Prelinguistic communication development

Abstract

The prelinguistic stage is viewed as the time period between birth and when a child or adult begins to use words/signs meaningfully. It is a time when children typically increase their ability to communicate with others, first using eye gaze, attending, and social-emotional affect and later adding gestures and other nonverbal means to communicate. This stage builds the foundation for later developing skills such as using words (or signs) and combining them into sentences to communicate, as well as understanding and gaining appreciation of the nuances of successful communication. For children, youth, and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the skills typically learned during this stage can be critical to helping these individuals be effective and successful communicators throughout their lives. Individuals with significant developmental disabilities including ASD can have substantially protracted prelinguistic periods of communication and language development. For some, a singular reliance on prelinguisitic communication may continue into adolescence or adulthood. Others may fail to develop productive communication altogether. Knowledge of prelinguistic skills, their developmental hierarchy, and their impact on children’s and adults’ current and future ability to communicate are key factors to be considered in assessing and intervening with children, youth, and adults with ASD. In this chapter, current research related to prelinguistic communication skills will be highlighted, along with challenges faced when examining prelinguistic skills, and the research and practice implications of looking at and intervening in the area of prelinguistic communication.