by Thanuri Charithma Somasiri
Toddlers have different ways of communicating before they start talking. For a few years, I have observed the language development journey of a late-to-talk child who used elaborate forms of gestures to communicate, such as showing, pointing and imitating. The fear that this child’s parents expressed is common to most caregivers in such a position: “If I encourage my child to use gestures, will it delay him/her from trying to talk?”. This anecdote demonstrates a common language myth, but research shows why it is a myth.
Note: this post explores gestural communication in children who are “late talkers” (It is not addressing children with Specific Language Impairments or disorders such as Down syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder). According to Lauren Lowry, a certified speech language pathologist, a late talker is “a toddler (between 18-30 months) who has good understanding of language, typically developing play skills, motor skills, thinking skills, and social skills, but has a limited spoken vocabulary for his/her age”.
Development of gestures
The use of gestures occur at different stages of language acquisition. For instance, between 9 and 12 months of age, children begin to make requests by pointing, showing and reaching the hands out with open and closed grasping motions. These gestures usually occur before children start to talk. At around two years of age, children develop “iconic gestures” which are movements that imaginatively represent objects or actions. An example is flapping their arms to represent a bird. Children combine words and gestures at this stage. However, late talkers tend to compensate for their lack of words through constant use of gestures.
So, if we encourage the frequent use of gestures by late talkers, will it really hinder their speech development? The empirical answer is: NO, it will not delay your child’s drive to speak. In fact, research shows that gestures facilitate children’s language development and use.
What do gestures tell us about child language development?
A common misconception among caregivers is that verbal skills are the main indicator of brain development. However, gestures themselves demonstrate children’s cognitive development – that is, it’s a sign that they understand certain concepts. For example, if a child holds up the thumb and brings his/her hand towards the mouth while looking at a cup, it indicates that the child understands the functional use of a cup. Gestures serve many purposes, like helping children communicate, filling in when they cannot find the right words, and basically acting as a stepping stone towards spoken language. In fact, children who produce more gestures at early ages have larger expressive vocabularies later on. Even after children start to talk, gestures help in retrieving words from the child’s memory. This is especially important in a multilingual context like Sri Lanka, where children need additional support when acquiring two or more languages simultaneously.
A significant study was done by professors Donna Thal and Elizabeth Bates from University of California, which demonstrates that the use or non-use of early gestures in children serves as an indicator of underlying language disorders. They differentiate between “late bloomers” and “truly late talkers”. Late bloomers are children who comprehend and use gestures a lot during 1-3 years of age, and they catch up with their peers in spoken language skills over time. On the other hand, truly late talkers are those who hardly use gestures and have difficulties in understanding concepts. They usually have underlying language impairments which delay the onset of speech later on. This shows that children’s use of gestures is a sign that their speech will develop later on, whereas the lack of gestural production is a possible indicator of underlying language disorders which requires medical attention.
How can parents help children’s language development by using gestures?
As parents, you can take steps to ease daily communication for your late talking child and help them cross the bridge towards speech development. Here are some things you can do at home:
Make sure to use gestures and speech together in interactions. When gestures and words convey the same information, it would be ingrained in the child’s mind. For example, saying the word “cat” while pointing at a cat helps the child associate the word with the real life objects
Use pointing/showing gestures in everyday interactions. This encourages joint attention, which is essential in language development.
Use more iconic gestures when talking with your child. It will help the child learn words without overburdening their memory with sound sequences. Research shows that using gestures that highlight the shape and function of an object makes it easier for children to grasp concepts.
Key Takeaways
All things considered, it is clear that the use of gestures does not hinder the development of speech in late talking children. In fact, communication barriers can often frustrate little ones, so it is important to encourage gestures as a form of communication to boost children’s confidence in their journey to find words. However, it is equally important to seek clinical attention if children do not produce gestures or words at the expected age.