GLPs follow these stages to reach spontaneous, flexible language:
Stage 1: Delayed Echolalia
Use of gestalts, whole or single words, with rich intonation. These gestalts hold a larger meaning and come from something the child has heard from songs, people, videos, or books.
Stage 2: Mix and Match
Use of partial gestalts as they mitigate longer gestalts into smaller chunks. Taking parts of one gestalt and adding them to a part of another gestalt, or shortening longer gestalts.
Stage 3: Singe Words and Word Combinations
Breaking gestalts down into single words and combining those words to make new word combinations. Words are now single units of meaning that can be put with other single words to make self-generated language.
Stages 4-6: New, Original Language and Grammar
Building their own phrases and sentences and beginning to develop grammar. You can start to support grammar at stage 4. Complex grammar emerges in stages 5 and 6.
If you think your child is a GLP, give us a call for a free phone consultation or see Meaningful Speech for free resources, parent courses, and more!
Here are our GLP posts for more info:
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