I was just thinking about creating a thread on this!! Thank you for sharing.
My DS is 3.5 as well, and we’ve seen SALT recently who said he’s a Gestalt Language Processor.
That basically means he learns language differently—he picks up chunks or phrases of speech rather than starting with single words. So instead of saying just “milk,” he might say a whole phrase like “I want milk” that he’s heard before.
Sometimes they pick up little scripts from TV shows, songs, books, or what adults say, and repeat them. It’s their way of learning language.
Over time (and with a bit of the right support), they start to break down the big phrases and build their own sentences. It’s just a different path to the same destination!
A lot of gestalt processors also use a style of speech therapy called Natural Language Acquisition (NLA), which is basically helping them gently move from big chunks to more flexible talking.
It’s actually pretty common in children who later get diagnosed with autism, but not all gestalt kids are autistic either, it’s just a different way of processing language.
I’m still learning about it myself but honestly, just knowing this made me feel a bit less worried. DC is still learning and understanding so much, they’re just doing it in their own way.
Also a lot more experienced boy mums I talk said they went same thing (one said the school didn't know what to do with DS and he would sit by himself in class) he's really smart now, doing GCSEs and predicted 9s.
Sending hugs to everyone who needs it today!