Autism/Gestalt Language Processing

Austism is a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain. Autistic children interpret the world around them in a different way. A developmental pediatrician and psychologist diagnose autism. A speech-language pathologist treats autistic children; helping them become successful communicators by building strong connections and intrinsic motivation.

Gestalt language processing is language that is learned in chunks rather than single words. A child may be echolalic and repeat phrases with similar intonation to how someone else produces it. The chunks carry meaning for the child. Others around him might not know what he is trying to say. We work on teaching this child more gestalts (i.e. “chunks”) and see which ones they like and use on their own.