The road to language through gesture

Abstract

This study explores the role of gestures in Flemish Sign Language (VGT) development through a longitudinal observation of three deaf children’s early interactions. These children were followed over a period of one and a half year, at the ages of 6, 9, 12, 18 and 24 months. This research compares the communicative development of a deaf child growing up in a deaf family and two deaf children growing up in hearing families. The latter two children received early cochlear implants when they were respectively 10 and 7 months old. It is the first study describing the types and tokens of children’s gestures used in early dyadic interactions in Flanders (Belgium). The description of our observations shows three distinct developmental patterns in terms of the use of gestures and the production of combinations. The study supports the finding that children’s gestural output is subject to their parental language, and it further indicates an impact of age of cochlear implantation.