Newborn Baby Signing

Babies communicate with their parents using “micro-behaviours” just months after birth, scientists have claimed.

17:30 02 November 2016

Babies begin to communicate with their parents just months after birth using gestures. Scientists say that infants use subtle “micro-behaviours” that are said to be an early demonstration of attention-sharing, a key element of human language. 

 

In their study, 24 boys and girls aged 10 months were filmed while they played with a selection of toys that were identified as earlier forms of attention sharing based on less obvious “showing and giving” gestures. 

 

Professor Elena Lieven, director of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) International Centre for Language and Communicative Development at the universities of Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster, said: "Our research demonstrates that babies may be doing more to communicate than many of us usually assume, and at an earlier age.

 

"By understanding these early behaviours, parents have a great opportunity to help support their children’s later language development. Understanding babies’ gestures could be just as important as understanding their early language."

 

"The ability to share and direct attention is an essential basis for typical language development, and others have found that it is often impaired in children on the autism spectrum.

 

"Our findings provide useful guidance to both researchers and caregivers in the identification of infants’ early attempts to communicate about objects with their caregivers, and highlight the need for greater study of these early pre-linguistic behaviours."