The benefits of gestures in children with Down syndrome
Talking with gestures or baby signing is a good way to stimulate communication with the baby before they talk. With these simple and very simple gestures a door is opened so that they can communicate their needs and feelings before the verbal language emerges. This same principle is used with childr
Talking with gestures or baby signing is a good way to stimulate communication with the baby before they talk. With these simple and very simple gestures a door is opened so that they can communicate their needs and feelings before the verbal language emerges.
This same principle is used with children who have alterations in language such as Down syndrome. Around the first year of age, babies with Down syndrome have a lot to communicate to the people around them. Once they have developed their desire to communicate, they begin to make attempts to influence their environment through communication.
I tell you what are the benefits of gestures in children with Down syndrome.
Advantages of gestures in children with Down syndrome
They articulate sounds, point or pull us to take us where they want. If they do not have an effective way to communicate their messages, children will be frustrated by their inability to be understood. For this reason, one of the areas that is usually addressed first when a treatment is started is to assess which type of transient communication system será will work best with the child. Although most children with Down syndrome have a delay in their speech development, they generally have good faculties for motor development and visual learning. For this reason, it is usually easier for them to recognize and make gestures with their hands, or to use images, than to emit sounds of speech.
Sign language makes it possible for the child to progress in their communication and language, even if they are not yet ready to speak. It consists of combining gestures with speech to facilitate the development of communication. It is the augmentative communication system most used with children with Down syndrome. It is essential to make clear that what is used is a bimodalsystem, that is, the gesture is made and, at the same time, the word or words that refer to the gesture are emitted.
There are people who continue to say that sign language can prevent the child from speaking, that is, the consequence of using it will be for the child to adopt the easiest method and make gestures instead of talking. However, in recent years, we have learned more about the effectiveness of the use of signs with children with Down syndrome. Studies and clinical results strongly indicate the need for the use of gestural communication with them. A
speech therapist will be able to develop a program of this type for the child. The same system should be used in all the child's daily environments, at home, at school, in therapy, in the game ...Parents are often concerned that gestures delay speech acquisition, but the truth is precisely that contrary. Without them, children with Down syndrome, who usually understand much more than they are able to express, can feel frustrated and resort to shouting or abandoning attempts to be understood. By giving him the chance to communicate, gestures reinforce the concepts of language because they make it possible for him to influence his world.
In my experience in the school where I work, children, from the first year of life, can effectively learn the signs and the use of sign language but it is important to always use Bimodal Communication(signs and speech) to always provide the verbal model. Signs can be the expressive language system that a young child uses to communicate but it is imperative that they hear.
