Natural Language Acquisition: Stage 3

Your child has gone through NLA stage 1 (echolalia) and been using NLA stage 2 (mitigation) steadily and now is ready to be supported in NLA stage 3 (referential). You may be hearing single word labels now that aren't single word gestalts. I like to model around whatever the child is playing with or interested in. If playing with cars I'll model things like: car, red car, blue car, truck, car down, race track, car track, track, one car,, car dirty, car wash, gas, tire, truck car. It is not time to model verbs at this stage. It takes some practice getting used to not modeling gestalts!

But you can do it! Just practice!:)

Lia Douglas

Lia Douglas is a dedicated speech-language pathologist with 29 years of experience, specializing in neurodivergent-affirming speech therapy practices. Over five years ago, she founded Beach Speech Pediatric Therapy in Gulf Shores, AL, where she provides compassionate, individualized care to children and their families. Lia is deeply passionate about fostering inclusivity and equipping families with positive, affirming strategies to support their children’s unique strengths and communication needs. Her commitment to creating supportive environments where every child can thrive has made her a trusted advocate and resource in the community.

Previous
Previous

Neurodiversity: what does it mean?

Next
Next

Sensory Meltdowns