Investigating the Use of Gestures Among Children with Down Syndrome in India
,
Abstract
Introduction: Gesture is a form of non-verbal communication. Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common congenital syndromes in which speech and language deficits are prominent. Earlier studies have revealed mixed results regarding the advanced use of gestures among children with DS in Western literature. Indian culture influences parent-child interactions and gesture use differently. This study aims to assess whether a gesture advantage exists among DS children in the Indian context.
Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 5 Tamil-speaking children with DS and 5 typically developing (TD) language-age-matched controls were observed. Their spontaneous interactions with their mothers were analyzed for type and frequency of gestures and gesture-word combinations using a checklist.
Results: Except for the frequency of deictic (requesting, giving) gestures, all the other gestures, namely deictic (pointing, showing), symbolic and representational gestures, and word-gesture combinations (equivalent, complementary, and supplementary) were observed much less frequently in DS children, although only pointing had a statistical significance. Also, fewer types of gestures were observed among DS children.
Conclusion: Children with DS in the Indian context do not exhibit a gesture advantage. This study highlights the importance of gesture assessment and intervention among these children.
1. Iverson JM, Goldin-Meadow S. Gesture paves the way for language development. Psychological Science 2005;16(5):367-71.
2. Rowe ML, Susan Goldin-Meadow. “Early Gesture Selectively Predicts Later Language Learning.” Developmental Science 2009;12(1):182-187.
3. Zampini L, D’Odorico L. Communicative gestures and vocabulary development in 36-month-old children with Down’s syndrome. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 2009; 44(6):1063-1073.
4. Yoder P, Warren, SF. Early Predictors of Language in Children With and Without Down Syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation 2004;109(4):285-300.
5. Smith L, von Tetzchner S. Communicative, sensorimotor, and language skills of young children with Down syndrome. American Journal of Mental Deficiency 1986;91(1):57-66.
6. Mundy P, Kasari C, Sigman M, Ruskin E. Nonverbal Communication and Early Language Acquisition in Children With Down Syndrome and in Normally Developing Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 1995;38(1):157-167.
7. Özçalişkan Ş, Adamson LB, Dimitrova N, Bailey J, Schmuck L. Baby sign but not spontaneous gesture predicts later vocabulary in children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Child Language 2016;43(4):948-63.
8. Caselli MC, Vicari S, Longobardi E, Lami L, Pizzoli C, Stella G. Gestures and Words in Early Development of Children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 1998;41(5):1125-1135.
9. Galeote M, Soto P, Checa E, Gómez A, Lamela E. The acquisition of productive vocabulary in Spanish children with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 2008; 33(4): 292–302.
10. Galeote M, Sebastin E, Checa E, Rey R, Soto P. The development of vocabulary in Spanish children with Down syndrome: Comprehension, production, and gestures. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability 2011; 36(3): 184-196.
11. Stefanini S, Caselli MC, Volterra V. Spoken and gestural production in a naming task by young children with Down syndrome. Brain and Language 2007; 101(3): 208-221.
12. Lorang E, Sterling A, Schroeder B. Maternal responsiveness to gestures in children with down syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 2018; 27(3): 1018-1029.
13. Wetherby AM, Yonclas DG, Bryan AA. Communicative Profiles of Preschool Children with Handicaps. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 1989;54(2):148-158.
14. Chan J, Iacono T. Gesture and word production in children with down syndrome. Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2001;17(2):73-87.
15. Iverson JM, Longobardi E, Caselli MC. 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 and Communication Disorders 2003;38(2):179-97.
16. Acreledo L, Goodwyn S. Symbolic Gesturing in normal infants. Child Development 1988;59(2):450-466.
17. Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Kasari, C., & Yirmiya, N. (1988). Nonverbal Communication Skills in Down Syndrome Children. Child Development, 59(1), 235–249.
18. Iverson JM. Developing language in a developing body: the relationship between motor development and language development. Journal of Child Language 2010;37(2):229-261.
19. Assanand S, Dias M, Richardson E, Chambers, Waxler-Morrison N. People of South Asian Descent. In: Waxler-Morrison N, Anderson JM, Richardson E, Chambers NA, editors: Cross-cultural caring: A handbook for health professionals.Vancouver: UBC Press; 2005,197-246.
20. Simmons N, Johnston J. Cross-cultural differences in beliefs and practices that affect the language spoken to children: mothers with Indian and Western heritage. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 2007;42(4):445-65.
21. Derene S. Culture, Family structure, and Psyche in Hindu India: The ‘Fit’ and the ‘Inconsistencies’. International Journal of Group Tensions 2000; 29:323-348.
22. Kita, S. Cross-cultural variation of speech-accompanying gesture: A review. Language and Cognitive Processes 2009: 24(2):145-167.
23. Salomo D, Liszkowski U. Sociocultural settings influence the emergence of prelinguistic deictic gestures. Child Development 2013;84(4):1296-1307.
24. Karanth P. Communication DEALL Developmental Checklists. Bangalore: Com DEALL Trust, 2007.
25. Goldin-Meadow S, Morford M. Gesture in early child language: Studies of deaf and hearing children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 1985; 31(2):145-176.
26. Capirci O, Iverson JM, Pizzuto E, Volterra V. Gestures and words during the transition to two-word speech. Journal of Child Language 1996;23(3):645-673.
27. Iverson JM, Capirci O, Caselli MC. From communication to language in two modalities. Cognitive Development1994; 9: 23-43.
28. Miller J.F. Development of speech and language in children with Down syndrome. In: I.T. Lott & E.E. McLoy, editors: Clinical care for persons with Down syndrome. New York: Academic Press;1992,39-50.
29. Singer Harris NG., Bellugi U, Bates E, Jones W, & Rossen M. Contrasting profiles of language development in children with williams and down syndromes. Developmental Neuropsychology 1997;13(3): 345-370.
30. Callaghan T, Moll H, Rakoczy H, Warneken F, Liszkowski U, Behne T, Tomasello M. Early social cognition in three cultural contexts. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2011;76(2):vii-viii,1-142.
31. Linn K, Sevilla F, Cifuentes V, Eugenin MI, Río B, Cerda J, Lizama M. Desarrollo de habilidades comunicativas en lactantes con síndrome de Down posterior a capacitaciones sistematizadas en comunicación gestual [Development of communicative abilities in infants with Down syndrome after systematized training in gestural communication]. Revista chilena de pediatría 2019;90(2):175-185.
2. Rowe ML, Susan Goldin-Meadow. “Early Gesture Selectively Predicts Later Language Learning.” Developmental Science 2009;12(1):182-187.
3. Zampini L, D’Odorico L. Communicative gestures and vocabulary development in 36-month-old children with Down’s syndrome. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders 2009; 44(6):1063-1073.
4. Yoder P, Warren, SF. Early Predictors of Language in Children With and Without Down Syndrome. American Journal on Mental Retardation 2004;109(4):285-300.
5. Smith L, von Tetzchner S. Communicative, sensorimotor, and language skills of young children with Down syndrome. American Journal of Mental Deficiency 1986;91(1):57-66.
6. Mundy P, Kasari C, Sigman M, Ruskin E. Nonverbal Communication and Early Language Acquisition in Children With Down Syndrome and in Normally Developing Children. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 1995;38(1):157-167.
7. Özçalişkan Ş, Adamson LB, Dimitrova N, Bailey J, Schmuck L. Baby sign but not spontaneous gesture predicts later vocabulary in children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Child Language 2016;43(4):948-63.
8. Caselli MC, Vicari S, Longobardi E, Lami L, Pizzoli C, Stella G. Gestures and Words in Early Development of Children with Down Syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research 1998;41(5):1125-1135.
9. Galeote M, Soto P, Checa E, Gómez A, Lamela E. The acquisition of productive vocabulary in Spanish children with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability 2008; 33(4): 292–302.
10. Galeote M, Sebastin E, Checa E, Rey R, Soto P. The development of vocabulary in Spanish children with Down syndrome: Comprehension, production, and gestures. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability 2011; 36(3): 184-196.
11. Stefanini S, Caselli MC, Volterra V. Spoken and gestural production in a naming task by young children with Down syndrome. Brain and Language 2007; 101(3): 208-221.
12. Lorang E, Sterling A, Schroeder B. Maternal responsiveness to gestures in children with down syndrome. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 2018; 27(3): 1018-1029.
13. Wetherby AM, Yonclas DG, Bryan AA. Communicative Profiles of Preschool Children with Handicaps. Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders 1989;54(2):148-158.
14. Chan J, Iacono T. Gesture and word production in children with down syndrome. Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2001;17(2):73-87.
15. Iverson JM, Longobardi E, Caselli MC. 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 and Communication Disorders 2003;38(2):179-97.
16. Acreledo L, Goodwyn S. Symbolic Gesturing in normal infants. Child Development 1988;59(2):450-466.
17. Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Kasari, C., & Yirmiya, N. (1988). Nonverbal Communication Skills in Down Syndrome Children. Child Development, 59(1), 235–249.
18. Iverson JM. Developing language in a developing body: the relationship between motor development and language development. Journal of Child Language 2010;37(2):229-261.
19. Assanand S, Dias M, Richardson E, Chambers, Waxler-Morrison N. People of South Asian Descent. In: Waxler-Morrison N, Anderson JM, Richardson E, Chambers NA, editors: Cross-cultural caring: A handbook for health professionals.Vancouver: UBC Press; 2005,197-246.
20. Simmons N, Johnston J. Cross-cultural differences in beliefs and practices that affect the language spoken to children: mothers with Indian and Western heritage. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders 2007;42(4):445-65.
21. Derene S. Culture, Family structure, and Psyche in Hindu India: The ‘Fit’ and the ‘Inconsistencies’. International Journal of Group Tensions 2000; 29:323-348.
22. Kita, S. Cross-cultural variation of speech-accompanying gesture: A review. Language and Cognitive Processes 2009: 24(2):145-167.
23. Salomo D, Liszkowski U. Sociocultural settings influence the emergence of prelinguistic deictic gestures. Child Development 2013;84(4):1296-1307.
24. Karanth P. Communication DEALL Developmental Checklists. Bangalore: Com DEALL Trust, 2007.
25. Goldin-Meadow S, Morford M. Gesture in early child language: Studies of deaf and hearing children. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly 1985; 31(2):145-176.
26. Capirci O, Iverson JM, Pizzuto E, Volterra V. Gestures and words during the transition to two-word speech. Journal of Child Language 1996;23(3):645-673.
27. Iverson JM, Capirci O, Caselli MC. From communication to language in two modalities. Cognitive Development1994; 9: 23-43.
28. Miller J.F. Development of speech and language in children with Down syndrome. In: I.T. Lott & E.E. McLoy, editors: Clinical care for persons with Down syndrome. New York: Academic Press;1992,39-50.
29. Singer Harris NG., Bellugi U, Bates E, Jones W, & Rossen M. Contrasting profiles of language development in children with williams and down syndromes. Developmental Neuropsychology 1997;13(3): 345-370.
30. Callaghan T, Moll H, Rakoczy H, Warneken F, Liszkowski U, Behne T, Tomasello M. Early social cognition in three cultural contexts. Monogr Soc Res Child Dev 2011;76(2):vii-viii,1-142.
31. Linn K, Sevilla F, Cifuentes V, Eugenin MI, Río B, Cerda J, Lizama M. Desarrollo de habilidades comunicativas en lactantes con síndrome de Down posterior a capacitaciones sistematizadas en comunicación gestual [Development of communicative abilities in infants with Down syndrome after systematized training in gestural communication]. Revista chilena de pediatría 2019;90(2):175-185.
| Files | ||
| Issue | Vol 17 No 4 (2023) | |
| Section | Research Article(s) | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.18502/jmr.v17i4.13887 | |
| Keywords | ||
| Gesture development Gesture advantage Culture Language delay Down syndrome | ||
| Rights and permissions | |
|
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
How to Cite
1.
N B, Chittathur UR, Kanagamuthu P, Ganesh J. Investigating the Use of Gestures Among Children with Down Syndrome in India. jmr. 2023;17(4):394-402.
