Use of pointing in parent-child interactions by hearing children of deaf and hearing parents: A follow-up from 1-to 3-years of age

Pointing plays a significant role in communication and language development. However, in spoken languages pointing has been viewed as a non-verbal gesture, whereas in sign languages, pointing is regarded to represent a linguistic unit of language. This study compared the use of pointing between seven bilingual hearing children of deaf parents (Kids of Deaf Adults [KODAs]) interacting with their deaf parents and five hearing children interacting with their hearing parents. Data were collected in 6-month intervals from the age of 1;0 to 3;0. Pointing frequency among the deaf parents and KODAs was significantly higher than among the hearing parents and their children. In signing dyads pointing frequency remained stable, whereas in spoken dyads it decreased during the follow-up. These findings suggested that pointing is a fundamental element of parent-child interaction, regardless of the language, but is guided by the modality, gestural and linguistic features of the language in question.

Automated summary

This study compared the frequency of pointing in interactions between children with deaf parents and children with hearing parents. The frequency of pointing was significantly higher in interactions between deaf parents and children. This suggests that pointing is a fundamental element of parent-child interaction, influenced by language modality, gestural and linguistic features.