Yoga for Prelinguistic Communication 63Reciprocity
While in boat, bound angle, bridge, cobra, sphinx, or other face-
to-face poses, the caregiver can produce monosyllabic vowel-
consonant (VC) syllables which might be chants, such as “om,”
while the baby watches her mouth move from the open position
for the vowel to the bilabial closed lip posture for the consonant.
Other VC or CV syllables which could be simple chants or
nonsense syllables can be used in this context. The infant could
be encouraged to vocalize in alternation or in unison with the
caregiver. Vocalizing in alternation involves turn-taking or
reciprocity between the communicative partners on a prelinguistic
level. These vocal behaviors provide a foundation for later speech
development. When the caregiver sings songs, the child can
vocalize or produce a movement as if taking a turn. For example,
the baby can vocalize or move his arms with adult assistance
during the song that begins “Wind, wind, wind them [say baby’s
name]” described in Larson and Howard (2002). Songs such as
“Hop Along Yogi” and “Yogi, Yogi” adapted from the familiar
“Hokey Pokey” (Garabedian 2004) provide opportunities for
reciprocal interaction. These songs could facilitate reciprocity
between children with ASD and their caregivers, as challenges in
social interaction are a core characteristic of their disability. Once
the songs become an established routine, their repetition will help
foster interaction as it is well established that children with ASD
learn best in predictable contexts.
Gestures
Gestures are actions that are produced with the intent to
communicate (Crais, Douglas, and Campbell 2004). These
actions are typically produced through fingers, hands, and arms,
but can also include facial features and body movements. Deictic
gestures call attention to or indicate an object or event, such