Autism and Gestalt Language Processing

Your child may have a diagnosis of autism, or you may be wondering about autism but you haven't sought a diagnosis. Either way, I can work with you and help you navigate this territory.

Whilst autism has its challenges, I focus on the strengths of autistic children (of which there are many!)

I am a neurodiversity-affirming SLT

This means that I:

Encourage your child to meet their sensory needs, e.g. for movement
Work with your child’s enthusiasms and passions
Adopt a child-led, play-based approach, so that therapy is fun and engaging

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I am a GLP trained SLT

I have undertaken training with Marge Blanc and Alex Zachos and am registered on both of their websites:

Communication Development Center

Meaningful Speech

Is your child a Gestalt Language Processor?

Gestalt Language Processors tend to:

Listen to the musicality of language, and copy intonation patterns of whole phrases rather than single words.
Absorb language in longer chunks, so whole phrases and sentences, rather than isolated words. Songs and scripts from tv or video clips often appeal to them.
Associate specific phrases with certain sensory or emotional experiences, and make unique connections between these.

Autistic children may not say anything yet, but we can encourage their voices by making use of movement. This will help them to breathe more deeply, and vocalise more. If they can laugh, squeal and cry out in excitement, this can help build the foundations for speech development.

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The Stages of Natural Language Acquisition

Modelling Language to a GLP

We model language in a very different way for a GLP.

For a stage 1 GLP, we will model whole phrases, like 'let's play with the helicopter!' and 'we can make it fly!'

For a stage 2 GLP, we model how phrases can be 'mix-and-matched'. For example 'let's roll on the therapy ball!' and 'let's jump over!'

A GLP-trained SLT will help you model the appropriate language for your child's stage.