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Should pantomime and gesticulation be assessed separately for their comprehensibility in aphasia? A case study
Karin van Nispen1, Mieke van de Sandt-Koenderman, Lisette Mol
1Tilburg Center for Cognition and Communication (TiCC), Tilburg University, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders
|November 5, 2013
Summary
This study explored how gesticulation (gestures with speech) and pantomime (gestures without speech) aid communication in a person with aphasia. Findings reveal task-dependent benefits for each gesture type, suggesting tailored clinical approaches.
Area of Science:
- Neurolinguistics
- Communication Sciences
- Gesture Studies
Background:
- Gesticulation and pantomime are comprehensible gesture forms.
- Limited understanding exists regarding gesture mode differences in individuals with aphasia.
Observation:
- A single participant with severe fluent aphasia (QH) performed object naming and story retelling tasks.
- Gestures were analyzed in verbal (allowing gesticulation) and pantomime conditions.
- Gesture comprehensibility was assessed by naive judges; gesture techniques were compared to healthy controls.
Findings:
- Pantomime for object naming was more comprehensible than chance; gesticulation was not.
- For story retelling, gesticulation was more effective than pantomime.
- QH used more gesticulation than controls during object naming, with simpler pantomimes.
Implications:
- Both gesticulation and pantomime contribute to communication in aphasia, with task-specific benefits.
- Separate consideration of gesture modes is crucial for speech/gesture production models.
- Clinical practices should account for distinct gesture modes in various communicative contexts.
