September 3, 2026
When Modeled Language Becomes Spontaneous
“Nessa, can you turn on the light?”
This week, I enjoyed listening to my autistic friend use language modeled for him, through the use of the Natural Language Acquisition Model (NLA). My little friend is now using language in Stage 5 where he is starting to put together complex sentences. Here is what his journey has looked like:
Stage 1 – With the use of single switch buttons mounted by location, he started to imitate the buttons. Phrases like “let’s play”, “time for bed”, “It’s an A.” He also sang full Disney Princess songs like “I See the Light” from Tangled.
Stage 2 – He started to mix and match phrases like “Let’s eat”, “Time for outside”, and “It’s a B.”
Stage 3 – This is where his language just took off! I will never forget visiting him at his daycare and he was pointing to everything! Each time he pointed, he labeled his environment. There were so many single words which then easily transitioned to two word combinations.
Stage 4 – One day, I began to hear incorrect grammar, which is a hallmark of this stage: “It’s jump a bunny.”
Stage 5 – This stage has been so exciting to witness. He introduced me to his aunt when she came through the door of his home. “Auntie, look Ms. Nessa is here!” He asked, “Nessa, can you turn on the light?” He LOVES my pom-pom poppers and using language modeled in a previous session, learned the difference between “mine” and “yours“.
Pronouns can be especially tricky for my autistic friend, but he was crushing it. In addition, he is using “and” and “and then”.
In reference to a pom-pom’s location after being shot out of the popper, he said, “Mine is under the couch and then next to the stairs.”
I feel so grateful to be a part of his journey to become an effective communicator. I am excited to continue to model language targets and see where he takes it. I highly recommend the NLA model to build language skills!