Karadoller, D. Z.Sümer, B.Ünal, ErcenurOzyurek, A.2023-09-122023-09-122022-120305-0009http://hdl.handle.net/10679/8799https://doi.org/10.1017/S0305000922000642Expressing Left-Right relations is challenging for speaking-children. Yet, this challenge was absent for signing-children, possibly due to iconicity in the visual-spatial modality of expression. We investigate whether there is also a modality advantage when speaking-children's co-speech gestures are considered. Eight-year-old child and adult hearing monolingual Turkish speakers and deaf signers of Turkish-Sign-Language described pictures of objects in various spatial relations. Descriptions were coded for informativeness in speech, sign, and speech-gesture combinations for encoding Left-Right relations. The use of co-speech gestures increased the informativeness of speakers' spatial expressions compared to speech-only. This pattern was more prominent for children than adults. However, signing-adults and children were more informative than child and adult speakers even when co-speech gestures were considered. Thus, both speaking- and signing-children benefit from iconic expressions in visual modality. Finally, in each modality, children were less informative than adults, pointing to the challenge of this spatial domain in development.enginfo:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccessArticle00089688050000110.1017/S0305000922000642Sign languageCo-speech gestureSpatial languageIconicityDevelopment