Major focus area

Speech Therapy -> Expressive Language

Short description

Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) is an intervention approach used with gestalt language processors, or those who learn language through meaningful chunks (or gestalts). NLA acknowledges the communicative intent underlying echolalia and helps the child break apart their gestalt scripts and recombine the pieces into new combinations, phrases, and sentences.

Long description

Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) is an intervention approach used with gestalt language processors, or those who learn language through meaningful chunks (or gestalts). NLA expands on the work of Prizant et al., and is a systematic way of looking at natural language development from echolalia to self-generated grammar. NLA acknowledges the communicative intent underlying echolalia and helps the child break apart their gestalt scripts and recombine the pieces into new combinations, phrases, and sentences using appropriately matched supports at each level. Marge Blanc, MA, CCC-SLP discusses the NLA Framework in her book, Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: The Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language.