Do gestures pave the way? A systematic review of the transitional role of gesture during the acquisition of early lexical and syntactic milestones in young children with Down syndrome

Expressive language problems are common among children with Down syndrome (DS). In typically developing (TD) children, gestures play an important role in supporting the transition from one-word utterances to two-word utterances. As far as we know, an overview on the role of gestures to support expressive language development in children with DS is lacking. This systematic review aims to synthesize the current state of empirical evidence on the role of gestures during the acquisition of early lexical and syntactic milestones in young children with DS. A systematic literature search was performed using Pubmed, Scopus, PsycINFO and Web of Science databases. A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results show that children with DS produce the same gestures and go through the same early expressive language stages of development as TD children. For children with DS, however, developmental stages are significantly delayed and, most importantly, the stage of supplementary gesture-plus-word combinations is rarely observed. Incorporating both verbal communication and gestures in daily communication between the child with DS and his/her parent might facilitate the child’s transition from one-word utterances to two-word utterances. Such activities should be incorporated into early language intervention programs.