The importance of being sensitive to communication difficulties

[chance]

New to this site and it looks as though it will be a great help to me.....Am stuck on how to start answering this question.
K3D172 The importance of being sensitive to communication difficulties with children and how to adapt the way you communicate to different situations

[fluffy bunny]

Hi,

You could start by saying how you communicate with different age groups ie you wouldnt talk to a baby the same way you would talk to an older child. If you have a child in your setting that has communication difficulties ie has a stammer then you would give the child time to explain what he/she wants or what they want to tell you, dont hurry them or try to finish words for them and it would be good if you can go to a quiet area so they are free from interuptions.

I am doing my placement in a creche and we have ESOL families, children who dont have english as a first language and I often draw pictures of basic things like house, car etc. Makaton sign language is often used as well with babies and children especially if they dont talk it is another form of communication. Another way of communication is having pictures, photographs or symbols. The parents are the best people to talk to, you can find out alot about the child and how they communicate with him/her as they will know what works best for their child.

Avoid distractions if possible, get down to the child's level and give eye contact. Make sure you give the child time to answer you.

I hope this is a little help

[chance]

Thank you so much, thats a great help.

[SamHill]

To add to this, using eye contact, body language, gesturing and tone of voice all help when communicating. For instance also, if a child's attention wanders when being spoken to, moving into their eyeline, or saying their name to recall attention. When trying to explain something at work, we often use a technique of holding the object up in front of a child and then bringing it back down to the level we were using it at ... this was taught to us by a speech therapist, for one of our children to maintain concentration.

Hope that helps.

Sam

[chance]

Thanks Sam thats a big help as well