Help communication grow during everyday moments
Wait
Pause after a prompt and give your child time to respond.
Accept
Speech, pointing, gestures, signs and AAC can all communicate.
Model
Say a short useful word or phrase without demanding repetition.
Expand
Add one idea: when your child says “car,” you might say “fast car.”
Six commonly described NLA/GLP support sets
These sets organize examples families may find useful. They do not identify a “gestalt language processor,” assign a child a stage, or require a fixed sequence. Choose material that fits the child, situation and professional guidance; accept speech, scripts, AAC, gestures, signs and the child’s own wording.
1 · Meaningful whole messages
Offer useful scripts matched to the moment: “Let’s do it again,” “I need a break,” or “Can you help me?”
2 · Flexible chunks and variations
Vary one part without drilling: “Let’s do it / make it / try it” and “I need help / more time / a quiet place.”
3 · Words and short combinations
Notice words that can combine in new ways: “more bubbles,” “need help,” “quiet place,” or “my turn.” Keep whole messages and AAC available.
4 · Original simple sentences
Model flexible requests, comments and descriptions such as “I want the blue cup” or “The train is moving.”
5 · Expanded grammar and reasoning
Offer reasons, sequences and repair: “because…,” “first…then…,” and “I meant…, not…”. Do not grade grammar.
6 · Conversation and narrative
Support explanations, perspectives, storytelling and shared problem solving: “Here is what happened first…” or “What should we try next?”
Evidence boundary: NLA stage recommendations are used by some clinicians, but their clinical validity and intervention evidence are disputed. TalkDelay presents them only as optional material categories and also supports individualized analytic, multimodal and AAC-informed practice.
Read the NLA/GLP viewpoint · Read the 2024 critical analysis
TalkDelay is an educational practice tool. It does not diagnose or replace care from a pediatrician or speech-language pathologist.