may be unclear. The rhythm and intonation of their speech can be familiar and repetitive. They may match their tone of voice to the exact way they heard the script.
3. Use of Consistent Words or Phrases:They use the same word or phrase for a category of objects. This happens because they learn language in chunks or “gestalts” rather than individual words. For example, a child might use the word "car" to refer to all types of vehicles, or they might use a specific phrase like "Let's go!" whenever they want to leave or go somewhere.
4. Repetitive Play: Your child likes to play the same way with a toy or repeat the same activities. They enjoy the routine.
5. Interest in Singing and Quoting: Your child enjoys singing songs or quoting lines from shows. They may not have a lot of language; however, these songs and quotes are identifiable.
6. Rewinding Shows: Your child watches show on TV or the Ipad and like to stop and rewind back to the same scene. They may also enjoy fastforwarding the scenes or making them play at a faster speech.
Conclusion:
Recognizing whether a child is an analytic or gestalt language processor is necessary as it will determine the approach your therapist takes to therapy. Analytic processors benefit from structured, incremental learning that focuses on building up from individual words through sentences. In contrast, gestalt processors thrive with an approach that acknowledges their use of scripts and helps them break down and recombine these into meaningful communication. There are several ways to identify if your child is a gestalt language processor. However, if you have questions, reach out to us! Our Speech-Language Pathologists are trained in Gestalt Language Processing!
Resources: Please check these helpful resources for further information!
- https://www.meaningfulspeech.com/blog/Free-resources-GLP --Hey Parents! On this website, you will find a free one hour course on Echolalia and GLP
- Natural Language Acquisition articles https://communicationdevelopmentcenter.com/research/
- https://pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/2023_PERSP-23-00098 --ASHA article
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