The Dictionary
In our lexicons, or units of vocabulary, are body movements, sounds, and gestures, as well as words.
•Body movements- can Include rocking, spinning, swaying, pacing. These are grounding or body location mechanisms. They convey information about our arrangement of spatial direction by harnessing our vestibular system.
•Sounds- can include screeching, humming, yelling, self-talk, echolalia, aah or continuous phonetic sound. This is marking a frequency or rhythm in the auditory environment. This frequency being marked can be human, machine generated, or natural. Self-talk or echolalia is practice and self assurance of language spoken. Self talk does not always reflect our direct thoughts.
•Gestures and body language have a basis in instinctual behaviors of animals.
•Most people use gestures; most everyone is potentially using gesture of hand shake. It has an arrangement of mutual reciprocity of feeling and acknowledgement of anothers presence. Other gestures are smiling to show generation of happiness, saluting to show submission and to convey honor, bowing to show respect, etc.
•Autism gestures have a purpose that is communicative and self regulating. A distinct movement of my hand can be translated as "I am interpreting sensory data."
Understanding a gesture means determining the sensory basis of that gesture.
•Flapping near eyes and/or ears has two objectives-
To filter sound and light
To mark and convey strength of sensory input.
•Speed and Intensity have an emotive purpose- anxiety and frustration manifest in overexcitement in expression
These are just some of my lexicons...