Gestalt Language Processing

What is a Gestalt Language Processor?

A Gestalt Language Processor learns language through “chunks” instead of single words. They can exhibit delayed echolalia, and their language mainly comes from TV shows, movies, YouTube and what others have said in their environment.

What is delayed echolalia or scripting?

Delayed echolalia or scripting is when a child uses language that has been echoed from another that is now being repeated at a later time. Delayed echolalia can happen hours, days, weeks, months, or years after the initial time it was heard.

Examples of Gestalts or scripts:

• “Roll-over Roll-over”

• “Time to go!”

• “Hey look!”

• “It’s a beautiful day”

• “Oh no my balloon broke”

• “You’re cooked!”

How do we treat Gestalt Language Processors?

We treat Gestalt Language Processors by following the child’s lead through play therapy. Our goal is to figure out the meaning behind the Gestalts the child is using. When a child is using a Gestalt, this “phrase” or “chunk” of language has taken on a specific meaning to them, and they are trying to apply it to their environment.

Our main goal of therapy is to help build the child’s Gestalts by providing them with appropriate Gestalts that are more functional for language use. As speech therapists, it is our goal to model more Gestalts that are easily mitigatable. Mitigatable meaning these Gestalts can be broken into smaller pieces of language and combined with other Gestalts that the child has.

Author: Brittany Schoellkopf M.S., CCC-SLP