Gesture and Language Trajectories in Early Development: An Overview From the Autism Spectrum Disorder Perspective.

Sara Ramos-Cabo,Valentin Vulchanov,Mila Vulchanova

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01211

Sara Ramos-Cabo, Valentin Vulchanov + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01211

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Abstract

The well-documented gesture-language relation in typical communicative development (TD) remains understudied in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research on early communication skills shows that gesture production is a strong predictor of language in TD, but little is known about the association between gestures and language in ASD. This review focuses on exploring this relation by addressing two topics: the reliability of gestures as predictor of language competences in ASD and the types of potential differences (quantitative, qualitative, or both) in the gesture-language trajectory in children on the autism spectrum compared to typically developing children. We find evidence that gesture production is indeed a reliable predictor of early communicative skills and that both quantitative and qualitative differences have been established in research in the development of verbal and non-verbal communication skills in ASD, with lower gesture rates at the quantitative level, and a trajectory that starts deviating from the TD trajectory only at some point after the first year of life.

Highlights

One of the earliest signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the absence or the delayed onset of verbal and non-verbal communication behaviors
This review explored, on the one hand, whether gestures can reliably predict language in ASD and, on the other, whether the divergence in the verbal and non-verbal communication trajectory of individuals on the spectrum is due to quantitative or qualitative differences when compared to neurotypical children
Two main conclusions can be drawn from the findings of the reported studies; firstly, the gesture-language association is present in ASD, and secondly, the differences in the development of communication skills in ASD are both quantitative and qualitative

Summary

INTRODUCTION

One of the earliest signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the absence or the delayed onset of verbal and non-verbal communication behaviors. While there is a vast body of research showing that typically developing children’s (TD) early language is critically dependent on gesture production (Iverson and Goldin-Meadow, 2005; Rowe et al, 2008; Murillo and Belinchón, 2012), there are still many open questions concerning the role of gestures in the acquisition of linguistic abilities in children with ASD. This article offers an overview of the gesture-language relationship in ASD in an attempt to answer two key questions: (1) Are gestures a reliable predictor of language in ASD? (2) Are the potential differences in the trajectories of gesture and language development in ASD and TD infants quantitative (e.g., absence/lower level of gesture comprehension/production in ASD), qualitative. Gesture and Language Trajectory in Autism (e.g., production of different gesture types and/or different hand configurations), or both?

GESTURE AND ITS RELATION TO LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN EARLY TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

ARE GESTURES RELIABLE PREDICTORS OF LANGUAGE IN ASD?

Gesture and Language Correlation in ASD

Findings

CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS