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Gestallt

Tips for Capturing Gestalts at Home

When to Document

The best gestalts to capture are the ones that happen naturally. Look for:

  • Transitions — Getting in/out of the car, bath time, bedtime
  • Mealtimes — Requests, comments about food
  • Play time — Imaginative play, game requests
  • Emotional moments — Excitement, frustration, comfort-seeking
  • Unexpected contexts — When a phrase appears in a new situation

What to Include

When you add a gestalt to Gestallt, try to capture:

  1. The exact phrase — Word for word, as best you can remember
  2. The context — What was happening? Where were you?
  3. The apparent meaning — What was your child communicating?
  4. The source (if known) — Where did this phrase come from?

Quick Capture Tips

  • Use your phone — Gestallt works on mobile browsers
  • Don’t worry about perfection — A quick note is better than forgetting
  • Add details later — You can edit entries after creating them
  • Tag consistently — Use the same tags so you can filter later

What Your SLP Wants to See

Your speech-language pathologist can use your home observations to:

  • Understand how your child communicates outside therapy
  • Identify phrases to work with in sessions
  • Track progress across environments
  • Plan more relevant, meaningful goals

You Are the Expert

You see your child more than anyone else. Your observations are invaluable to the therapy process. Trust what you notice—if it seems meaningful, document it!