Do you that children communicate before learning to speak?
- Mar 18, 2021
- 3 min read
Have you been in the situation where you look at your toddler/infant, they look at you, they move in a way as if they were talking to you. Is that true scientifically, that babies can communicate with us nonverbally, and how does this happen? Surprisingly, we as humans, develop the ability the communicate nonverbally as early as from born and this is how...
Types of communicators:
To begin with, we need to know that there are different types of communicators. According to the Triple C checklist of Communication Competencies (Iacono et al., 2009), there are 3 types of communicators, but for the sake of being concise, here we summarize into 3:
1. Intentional Communicator
This is exactly what this blog is about so read along to learn all about intentionality!
2. Symbolic Communicator
This means the use of recognition systems such as hand signs, photosystems, or any AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices are used. the population relies on symbols as a way to communicate. guess what, we do that unconsciously too.
E.g When you were in a foreign country, you pointed at your shoe as a way of telling the sales that you want a new pair of shoes.
*Note that intentionality is already assumed in symbolic communication but not all intentional communicators are symbolic.
3. Unintentional Communicator
This means that there is simply no intention in communication, the individual is simply a single unit. One significant sign is the communication partner being the lead in the conversation, the individual is often considered irresponsive, and that no intention of any kind is identified.
What does it mean to have communication intention?
Intentionality means... (Stephenson & Linfoot,1996)
1. There is alternating gaze between an object/event and adult as a way to attract adult's attention to the object/event (joint attention)
2. The child persists if the parent fails to respond.
3. The child waits for a response from the adult.
4. The child uses their habitual communicative act.
E.g. they use the same communicative act e.g. pointing, that had been successful in communication before.
5. Child repairs their methods if communication is unsuccessful.
E.g. they change from pointing to babbling as a way to deliver a message
6. A child's communicative acts are able to influence an adult's behaviors
*Communicative acts include anything from vocalization e.g. babbling, gestures, eye gaze, imitation of other's behaviour
When do children show intention in communication?
Believe it or not, children show communication as early as when they arrive in this new world. we call it pre-intentional communication (0-8) months, they cry when they are hungry, they grumble when they poo, from the first month, they start laughing, they begin baby talking, cooing, babbling.
Between 9 to 18, this is where more intentional communication comes to play. they start to move participants in interactions to being intentional communicators. They do more intentional babbling, there is a range of vowels and consonants in speech. (Paul et al., 2018)
What does science say?
The use of communicative acts is predictive of later language outcomes in children (Paul et al., 2018).
The number of gestures and gesture+ word combinations presented at 16 months of age is predictive of the amount of later vocal production (Capirci et al., 1996).
References:
Iacono, T., West, D., Bloomberg, K., & Johnson, H. (2009). Reliability and validity of the revised Triple C: Checklist of Communicative Competencies for adults with severe and multiple disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 53(1), 44–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2788.2008.01121.x
Capirci, O., Iverson, J. M., Pizzuto, E., & Volterra, V. (1996). Gestures and words during the transition to two-word speech. Journal of Child Language, 23(3), 645–673. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000900008989
Paul, R., Norbury, C., & Gosse, C. (2018). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and communicating (Fifth edition.). Elsevier.
Stephenson, J., & Linfoot, K. (1996). Intentional Communication and Graphic Symbol Use by Students with Severe Intellectual Disability. International Journal of Disability, Development, and Education, 43(2), 147–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/0156655960430205
That is all about intentionality. Feel free to drop me a message to ask or even share an experience of you discovering your child's communication, are they intentional communicators, what communicative acts do you notice?
Hope everyone is staying warm and dry during the rainy week!
Joyce Lau
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