Gesture screening in young infants: Highly sensitive to risk factors for communication delay.
Katie Alcock, Kerstin Meints, Caroline Rowland
PMID 39835912WHAT IT FOUND
Gesture scores tracked biological risk factors more reliably than vocabulary scores.
However, vocabulary reports from lower-income and younger mothers were unexpectedly high, suggesting parents may overestimate language skills based on milestones. Gesture assessment appears less prone to this reporting bias.
Key findings
01Gesture scores were significantly lower in children with biological risk factors (prematurity, low birthweight, male sex, multiple birth, family history), whereas vocabulary scores only showed significant differences for family history.
02Parents in higher-risk social groups (lower income, younger maternal age) reported unexpectedly higher vocabulary scores than those in lower-risk groups, contradicting typical risk associations.
03Gesture scores showed a more consistent relationship with social risk factors, with lower gesture scores associated with lower household income and no out-of-home care.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study design was not preregistered. The unexpected direction of vocabulary findings for social risk factors remains unexplained and may reflect complex reporting biases rather than true developmental advantages. Production vocabulary scores had low variability at this age, which may have reduced their sensitivity to risk factors compared to gesture. This is a cross-sectional analysis of existing data, not a longitudinal prediction of language delay outcomes.
Declared interests
The research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the higher vocabulary scores reported by lower-income parents as evidence that these children have stronger language skills. The authors suggest this may be a reporting bias where parents overestimate abilities based on milestone knowledge, whereas gesture scores remained sensitive to risk.