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- Title
Gesture Production in Language Impairment: It's Quality, Not Quantity, That Matters.
- Authors
Wray, Charlotte; Saunders, Natalie; McGuire, Rosie; Cousins, Georgia; Norbury, Courtenay Frazier
- Abstract
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether children with language impairment (LI) use gesture to compensate for their language difficulties. Method: The present study investigated gesture accuracy and frequency in children with LI (n = 21) across gesture imitation, gesture elicitation, spontaneous narrative, and interactive problem-solving tasks, relative to typically developing (TD) peers (n = 18) and peers with low language and educational concerns (n = 21). Results: Children with LI showed weaknesses in gesture accuracy (imitation and gesture elicitation) in comparison to TD peers, but no differences in gesture rate. Children with low language only showed weaknesses in gesture imitation and used significantly more gestures than TD peers during parent-child interaction. Across the whole sample, motor abilities were significantly related to gesture accuracy but not gesture rate. In addition, children with LI produced proportionately more extending gestures, suggesting that they may use gesture to replace words that they are unable to articulate verbally. Conclusion: The results support the notion that gesture and language form a tightly linked communication system in which gesture deficits are seen alongside difficulties with spoken communication. Furthermore, it is the quality, not quantity of gestures that distinguish children with LI from typical peers.
- Subjects
ENGLAND; LANGUAGE disorders in children; GESTURE; NONVERBAL communication in children; INTERPERSONAL communication; CHILDREN'S language; PSYCHOLOGY; LANGUAGE disorder diagnosis; ANALYSIS of variance; CHI-squared test; CHILD development; LANGUAGE acquisition; MOTOR ability; NONVERBAL communication; PROBLEM solving; RESEARCH funding; VOCABULARY
- Publication
Journal of Speech, Language & Hearing Research, 2017, Vol 60, Issue 4, p969
- ISSN
1092-4388
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1044/2016_JSLHR-L-16-0141