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This NLA Level 3 Course presents an all-new look at Natural Language Acquisition (NLA) treatment. This comprehensive, 10.5 hour program includes every aspect of supporting gestalt language development, including physical supports for self-regulation. Presented are strategies for individualizing treatment for gestalt language processors of any age – from 18 months to 28 years.

After a short review of the Stages of Natural Language Acquisition, four case examples are presented to illustrate the variety of considerations in individualizing treatment. Extensive videos, language samples, and goal-writing examples are included, complemented by a look at the groundbreaking work in the neuroscience of relationship. An in-depth study of the juxtaposition of NLA Stage 3 and the pre-sentence grammatical structures that support self-generated language will provide the SLP with a solid foundation for supporting developmental grammar. A separate section addresses language gestalts as carriers of meaning and emotion.

The final section features comments from a variety of individuals about their experiences with NLA and their hopes for the future. The resounding feeling is of optimism, and a future in which gestalt language acquisition is well-understood as simply one kind of natural language acquisition − so that treatment can more fully-address clients’ individual profiles. Course is offered for 1.05 ASHA CEUs − 10.5 contact hours.