GLP vs ALP ? Whats The Difference

Posted on by : Hannah Lee Tags: ,

I want you to think back to a time when a baby or toddler in your life first started to talk. Maybe it was your baby sibling, a niece or nephew, or maybe you currently have a child that is in this stage or about to enter this stage. What was the first thing that you heard them say? Was it the classic “Mama” or “Dada”? Maybe it was “ball” or “kitty”? Or was it “To infinity and beyond?” Any of the above could be true!

There are 2 different ways to learn language. Both follow a fairly consistent order but the steps differ.

The first is referred to as Analytic Language Development or Analytic Language Processing (ALP). This is the type of language development that is commonly taught and explained to new parents. In this type of language development, children learn and use a lot of single words. As they grow and develop, eventually they begin to combine these single words into 2-3 word phases and then sentences. Here’s an example:

  • Single word: Cow
  • 2 word phrase: Big cow
  • Sentences: I see a big cow.

The second type of language development is called Natural Language Acquisition or Gestalt Language Processing (GLP). This type of language development is commonly seen in Autistic individuals  but neurotypical individuals can also be GLPs. In this type of language development, children learn entire phrases or chunks of language first. These are sometimes called scripts or gestalts. These gestalts could be from TV shows, music, or from other people.  During the beginning stages of GLP, the entire script holds a meaning rather than the single words. (We will explain this more in later blog posts!) As the individual develops, they learn to mix and match these phrases and eventually they learn the significance of individual words as well! Here is an example:

  • Stage 1: Do you want to build a snowman OR Let’s go!
  • Stage 2: Let’s build a snowman
  • Stage 3: Snowman

Thinking back to the toddler in your life, are they a GLP or an ALP? It is important to note that both ALP and GLP are natural and normal ways to learn language. One is not better than the other. They are simply just different! If you have further questions do not worry! We will be sharing additional blog posts in the future that dive further into GLP. I also have linked some helpful websites below if you would like to continue exploring!

-Hannah-

Some additional resources: