Why Use Tags to Organize Gestalts

NOTE: If you’re not sure what gestalts are, the simplest description is respecting the “scripts” a child uses and sharing what they mean with others. I’ve written about my personal experience here.

Organizing information is one way neurodivergent folks, like autistic people, differ from others. For example, I often picture problems like exploded cut-away diagrams in an instruction manual—that’s just how my brain processes information.

Other people are different, which is why a one-size-fits-all organizational strategy doesn’t make sense—especially in a growing area like Gestalt Language Processing (GLP). Here’s a simple story that explains the dilemma.

Folders and Twister in the Living Room

When I explained Gestallt—O’s phrasebook—to his grandparents, they got it quickly. Tags were harder. Most people are used to folders (desktops, laptops, card catalogs).

Folders are great when the people recording information know exactly how the people searching will look for it. With Gestallt, I don’t know what O’s teachers, SLP, or grandparents will want to know about his gestalts.

To show them, I asked five of us to line up and step forward if a label applied:

• People with our last name (all five)
• Grandmothers (one)
• Boys (three: me, O, and O’s grandfather)
• Mothers (O’s mom and his grandmother)

“How would you represent all those overlaps with folders?” Heads shook.

I wanted Gestallt to be as flexible as the people using it. Plenty of apps use tags/labels (Gmail labels, social hashtags), so I chose tags.

One User’s Strategy

If you work with an SLP experienced in GLP, they may have a rubric with many coding dimensions. Common ones include:

• Function — what the gestalt tries to convey
• Sentiment — angry/happy, etc.
• Location — school, home, playground
• Source — a YouTube clip, a family phrase, etc.

That level of detail helps research, but it can overwhelm teams. For O’s interventionists, I didn’t want to create barriers. Instead, I focus on what other adults will search when communicating with O:

1. Function — like a phrasebook in a foreign country, knowing the intent is crucial.
2. Strength — O has one very strong “no.” Adults need to know so they can re-direct appropriately.
3. Source — many of O’s gestalts are participatory; knowing the source gives adults a chance to build trust by joining his world.

How to Start Tags If You Don’t Know Where to Start

Every case is different, and a blank page can be intimidating. You’ve probably been explaining your child’s gestalts—maybe without the term—for years.

In the app:

1. Start with the gestalt and context. Write two sentences you’d tell a babysitter or a new teacher.
2. Add the tags you would search later (feelings, places, sources, routines).
3. Keep it simple. You can edit tags anytime. Even starting with just Peppa Pig, happy is fine.

Try It Out

Gestallt is free to try, and we’re happy to provide data in spreadsheet form for parents and team members who no longer want to use the service.

If you want a shared, flexible way to help everyone understand your child’s language, sign up today: https://www.gestallt.app/register