Gestures: Let’s Give Them a Hand

Lots of parents think that speech pathologists are all about… well… speech! But speech pathologists actually help children with lots of different ways of communicating, and one of those ways is gestures. Whether waving hello, nodding yes, or letting someone know time is getting on by tapping your wrist, gestures are one of the many ways adults and children can get their message across. We also think that gestures support language development–when we see a gesture emerge for a specific concept, the word may only be a few weeks away! A child’s gestural repertoire (how many gestures they use) can be an important predictor and indication of their language ability.

Interested in reading more? We love the 16 by 16 resource, freely available online, here: https://babynavigator.com/16-gestures-by-16-months/