Encouraging the use of gestures is a great way to teach your child to communicate and promote language development.
While speech is vital for effective communication, non-verbal communication is also excellent for getting your message across. Gestures, hand movements, and facial expressions are forms of non-verbal communication. During language development, children use gestures to communicate before using spoken words and phrases. For children on the autism spectrum, encouraging the use of gestures is a great way to encourage your child to communicate as well as promote language development. Let’s go over the importance of nonverbal communication for children with autism.
Prevents Misunderstandings
When children have difficulty communicating, it can be frustrating when they can’t let others know how they feel. But nonverbal communication can help eliminate misunderstandings by giving children on the autism spectrum the ability to explain exactly what they want. Encourage your child to point to objects they want or use sign language to convey their feelings.
Helps Language Development
Nonverbal communication is much easier for the children to use and understand as compared to verbal communication. Children can use their facial expressions, body language, and gestures to communicate their needs effectively. The use of gestures by children signals language and speech development. Be sure to pay attention to your child’s most used signals or gestures so you can anticipate what words they are trying to communicate.
Builds Vocabulary
By matching verbal communication with gestures or other types of nonverbal communication, children won’t just have the option to communicate all the more effectively. They will also be able to extend their vocabulary and grammar comprehension. Combining words and gestures improves their understanding of the vocabulary structure and reinforces their capacity to understand language structure.
Improves Emotional Expression
Nonverbal communication is important in regulating emotional expression when socializing and communicating with others. Nonverbal communication is also essential in family socialization because it has a significant influence on children’s emotional expression. When family members express their feelings, children do not have to work hard to perceive the emotional states of family members. As a result, children become more skilled in expressing emotions through verbal communication.
Identifies Developmental Delays
While there are many things you may find out about your child through verbal communication, nonverbal communication can be a shockingly better indicator of any developmental difficulties. Impediments with making gestures and nonverbal communication might be a sign of different problems that ought to be treated at an early age.
The Connections Therapy Center
The Connections Therapy Center serves families of children and adolescents with disabilities and special needs. We are a team of experts in the fields of pediatric speech, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and behavioral sciences. As a team, we offer intensive hands-on therapy for children and adolescents, as well as informative and useful resources for families. If you are interested in learning more about what we can do to help your family, visit us online or give us a call at (301) 577-4333. Want to get more information on how to help your child thrive? Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.