How to Collaborate with Your Gestalt Language Processor’s School-Based Team
As parents and professionals supporting autistic children, we all want to ensure that they are supported in every environment they navigate—especially at school, where communication plays a vital role in learning and social interaction. If your child is a Gestalt Language Processor (GLP), advocating for their specific communication needs within the school system can feel overwhelming. But with the right strategies and tools, you can help teachers and therapists better understand your child’s unique language journey.
At The Great Language Partner Program, we believe in empowering parents with the knowledge and confidence to advocate for their child’s individual needs, especially when it comes to supporting gestalt language development in educational settings.
Here’s how you can get started advocating for your child’s GLP needs in school, ensuring they receive the support that helps them thrive.
Learn about your child’s unique language development.
The first step in advocating for your child is understanding GLP and how your child is acquiring language. Gestalt Language Processors learn language in chunks or "gestalts" (often phrases or scripts) that are defined by intonation and tied to emotional or meaningful experiences. Over time, GLPs break these chunks down as they develop more flexible, self-generated language.
Make sure you’re familiar with what this process entails, how your child uses and understands language, and how their development might differ from what we’ve traditionally expected or understood. This knowledge will give you the confidence to explain your child’s needs to teachers and staff in a way that is clear and actionable. Our free workshop is a great place to start to learn how to support your child’s language development-
2. Share Information with Your Child’s School Team
Many teachers and therapists might not be familiar with GLP or how it impacts language development. This is your chance to educate and inform. When meeting with your child’s school team, be sure to:
Explain GLP: Help teachers understand how your child processes language, why they might use echolalia, and how these patterns are a meaningful part of their communication journey.
Provide Resources: Share articles, research, or guides (like our free downloadable resources) with school staff. Providing concrete information can help bridge any knowledge gaps.
Highlight Strengths: Emphasize your child’s unique communication strengths and how teachers can support them by using the phrases and scripts your child already enjoys.
3. Advocate for GLP in IEPs
The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a powerful tool for ensuring your child’s language needs are addressed in school. During IEP meetings, focus on how GLP can be incorporated into the goals and strategies outlined for your child.
Here are some tips for advocating effectively in an IEP meeting:
Request Specific Language Goals: Work with the IEP team to include goals that are specific to your child’s gestalt language stage. For example, if your child is in the echolalia phase, a goal could be focused on helping them combine gestalts or use meaningful phrases in context.
Want to see a list of my favorite goals for GLPs? This resource from my friend Amy Zembriski (@amyz.theslp) is my go-to for goal writing! Use code NICOLE for 10% off at checkout!
Promote a Neuro-affirming Approach: Advocate for therapy approaches that support GLP, like child-led, play-based sessions. Encourage the school to adopt strategies that respect your child’s natural language progression rather than focusing on rote, word-by-word speech models. Share our podcast with your child’s team for all of our most up-to-date strategies and ideas!
Involve Speech Therapists: Make sure that your child’s speech therapist is on board with GLP techniques and includes them in their therapy plan. The more aligned everyone is, the better your child’s progress will be.
4. Build a Collaborative Relationship with the School
Advocating for your child’s GLP needs is most effective when you build a strong, collaborative relationship with the school team. Here’s how to foster that partnership:
Be Consistent: Regularly check in with teachers, therapists, and aides to see how things are going. Provide feedback and stay involved in discussions about your child’s progress.
Celebrate Wins: When you see your child making strides—whether it's using a new phrase or interacting with peers—share these wins with the school team. Positive reinforcement goes a long way in strengthening collaboration.
Stay Patient and Persistent: Advocating for your child’s unique communication needs can be a process, but consistency and open communication are key. Remember, you know your child best, and your voice matters!
5. Use Our FREE Gestalt Meaning Tracker as a way to Collaborate with Your GLP’s whole team!
Record your child’s language samples, and do the detective work together to uncover the meaning of your child’s gestalts. Use this collaborative working document with your child’s whole IEP team so everyone is on the same page with modeling!
Want to learn more about how to best support your unique gestalt language processor’s communication development? Our course is ideal for any parent or professional who wants to become their child’s best language partner. Learn more about the self-paced program here!
