{"id":14002,"date":"2016-07-21T07:20:27","date_gmt":"2016-07-21T11:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.oviahealth.com\/guide\/14002\/pointing-as-communication\/"},"modified":"2021-12-21T13:33:22","modified_gmt":"2021-12-21T18:33:22","slug":"pointing-as-communication","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/www.oviahealth.com\/guide\/14002\/pointing-as-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Pointing as communication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Pointing may not be polite, but it is<\/em> useful, especially for babies who know what they want, but haven\u2019t quite figured out the language to say so. Before Baby<\/span> is ready to start spending paragraphs explaining themselves<\/span>, they will<\/span> start by pointing to the things they wants<\/span> and needs. And before too long, Baby<\/span> will start pointing out the things they wants<\/span> you to see, or the thing they wants<\/span> you to tell them<\/span> about, especially if you\u2019re in the habit of explaining the world around them<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Pointing can start any time from when Baby<\/span> is 9 to 18 months old, though it’s generally around a year old. It often happens at the point in development when Baby<\/span> knows a few words, but isn\u2019t quite ready to start using sentences to create a compound meaning yet. Babies whose parents or caregivers frequently point at and name things in their world are more likely to start pointing sooner, as they\u2019ve got a strong model for it.<\/p>\n

There are two types of pointing that will be involved in Baby<\/span>\u2019s cognitive development: pointing out needs, and pointing out things they wants<\/span> you to see. The first type of pointing is important, since it marks the point when they has<\/span> figured out the mechanics of expressing their<\/span> needs and desires in a better way than the crying they has<\/span> used up until then. The second type though is even more of a giant leap forward, as it does something for Baby<\/span>\u2019s communication that they wasn\u2019t<\/span> even trying to do up until then.<\/p>\n

The second type of pointing isn\u2019t just showing an interest in the world around them<\/span>, which they has<\/span> been doing since birth – it\u2019s actively sharing that interest with you. This sharing of their<\/span> interests is called \u201cjoint attention,\u201d and is as important for Baby<\/span>\u2019s future ability to communicate with you and the other people in their<\/span> life as the babbling they has<\/span> been doing, and the new sounds they has<\/span> been teaching themselves<\/span>. \u201cJoint attention\u201d is proof that Baby<\/span> is starting to understand themselves<\/span> and you as individuals, and shows that they wants<\/span> to share their<\/span> view of the world with you.<\/p>\n

Baby<\/span>\u2019s communication through pointing happens for the same reason that baby sign language, even for hearing children, has gained so much traction with parents of pre-verbal babies. Babies point, and learn to sign, because their brains and their bodies are both growing at an astonishing rate, and every once in a while, they\u2019ll reach a point in their development when the two won\u2019t match up. Pointing and sign language can be important steps in Baby<\/span>\u2019s language development, and body language is something that\u2019s going to be important in their<\/span> communication as they grows<\/span> up, but gestures are especially important right now because Baby<\/span> is at a point where their<\/span> cognitive development is a little bit ahead of their<\/span> language development, and they has<\/span> more things to say than they has<\/span> ways to say them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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