Enhancing Natural Gestures

Use of natural gestures—such as pointing, head nodding, and waving—may represent a viable and effective communication strategy for some people with severe disabilities. The chapter describes different types of natural gestures and reviews intervention literature aimed at teaching and enhancing the use of natural gestures for communication purposes for people with severe disabilities. The reviewed literature indicates that natural gestures can be taught and enhanced by the application of systematic instructional tactics, such as verbal prompting, response shaping, and reinforcement. Limitations of the literature are discussed and indications for the use of natural gestures are considered.