Gestallt

How Gestallt works

A simple loop: capture observations at home, structure them for clinical use, share with your team, and review progress over time.

1

Capture

A parent hears their child say something meaningful—a mitigated gestalt, a new phrase in context, an emotional echo from a movie. They open Gestallt and log it before the moment is lost.

Example entry

Phrase: "To infinity and beyond... the park!"
Context: Getting ready to leave for the playground, very excited
Tags: transition, excitement, movie-script

Flexible Mode tip: Don't worry about getting it perfect. Capture the phrase and enough context to remember what was happening. You can always add details later.

2

Structure (optional)

The SLP or parent can add clinical structure to make the entry more useful for therapy planning. This step is optional—Flexible Mode entries are valuable on their own.

Adding clinical structure

Stage: 2 (Mitigated gestalt)
Feeling: Happy
Location: Home
Function: Request / anticipation
Source: Toy Story (movie)
Notes: Combined movie script with destination—first time pairing these
GLP Stages (1–6)
  • 1: Echolalia (whole scripts)
  • 2: Mitigated gestalts (mixed/modified)
  • 3: Isolated words extracted
  • 4: Original phrases
  • 5: Complex grammar
  • 6: Spontaneous, flexible language
Why structure helps
  • Filter entries by stage to see progress
  • Identify patterns across contexts
  • Plan therapy targets with real examples
  • Share concrete evidence with the team
3

Share

The entry is immediately visible to everyone on the team. The SLP can review it before the next session without a phone call or email thread.

Team access

Parent (Admin) SLP (Member) Teacher (Member) OT (Member)
Invite by email

Team admins (usually parents) invite members by email. Invites are verified and members see only their team's data.

Multi-team support

Professionals can join multiple teams and switch between them. Each team's data is completely isolated.

4

Review

Filter entries by stage, context, tags, or date range. See patterns emerge. Prepare for sessions with concrete examples.

Review views

By Stage

See all Stage 2 entries to track mitigation progress

By Context

Compare home vs. school vs. therapy observations

Timeline

See recent entries and celebrate milestones

5

Progress

Over time, the record becomes a rich history of communication development. Concrete examples replace vague impressions. Progress becomes visible.

What progress looks like: More Stage 3–4 entries appearing. New contexts where language is used. Phrases that started as echolalia becoming flexible. The team celebrating together because everyone can see it.

The collaboration loop

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                 │
│    Parent                          SLP / Therapist              │
│    ──────                          ───────────────              │
│                                                                 │
│    1. Observes phrase              4. Reviews before session    │
│           │                               │                     │
│           ▼                               ▼                     │
│    2. Captures in Gestallt         5. Adds clinical structure   │
│           │                               │                     │
│           └───────────┬───────────────────┘                     │
│                       │                                         │
│                       ▼                                         │
│              Shared team record                                 │
│                       │                                         │
│           ┌───────────┴───────────┐                             │
│           │                       │                             │
│           ▼                       ▼                             │
│    6. Progress visible      7. Therapy informed                 │
│       to whole team            by real examples                 │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        

Common scenarios

What if I can't remember the exact phrase?

Capture what you can. "Something about going to the park, mixed with Buzz Lightyear" is more useful than nothing. Add [approximate] in your context notes.

What if I don't know the stage?

Leave it blank. Flexible Mode doesn't require stages. Your SLP can add stage classification later, or you can discuss it together.

What if the same phrase happens in different contexts?

Create separate entries. Seeing "to infinity and beyond" used at the park, at bedtime, and during therapy tells you something different than seeing it once.

What if my SLP doesn't use Gestallt?

You can still use it as a personal capture tool. When you're ready, invite them by email. Many SLPs appreciate having structured samples ready for sessions.

Ready to start capturing?

Create a team, add your first entry, invite your SLP.