How Does a Gestalt Language Evaluation Differ from a Traditional Language Evaluation?

Did you know that there are different evaluation approaches depending on a child’s language processing style? Before I learned about gestalt language processing (GLP), I was trained to believe that all children develop language in the same way and that if a child wasn’t developing language in the traditional way (called analytic language processing), they were disordered. Now that I know more about gestalt language processing, I can pick an evaluation strategy that works best for the child’s learning style so that I can get a more accurate picture of their communication skills.

In this blog, we’ll explore the differences between traditional language evaluations and GLP evaluations, highlighting how each approach evaluates children in different ways. By better understanding these differences, clinicians and parents can be more informed about the most appropriate and effective evaluation for their child’s style of language development.

Traditional Language Evaluation

Traditional language evaluations typically focus on assessing how a child is developing language in an analytic processing style. Analytic language processing is a style of language processing that has long been known as the only typical way to develop language. 

In analytic processing, children first babble, then say their first words, and then start to put two words together like building blocks to create sentences to express their ideas as they move on to more complex grammar. A traditional language evaluation typically uses standardized tests to measure a child’s language. All standardized language tests on the market currently are normed on analytic language processors.

Standardized Tests in Traditional Evaluations

• Preschool Language Scales-5 (PLS-5): This is a norm-referenced standardized test that measures receptive and expressive language skills in children ages 3-10 and is standardized on analytic language processors.

• Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAY-C): This is a norm-referenced standardized test that measures receptive and expressive language skills in young children ages 0-5 years 11 months and is standardized on analytic language processors.

• Clinical Evaluation of Language Skills-5 (CELF-5): This test is a norm-referenced standardized test that measures language skills that are important for academics and is standardized on analytic language processors.

During a traditional language assessment, your child may be asked to point to pictures, respond to questions, follow directions on demand and to demonstrate specific play skills that are considered to be “typical” in child development, such as pretend play and symbolic play. Other types of play, such as lining up toys or dropping a shiny toy to watch it fall to the ground, may not be considered.

Language samples are also often used during traditional language assessments, to get a better idea of how the child is putting together sentences, ideas and narratives. For example, the clinician may either show a wordless picture book and have the child tell a story from the pictures, or they may record their language during play to see how they ask and answer questions and use vocabulary and grammar. 

Gestalt Language Processing Evaluation

A GLP evaluation is conducted differently from a traditional language evaluation. GLP is based on the extensive research of Marge Blanc (2012) identifying that some children first acquire language in chunks or phrases—called gestalts—rather than in individual words. Repeated phrases and words can also be called echolalia. These gestalts may be complete phrases, song lyrics, or lines from familiar routines, and they are recognized as meaningful whole units instead of individual words making up a sentence. For example, a GLP would recognize the song lyric “Happybirthdaytoyou” as one chunk, whereas an analytic language processor would recognize the lyric as separate words, “Happy birthday to you.” 

Language Development in Gestalt Language Processors

For GLPs, language develops from the top down. GLPs use delayed echolalia (repetition of heard speech) as a tool for learning. They start with longer chunks of language, and then they break this language down to “free” the words into individual building blocks to eventually create their own novel ideas. 

For example, a child may hear a line from a movie during a scene where they had a strong feeling, and they may pick that line up. If the character says, “The boat is coming!” and the child felt happy when they picked up that phrase, they may say “The boat is coming!” to communicate that they are happy. Most gestalts, especially in the early stages of Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) cannot be taken literally. 

If a child is developing language through a gestalt language processing style, especially in the early stages of Natural Language Acquisition (Stages 1-3), standardized language tests will usually not measure that child’s language and knowledge accurately.

Standardized Tests vs. the Natural Language Acquisition Approach

During a GLP language evaluation, the NLA framework can be a better option instead of standardized tests, especially if a child is in the first stages of NLA (Marge Blanc 2012). GLPs need to be in at least Stage 3-4 of NLA to start to be able to answer questions. If we ask questions to GLPs who are in Stages 1 and 2 of NLA (ex. What color is this? Who is this?), it will be hard for them to answer because they haven’t broken down the language into single words yet needed to answer questions. Standardized tests tend to incorporate items that require children to answer multiple questions.

A GLP language evaluation centers on a play-based naturalistic language sample, especially for children who are in Stages 1 and 2 of NLA. During the session, the language sample can be recorded and gathered by the clinician by reducing questions to the child, and using declarative language. Instead of asking, “What color is the block?” the clinician might say, “It’s a red block” and then wait to see what the child says. The clinician may be quiet a lot of the time to let the child’s natural language emerge. It is important during a GLP evaluation to not prompt the child or lead them into a “right” answer. We want to see what the child naturally produces without prompting. 

Once the language sample is recorded, the clinician typically goes back and transcribes and analyzes it using the NLA framework. The main question we are trying to answer from the language sample is: What stage of NLA is the child mostly operating in at this time? Are most of their utterances in Stage 1? Stage 2? To find this out, the clinician categorizes each of the child’s utterances into the corresponding stage of NLA. 

For example, if the phrase was taken verbatim from a movie or a song, the phrase would be categorized as Stage 1 (ex. The wheels on the bus go round and round). If the child is starting to mix and match chunks of language, those utterances would be categorized as Stage 2 (ex. It’s a ball! It’s a clock!). Then a percentage is taken to see which stage has the highest percentage. Many children produce language in several different stages of NLA at a time, but we need to see where most of their language is represented so we can know what strategies to use to help them progress through the stage of NLA on the way to the creation of novel language.

Why Does the Type of Evaluation Matter?

If we rely solely on traditional standardized tests for a language evaluation for GLPs in the early stages of NLA, this could lead to a misunderstanding of how the child is developing language and their true language skills. Evaluating GLPs in the early stages of NLA using the NLA framework is the first step in understanding their communication skills and helping their caregivers know how to support them to develop novel language.

If you’re looking for a speech therapist that offers both analytic language and gestalt language evaluations, contact me!