Gesture development: a review for clinical and research practices

Area of Science:

• Developmental psychology
• Linguistics
• Clinical child psychology

Background:

• Gesture development is integral to childhood development.
• Growing evidence suggests gesture supports, rather than impedes, language acquisition.
• Gesture and language share common symbolic foundations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To offer a comprehensive overview of gesture development and function in children.
• To examine the role of gesture in developmental language impairments.
• To highlight the clinical implications of gesture in language assessment and intervention.

Main Methods:

• Literature review synthesizing existing research on gesture and language development.
• Analysis of studies in typically developing children and those with language impairments.
• Evidence-based presentation of gesture's functions and clinical utility.

Main Results:

• Gesture development parallels language development in both typical and impaired populations.
• Gesture serves crucial communicative, compensatory, and transitional functions.
• Gesture is a valuable tool for clinical diagnosis, prognosis, and intervention planning.

Conclusions:

• Gesture is a significant component of language development, not a hindrance.
• Clinicians can leverage gesture in assessing and treating language impairments.
• Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complexities of gesture in child language.