Laser Lessons - Lesson

Be able to communicate with children and young people

Table of Contents

In this tutorial you will learn:

How you interact with children.
About the four main skills when communicating with children.
It is essential to make sure that you respond appropriately to children and that you give them the opportunity to talk and be listened to.

Table of Contents

Find and read ‘How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk’ by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish, published by Picadilly Press. N.B. You should be able to find a copy at your local library service.
Click to read the communication factsheet by the British Institute of Learning Difficulties (BILD).
Communication Matters is a UK charitable organisation of members concerned with using assistive technologies and devices to aid communication, including eye pointing, word boards, and speech output devices. Click on the icon to learn more about them.
Use the website of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf to discover what extra skills might you need to communicate effectively with a child who has hearing difficulties or who is deaf? Are there are any short courses in your local area that you could take, to find out more?
The Speech and Language UK website is part of I CAN, a UK children’s communication charity focusing on development of speech, language and communication skills with a particular emphasis on those with communication difficulties. Includes numerous free resources available for download. Click on the icon to visit the website and learn more.
Keep a communication diary on two different children in your group for a week. It would be helpful if the children were of different ages. Record who they communicate with - when and how. Do they make noises and gestures, or talk when no one is with them? Are people responding, including yourself, quickly and appropriately?
Observe three children of the same age and make a note of their conversational style.What words do they use? Do they use sentences? Is the range of vocabulary equal or does it vary according to gender, topic, or time of day?
This article from the National Autistic Society is called ‘Understanding and developing communication’. It looks at communication differences can exist when interacting with an autistic individual.