G is for Gestures: Building Skills

16 Gestures by 16 months is an online booklet by Baby Navigator that made me see gestures in a whole new light.  I understood that they were an important part of early development and precursors to vocabulary in a vague manner but not to the extent that I do now.  So that is what I want to share with you today.  

To put it simply, a wave comes before the word 'Bye' but saying bye to someone is encouraged by the gesture of the wave.  It is like a prompt to the word.  When someone wants to know what a child wants, the child uses the point gesture to point at an item, often along with a word as words develop.  They may say 'that' or 'more' or they may use a naming word like car, juice or outside to label what they want.  The gesture typically comes first but then the words follow.  

If a child is delayed in words but the gestures are in place, then it is frequently just a matter of time before the words come.  It isn't a guarantee that there are no concerns around this child's speech but it is a positive sign.  If the gestures are also absent, then the communicative delay is more significant and the two issues have a compounding  effect and indicate that intervention is required.  

Saying that, why wait for a child to be two or three to realize they need extra support in the area of speech and communication?  Babies have several gestures before they even turn one year old and so if they are not in place, get help by their first birthday!  It may be all they need to take off and excel to resolve the issues but if it is more serious, the earlier you intervene, the better the outcome.

So now that I have your attention, you are asking me, "Well, what are those 16 gestures?" There are more than sixteen but baby navigator listed them in a way that was clear and insightful. Basically, every month, beginning at the age of 9 months, a baby should gain two new gestures. They may come a little sooner, or later, but this is considered developmentally correct expectation based on current research.

In order, the gestures are found here: https://babynavigator.com/16-gestures-by-16-months/#fb0=73 At 9mo, the gestures are give, shake head no. At 10 mo, reach and raise arms. At 11mo show and wave. At 12 mo, open hand, point, tap.  At 13 mo, clap and blow a kiss.  At 14mo, Shhh gesture and point with index finger.  At 15mo, nod head and thumbs up, hand up. At 16mo, continue to add gestures like "I dunno". 'mine' and "peace".

Sign language is a language and not a gesture but a child's ability to learn gestures compliments their ability to learn sign. Some hesitate to teach their child signs thinking that it will prevent them from wanting to speak but once again it is proven that the opposite occurs.  Using signs like more, all done and help get the point across and the action promotes the words to join in.  Soon a child will do the sign AND say the word and their communication will take off!

So as you observe the child(ren) in your life, celebrate their gestures as well as their words as early examples of their efforts to communicate with you and engage with you in everyday life.  They are worth celebrating!