How can I learn more about gestalt language development?

First, welcome! We’re so happy you’ve found Meaningful Speech. We’re a team of speech-language pathologists who are specialists in gestalt language processing. We are neurodiversity-affirming therapists and are passionate about educating others about the importance of child-led therapy to support gestalt language processors. We share resources on gestalt language development, play and neurodiversity-affirming therapy across our platforms and on our website. If you’re at the beginning of your journey learning about these topics, below are some free and paid options available through Meaningful Speech. 

Free options from Meaningful Speech to learn more 

• Masterclass on Echolalia and Child-Led Therapy. If you’re completely new to all of this or you’re on the fence about whether you want to purchase a paid option, start by taking our free Masterclass. This is a perfect starting point for anyone, parents, professionals, family members, etc. You can enroll in the free masterclass here. 
• Meaningful Speech Blog. We post a new blog post every Thursday on various topics related to gestalt language development, play, and neurodiversity-affirming services. Our blog posts cover many of our most-asked questions in a longer format than our social accounts. It’s a great resource to print out or share with families as a clinician or with family members or professionals as a parent of a gestalt language processor. We’ve covered many topics in relation to gestalt language development so far, such as basic introductory information about gestalt language development and the stages, school supports and IEP goals, AAC, receptive language and comprehension, music supports, literacy, bilingualism, compliance-based therapy, potty training and more! Sign up for our email list to be notified each week.
• Follow us on socials. We are active on Instagram and Facebook and our profiles are filled with educational posts and short videos (reels) on gestalt language development, play, and child-led therapy. It’s a great start to learning more about our most-asked questions in a shorter format than our courses/products/blog. We show therapy in-action, examples of each stage, provide course and product updates, as well weekly Q&A’s. We have highlights at the top of our profile that round-up our top posts organized by topic, and have pinned some of our most helpful posts for getting started.
• Download our freebie handout. We created a PDF handout on gestalt language development and delayed echolalia (the first stage in this developmental process). This handout is currently available in English and Spanish! Signing up for this freebie handout will also add you to our email list. Joining our email list allows you to be the first one to know when we release new courses or products (or updates to our current courses/products!), blog posts, sales, events/training, and more! This freebie/email sign up is available right on the home pages of our website.  
• Listen to our podcast episodes. Our founder of Meaningful Speech, Alexandria Zachos, has done many podcast interviews about gestalt language development. We have compiled all of these interviews into one place on our website, to make them easy to find and access at any time. 
• Review the research and resources on our website. We have a section on our website that links out to courses, webinars, YouTube videos, Podcast episodes, social media accounts, literature and research articles. We also have a handout you can download as well.  

Paid options from Meaningful Speech to learn more 

We are having a 4-day flash sale on all of our paid resources! The sale runs until tomorrow, 5/31/24 at midnight CT. Our courses, Handbook and Marketplace are all 20% off using the code:  SUMMER (all caps) at check out. The code only applies to full-price purchases and is not applicable to payment plan options. 

• Take our courses. We have two self-paced courses available for parents and professionals.
• Our Original Meaningful Speech course covers foundational information about gestalt language development, and will help you advance your understanding and skills quickly to deliver therapy or support your child at home. We have hours of bonus content from experts in the field on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), motor planning, sensory processing, autism, and more! The course includes client videos, handouts, and an exclusive member’s community. We offer 26.5 professional development hours (PDH) for speech-language pathologists/assistants. Learn more or enroll in the course here.   
• Our AAC for Gestalt Language Processors course is a self-paced course that will teach you how to identify, evaluate, and support gestalt language processors (GLPs) who currently communicate using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) or who you think may benefit from AAC. The course includes client videos, handouts, an exclusive member’s community, and seven bonus modules to learn how to program different devices for gestalt language processors. We offer 10.5 professional development hours (PDH) for speech-language pathologists/assistants. Learn more or enroll in the course here. 

• Host us for a live training. We provide live trainings on gestalt language development and neurodiversity-affirming child-led therapy. Our live trainings are hosted by individuals, clinics and organizations around the world. If you’re interested in hosting us, you can contact us here to learn more. You can see our upcoming live trainings there as well. 
• Schedule a consultation. We offer virtual parent and professional consultations. These are available to anyone worldwide because they are not therapy sessions. During consultations, we will answer any of your questions about gestalt language development and can help with language sample analysis or home video review, provide guidance on running neurodiversity-affirming sessions and discuss actionable steps and strategies to support the gestalt language processors in your life. Schedule a consultation here. 

Where else can I learn more about gestalt language development?

Below are more reputable sources for more information about gestalt language development. 

• Communication Development Center. This is Marge Blanc’s website and it is filled with free information on all of the stages of gestalt language development, Natural Language Acquisition framework and other topics such as speech, regulation, multimodal communication and musical support. You can also find links to her Natural Language Acquisition book, articles she has written and video discussions/stories. Information is available in many languages including: English, Spanish, Dutch, Arabic, French and Hindi. 
• Natural Communication. Dr. Amanda Blackwell and Paulina Elias provide free and paid courses and resources in both Spanish and English (with more languages on the way) on gestalt language development and Natural Language Acquisition. 
• Dr. Barry Prizant's Webpage. Dr. Prizant has a webpage that lists and links out to all of his publications on echolalia and gestalt language.