One thing is for sure new research has noted that even if some gestures mean different things in different cultures the importance of communicating with gestures begins at an early age.
Researchers from the University of Chicago examined how much gesturing (especially at an early age) helps children in language and cognitive development throughout life.
PsychCentral notes that the researchers found that although language learning varies according to family income and education levels, not all of the impacts are the same.