What really matters- Gesturing to communicate what is in mind- Whit seemed to invent her own gestures to solve her problems and let us know what she wanted. Whit loved to bike ride so she would frequently walk us over to the mud room, point to her cubby with her helmet, grunt a few syllables  and then pat on her head. A clear gesture to us that she wanted to put on her helmet and take a ride. These gesture emphasize the meaning she wishes to convey in her vocalizations.   Other typical symbolic gesture at this time may be knob turns to tell you she wants to go out or She may blow

to signify something is hot (see “too hot” video). As you observe these gestures over time, you will see that they are rough approximations of what our toddlers have in their heads and want  to communicate.

How to put it into practice-

Tuning In- Sometimes gestures might be small and difficult to interpret. I tried to always be sensitive to any such gesture and make a stab at what it might mean. Whit would always let me know if I was wrong.

Bridging- Once you have a tried and true gesture with a specific meaning consistently use it yourself and encourage our toddler to use it. Even if you don’t go on a bike ride everytime she gestures for one. Certainly positively re-inforce that you understand the specific communication and show your excitement about her feat of communication.