What does the pre-linguistic stage focus on in child development?

The pre-linguistic stage in child development is characterized by the early ways that children communicate before they develop formal language skills. This stage focuses primarily on gestural communication and early vocalizations, which serve as foundational elements for later language development. During this time, children use gestures, facial expressions, and cooing or babbling to express their needs and interact with others, laying the groundwork for the more structured forms of communication that will develop as they grow older.

This emphasis on non-verbal communication is crucial because it highlights how infants are already engaging in social interactions and beginning to understand the fundamentals of communication, even before they can articulate words or complex sentences. As they progress past this stage, they start incorporating more sophisticated speech and language skills, but the pre-linguistic stage is significant in understanding how they initially learn to connect and communicate with those around them.