GESTURES, INTERACTION AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN

Abstract

In academic contexts social and linguistic practices need to be ressignified for the purpose of understanding the deployments of typical and atypical individuals’ interactive actions. Under the multimodal language perspective, gestures are essential to the promotion of autistic children’s interaction and language. Therefore, as the main objective of the study, we intended to analyze gesture production in two autistic children’s language acquisition trajectories. Specifically, we aimed at pondering on the study results implications within the school setting and identifying the roles gestures can play. On the path towards a theoretical framework design, we discussed principles supported by Kendon (1988), McNeill (1992, 2002), Cavalcante (2018), amongst other authors who advocate for the multimodal language perspective, in which speech and gesture integrate the same meaning array. Research methods were supported by a cross-sectional case study based on qualitative approach, whose sample includes two autistic boys. For analysis purposes, we used the software tool ELAN (Eudico Linguistic Annotator). Transcription and analysis criteria were also considered in the light of the multimodal language perspective. Results showed a variety of gestures produced by the children and the rich contributions that the gestural dimensions can perform in  interaction and, consequently, in teaching-learning environments, sheltering diversified roles, such as speech emphasis and denial.