Echolalia has traditionally been considered to be a deviant, nonfunc tional behaviour. In contrast, an alternative perspective on echolalia has been proposed by considering the characteristics of echolalia in relation
to a continuum of processing styles ranging from GESTALT to ANALYTIC.
This paper applies a gestalt processing model to describe in depth the
language-learning patterns of the echolalic child. Special emphasis is
placed on how this processing model alters and expands our definition
of echolalia and its role in the process of language acquisition.
Application of the gestalt model in assessment and intervention is
discussed.
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