Grass Roots NLP has one foot in two fields of NLP sharing the same TLA (that’s three letter acronym). Each of these fields can call Grass Roots NLP home.
In the larger world of understanding, healing, and helping people two separate methodologies have arisen that share the NLP acronym. The first is the field of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, and the second is Natural Language Paradigm.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming
The first NLP was developed by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in response to the question “what produces excellence in people?” As a result of applying their respective computer programming and linguistic skills to their direct observations of Fritz Perls, Virginia Satir and Milton Erickson, they developed a methodology for how to use language to persuade people to move from unresourceful states to resourceful ones. Their first public triumphs in applying the methods they developed were helping people with phobias learn to overcome them in record times. This NLP developed against the backdrop of traditional psychotherapies that asked “why” questions, rather than “how” questions with respect to people’s maladies.
Natural Language Paradigm
The second NLP was developed by Mark Sundberg and James Partington in response to a growing need to effectively teach language to autistic children. Natural Language Paradigm is based on B.F. Skinner’s behavioral language model, and depends upon arranging the environment to increase the children's opportunities to use language. In this environment the children are encouraged to initiate the interaction, and the object of interest is the basis for the linguistic lesson and the motivation is that on incremental successes at verbalizing, the language coach will allow the child to take possession of the object in degrees. This approach leverages the child’s own interest to propel the learning process.
The Bridge Between the Two NLP’s
Why make a connection between the two NLP’s? Because of the lessons learned in both fields by extrapolating the parallel lessons to be learned about the human mind, learning and change work whether on the autistic end of the human spectrum, or on the high-achieving end of the spectrum. One group really can teach the other a great deal even when isolated. However, our particular interest is in understanding this human spectrum in a longitudinal way. That is as autistic children learn language and mature, they must learn to cope as adolescents and eventually adults in the world. This is where Neuro-Linguistic Programming can kick in, and provide tactical and strategic social learning opportunities for them as they join society. This can be achieved through modeling, which is at the heart of Neuro-Linguistic Programming… it asks: “who has made the leap from an autistic childhood to a socially intelligent and integrated adult, and how did they do that?” Neuro-Linguistic Programming breaks these coping strategies into their constituent parts and makes them teachable to others.
The Opportunity and Call to Adventure
What is the opportunity here? Well, 1 in 150 children are born on the autistic spectrum, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming heretofore has not really approached this field. This site aims to provide a forum and as a hub for people who believe that excellent learning strategies in autistic people can be modeled and taught repeatedly. To bring these two NLP fields together will require a Grass Roots movement. Teachers, parents, psychologists, autistic adults, NLPers, we are looking for volunteers to put skin in the game and volunteer their experience in the form of content here. Let’s do something big!
Whether you’ve come to this site seeking information about NLP for self improvement, or to teach language skills to autistic children, you will find fresh content appearing over time as we both publish materials of our own, and invite other experts in both fields to contribute.
Come back often, and Contact Us for more information.
