Cover not available
Part of
Why Gesture?: How the hands function in speaking, thinking and communicating
Edited by Ruth Breckinridge Church, Martha W. Alibali and Spencer D. Kelly
[Gesture Studies 7] 2017
► pp. 331–351

Chapter 15
Gesture’s role in learning interactions

A focus on clinical populations

| Kennedy Krieger Institute
| University of Pittsburgh

Gesture difficulties in childhood may be found for some clinical populations with communication and language difficulties, while gesture may be used to compensate for difficulties in other children. Thus, the potential for gesture to supplement interaction and learning opportunities may be both limited and harnessed to support learning. Bidirectional relations during interactions between child and adult provide a mechanism through which gesture may be harnessed to support learning in clinical populations. For instance, the information conveyed in children’s gestures can influence the input that adults provide to children and this input, particularly gesture, can then support children’s learning during these interactions. Through both formal (e.g., interventions) and informal interactions, gesture provides opportunities to support rich interactions and learning in clinical populations.

Article outline
  • Gesture production by children from clinical populations
    • Children with language impairment
    • Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
    • Children with Down Syndrome
    • Children at risk for language delays
    • Summary
  • Gestural support for social interaction and language development
    • Child gesture can elicit responses from adults during social interactions that support learning
    • Gestures that adults produce when communicating with children with language delays can enrich interactions and learning opportunities
  • Concluding summary
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 26 April 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/gs.7.16leb
References
American Psychiatric Association
2013 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th Ed). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Baio, Jon
2012 “Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders: Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring Network, 14 sites, United States, 2008.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Surveillance Summaries. 61 (3): 1–19.Google Scholar
Bates, Elizabeth, Benigni, Laura, Bretherton, Inge, Camaioni, Luigia, & Volterra, Virginia
1979 The Emergence of Symbols. New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Bates, Elizabeth, & Dick, Frederic
2002 “Language, gesture, and the developing brain.” Developmental Psychobiology 40: 293–310. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Blake, Joanna, Myszczyszyn, Debbie, Jokel, Ariela, & Bebiroglu, Neda
2008 “Gestures accompanying speech in specifically language-impaired children and their timing with speech.” First Language 28 (2): 237–253. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bondy, Andrew S., & Frost, Lori A.
1994 “The picture exchange communication system.” Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities 9 (3): 1–19. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Butterworth, George, & Morissette, Paul
1996 “Onset of pointing and the acquisition of language in infants.” Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology 14 (3): 219–231. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Capone, Nina, & McGregor, Karla
2005 “The effect of semantic representation on toddlers’ word retrieval.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 48: 1468–1480. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Chapman, Robin S., & Hesketh, Linda J.
2000 “Behavioral phenotype of individuals with Down syndrome.” Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 6 (2): 84–95. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Colgan, Siobhan E., Lanter, Elizabeth, McComish, Cara, Watson, Linda R., Crais, Elizabeth R., & Baranek, Grace T.
2006 “Analysis of social interaction gestures in infants with autism.” Child Neuropsychology 12 (4–5): 307–319. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dawson, Geraldine, Rogers, Sally, Munson, Jeffrey, Smith, Milani, Winter, Jamie, Greenson, Jessica, … & Varley, Jennifer
2010 “Randomized, controlled trial of an intervention for toddlers with autism: the Early Start Denver Model.” Pediatrics 125 (1): e17-e23. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Delprato, Dennis J.
2001 “Comparisons of discrete-trial and normalized behavioral language intervention for young children with autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 31 (3): 315–325. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
de Marchena, Ashley, & Eigsti, Inge-Marie
2010 “Conversational gestures in autism spectrum disorders: Asynchrony but not decreased frequency.” Autism Research 3 (6): 311–322. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Demir, Özlem Ece, Levine, Susan. C., & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2010 “Narrative skill in children with early unilateral brain injury: A possible limit to functional plasticity.” Developmental Science, 13 (4): 636–647. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Demir, Özlem Ece, Fisher, Joan. A., Goldin-Meadow, Susan, & Levine, Susan
2014 “Narrative processing in typically developing children and children with early unilateral brain injury: Seeing gesture matters.” Developmental Psychology 50 (3): 815. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ellis, Erica M., & Thal, Donna J.
2008 “Early language delay and risk for language impairment.” SIG 1 Perspectives on Language Learning and Education 15 (3): 93–100. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Evans, Julia L., Alibali, Martha. W., & McNeil, Nicole. M.
2001 “Divergence of verbal expression and embodied knowledge: Evidence from speech and gesture in children with specific language impairment.” Language and Cognitive Processes 16 (2–3): 309–331. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fey, Marc E., Warren, Steven F., Fairchild, Martha, Sokol, Shari, & Yoder, Paul J.
2006 “Early effects of responsivity education/prelinguistic milieu teaching for children with developmental delays and their parents.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 49 (3): 526–547. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gamliel, Ifat, Yirmiya, Nurit, Jaffe, Dena H., Manor, Orly, & Sigman, Marian
2009 “Developmental trajectories in siblings of children with autism: Cognition and language from 4 months to 7 years.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 39 (8): 1131–1144. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, Kimberly
2008 “Milieu communication training for late talkers.” SIG 1 Perspectives on Language Learning and Education 15 (3): 112–118. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, Wendy A., Jarvis, Kelly L., Osann, Kathryn, Laulhere, Tracy M., Straub, Carol, Thomas, Erin, … & Spence, M. Anne
2005 “Brief report: Early social communication behaviors in the younger siblings of children with autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 35: 657–664. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2005 Hearing Gesture: How Our Hands Help Us Think. Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Goldin-Meadow, Susan, Goodrich, Whitney, Sauer, Eve, & Iverson, Jana
2007 “Young children use their hands to tell their mothers what to say.” Developmental Science 10 (6): 778–785. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goldstein, Howard
2002 “Communication intervention for children with autism: A review of treatment efficacy.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 32 (5): 373–396. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goodwyn, Susan W., Acredolo, Linda P., & Brown, Catherine A.
2000 “Impact of symbolic gesturing on early language development.” Journal of Nonverbal behavior 24 (2): 81–103. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gordon, Rupa Gupta, & Watson, Linda R.
2015 “Brief report: Gestures in children at risk for autism spectrum disorders.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders: 1–7.Google Scholar
Ingersoll, Brooke
2012 “Brief report: Effect of a focused imitation intervention on social functioning in children with autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 42 (8): 1768–1773. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ingersoll, Brooke, & Lalonde, Katherine
2010 “The impact of object and gesture imitation training on language use in children with autism spectrum disorder.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 53 (4): 1040–1051. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ingersoll, Brooke, Lewis, Elizabeth, & Kroman, Emily
2007 “Teaching the imitation and spontaneous use of descriptive gestures in young children with autism using a naturalistic behavioral intervention.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 37 (8): 1446–1456. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iverson, Jana M., & Braddock, Barbara A.
2011 “Gesture and motor skill in relation to language in children with language impairment.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 54: 72–86 DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iverson, Jana M., & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2005 “Gesture paves the way for language development.” Psychological Science 16 (5): 367–371. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iverson, Jana M., Longobardi, Emiddia, & Caselli, M. Cristina
2003 “Relationship between gestures and words in children with Down's syndrome and typically developing children in the early stages of communicative development.” International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 38 (2): 179–197. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Iverson, Jana M., Longobardi, Emiddia, Spampinato, Katia, & Caselli, M. Cristina
2006 “Gesture and speech in maternal input to children with Down’s syndrome.” International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 41 (3): 235–251. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kelly, Spencer
2001 “Broadening the units of analysis in communication: Speech and nonverbal behaviours in pragmatic comprehension.” Journal of Child Language 28 (02): 325–349. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kendon, Adam
1994 “Do gestures communicate? A review.” Research on Language and Social Interaction 27 (3): 175–200. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Koegel, Lynn Kern
2000 “Interventions to facilitate communication in autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 30 (5): 383–391. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Landa, Rebecca
2007 “Early communication development and intervention for children with autism.” Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews 13 (1): 16–25. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Landa, Rebecca J., Holman, Katherine C., O’Neill, Allison H., & Stuart, Elizabeth A.
2011 “Intervention targeting development of socially synchronous engagement in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder: A randomized controlled trial.” Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 52 (1): 13–21. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
LeBarton, Eve Sauer, Goldin-Meadow, Susan, & Raudenbush, Stephen
2015 “Experimentally-induced increases in early gesture lead to increases in spoken vocabulary.” Journal of Cognition and Development 16 (2): 199–220. 15248372.2013.858041. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
LeBarton, Eve Sauer, & Iverson, Jana M.
2016 “Gesture development in toddlers with an older sibling with autism.” International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 51 (1): 18–30. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leezenbaum, Nina B., Campbell, Susan B., Butler, Derrecka & Iverson, Jana M.
2014 “Maternal verbal responses to communication of infants at low and heightened risk of autism.” Autism 18 (6): 694–703. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Leonard, Laurence B.
2014 Children with Specific Language Impairment. MIT Press.Google Scholar
Lord, Catherine, Risi, Susan, DiLavore, Pamela S., Shulman, Cory, Thurm, Audrey, & Pickles, Andrew
2006 “Autism from 2 to 9 years of age.” Archives of General Psychiatry 63 (6): 694–701. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mainela-Arnold, Elina, Alibali, Martha. W., Hostetter, Autumn B., & Evans, Julia L.
2014 “Gesture – speech integration in children with specific language impairment.” International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 49 (6): 761–770. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mainela-Arnold, Elina, Alibali, Martha W., Ryan, Kristin, & Evans, Julia L.
2011 “Knowledge of mathematical equivalence in children with specific language impairment: Insights from gesture and speech.” Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools 42 (1): 18–30. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mastrogiuseppe, Marilina, Capirci, Olga, Cuva, Simone, & Venuti, Paola
2015 “Gestural communication in children with autism spectrum disorders during mother – child interaction.” Autism 19 (4): 469–481. 1362361314528390. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Masur, Elise Frank
1982 “Mothers' responses to infants' object-related gestures: Influences on lexical development.” Journal of Child Language 9 (01): 23–30. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McNeil, Nicole M., Alibali, Martha W., & Evans, Julia. L.
2000 “The role of gesture in children's comprehension of spoken language: Now they need it, now they don't.” Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 24 (2): 131–150. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Medeiros, Kristen
& 2014 “Parent – child gesture use during problem solving in autistic spectrum disorder.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 44 (8): 1946–1958. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Meltzoff, Andrew N.
1988 “Infant imitation after a 1-week delay: long-term memory for novel acts and multiple stimuli.” Developmental Psychology 24 (4): 470–476. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Meltzoff, Andrew N., & Moore, M. Keith
1977 “Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human neonates.” Science 198 (4312): 75–78. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, Shelley, Brian, Jessica, Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie, Roberts, Wendy, Szatmari, Peter, Smith, Isabel, & Bryson, Susan
2006 “Early language and communication development of infants later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.” Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics 27: S69–S78. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Morford, Marolyn, & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
1992 “Comprehension and production of gesture in combination with speech in one-word speakers.” Journal of Child Language 19 (03): 559–580. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mullen, Eileen M.
1995 Mullen Scales of Early Learning (AGS ed). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service, Inc.Google Scholar
Mundy, Peter, Delgado, Christine, Block, Jessica, Venezia, Meg, Hogan, Anne, and Seibert, Jeffrey
2003 Early Social Communication Scales (ESCS). Coral Gables, FL: University of Miami.Google Scholar
Mundy, Peter, Sigman, Marian, & Kasari, Connie
1990 “A longitudinal study of joint attention and language development in autistic children.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 20 (1): 115–128. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Namy, Laura L., Acredolo, Linda, & Goodwyn, Susan
2000 “Verbal labels and gestural routines in parental communication with young children.” Journal of Nonverbal Behavior 24 (2): 63–79. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Oono, Inalegwu P., Honey, Emma. J., & McConachie, Helen
2013 “Early intervention delivered by parents for young children with autism spectrum disorders.” Health.Google Scholar
Özçalışkan, Şeyda, & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2005 “Do parents lead their children by the hand?” Journal of Child Language 32: 481–505. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ozonoff, Sally, Young, Gregory S., Carter, Alice, Messinger, Daniel, Yirmiya, Nurit, Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie, … & Stone, Wendy L.
2011 “Recurrence risk for autism spectrum disorders: a Baby Siblings Research Consortium study.” Pediatrics 128 (3): e488–e495.Google Scholar
Parladé, Meaghan V., & Iverson, Jana M.
2015 “The development of coordinated communication in infants at heightened risk for autism spectrum disorder.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders: 1–17.Google Scholar
Rowe, Meredith, & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2009a “Early gesture selectively predicts later language learning.” Developmental Science 12: 182–187. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rowe, Meredith L., & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2009b “Differences in early gesture explain SES disparities in child vocabulary size at school entry.” Science 323: 951–953. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rozga, Agata, Hutman, Ted, Young, Gregory S., Rogers, Sally J., Ozonoff, Sally, Dapretto, Mirella, & Sigman, Marian
2011 “Behavioral profiles of affected and unaffected siblings of children with autism: Contributions of measures of mother-infant interaction and nonverbal communication.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 41: 287–301. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sameroff, Arnold
2009 The Transactional Model. American Psychological Association. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sauer, Eve, Levine, Susan C., & Goldin-Meadow, Susan
2010 “Early gesture predicts language delay in children with pre-or perinatal brain lesions.” Child Development 81 (2): 528–539. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Singer Harris, Naomi G., Bellugi, Ursula, Bates, Elizabeth, Jones, Wendy, & Rossen, Michael
1997 “Contrasting profiles of language development in children with Williams and Down syndromes.” Developmental Neuropsychology 13 (3): 345–370. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
So, Wing Chee, Wong, Miranda K. Y., Lui, Ming, & Yip, Virginia
2014 “The development of co-speech gesture and its semantic integration with speech in 6-to 12-year-old children with autism spectrum disorders.” Autism, 1362361314556783.Google Scholar
Sowden, Hannah, Clegg, Judy, & Perkins, Michael
2013 “The development of co-speech gesture in the communication of children with autism spectrum disorders.” Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics 27 (12): 922–939. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stefanini, Silvia, Caselli, Maria Cristina, & Volterra, Virginia
2007 “Spoken and gestural production in a naming task by young children with Down syndrome.” Brain and Language 101 (3): 208–221. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Stone, Wendy L., Ousley, Opal Y., Yoder, Paul J., Hogan, Kerry L., & Hepburn, Susan L.
1997 “Nonverbal communication in two-and three-year-old children with autism.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 27 (6): 677–696. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Talbott, Meagan R., Nelson, Charles A., & Tager-Flusberg, Helen
2015 “Maternal gesture use and language development in infant siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 45 (1): 4–14. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Thal, Donna
2005 “Early detection of risk for language impairment: What are the best strategies?” Paper presented at the annual convention of the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association, San Diego, CA.
Thal, Donna, Tobias, Stacy, & Morrison, Deborah
1991 “Language and gesture in late talkers A 1-year follow-up.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 34: 604–612. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tomasello, Michael
1988 “The role of joint attentional processes in early language development.” Language Sciences 10 (1): 69–88. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vygotsky, Lev S.
1986 Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.Google Scholar
Warren, Steven F., Bredin-Oja, Shelley L., Fairchild, Martha, Finestack, Lizbeth H., Fey, Marc E., & Brady, Nancy C.
2006 “Responsivity education/prelinguistic milieu teaching.” In Treatment of Language Disorders in Children, R. J. McCauley & M. Fey (eds), 47–75. Baltimore: Brookes.Google Scholar
Watson, Linda R., Crais, Elizabeth R., Baranek, Grace T., Dykstra, Jessica R., & Wilson, Kaitlyn P.
2013 “Communicative gesture use in infants with and without autism: A retrospective home video study.” American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 22 (1): 25–39. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Weismer, Susan Ellis, & Hesketh, Linda J.
1993 “The influence of prosodic and gestural cues on novel word acquisition by children with specific language impairment.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 36 (5): 1013–1025. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wetherby, Amy M., Woods, Juliann, Allen, Lori, Cleary, Julie, Dickinson, Holly, & Lord, Catherine
2004 “Early indicators of autism spectrum disorders in the second year of life.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 34 (5): 473–493. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Winder, Breanna M., Wozniak, Robert H., Parladé, Meaghan V., & Iverson, Jana M.
2013 “Spontaneous initiation of communication in infants at low and heightened risk for autism spectrum disorders.” Developmental Psychology 49 (10): 1931. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yoder, Paul, & Stone, Wendy L.
2006 “Randomized comparison of two communication interventions for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 74 (3): 426. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Yoder, Paul J., & Warren, Steven F.
1998 “Maternal responsivity predicts the prelinguistic communication intervention that facilitates generalized intentional communication.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 41 (5): 1207–1219. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2002 “Effects of prelinguistic milieu teaching and parent responsivity education on dyads involving children with intellectual disabilities.” Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 45 (6): 1158–1174. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie, Bryson, Susan, Rogers, Tracey, Roberts, Wendy, Brian, Jessica, & Szatmari, Peter
2005 “Behavioral manifestations of autism in the first year of life.” International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 23 (2): 143–152. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 7 other publications

Choi, Boin, Lauren Castelbaum, Riley McKechnie, Meredith L. Rowe, Charles A. Nelson & Helen Tager-Flusberg
2022. Brief Report: Parents’ Declarative Use of Deictic Gestures Predict Vocabulary Development in Infants at High and Low Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 52:2 ► pp. 914 ff. DOI logo
Choi, Boin, Priyanka Shah, Meredith L. Rowe, Charles A. Nelson & Helen Tager-Flusberg
2021. A Longitudinal Study of Parent Gestures, Infant Responsiveness, and Vocabulary Development in Infants at Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 51:11 ► pp. 3946 ff. DOI logo
Iverson, Jana M., Jessie B. Northrup, Nina B. Leezenbaum, Meaghan V. Parladé, Erin A. Koterba & Kelsey L. West
2018. Early Gesture and Vocabulary Development in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 48:1 ► pp. 55 ff. DOI logo
Mattie, Laura J. & Daniela Fanta
2023. Joint engagement and early language abilities in young children with Down syndrome. Frontiers in Psychology 14 DOI logo
Morelli, Mara, Roberto Baiocco, Elena Cattelino & Emiddia Longobardi
2023. Mothers’ and fathers’ bimodal communication in dyadic and triadic interaction with their infants. First Language 43:2 ► pp. 158 ff. DOI logo
West, Kelsey L., Emily J. Roemer, Jessie B. Northrup & Jana M. Iverson
2020. Profiles of Early Actions and Gestures in Infants With an Older Sibling With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 63:4 ► pp. 1195 ff. DOI logo
Özer, Demet & Tilbe Göksun
2020. Gesture Use and Processing: A Review on Individual Differences in Cognitive Resources. Frontiers in Psychology 11 DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 12 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.