Communication and Teaching with Children

Communication and Teaching with Children and Families

• Communication is crucial in child care, involving the exchange of ideas between two or more people.
• Communication can be verbal (using words) or nonverbal (using actions like touch or eye contact).
• Communication is categorized into two types: therapeutic and nontherapeutic.
• Nontherapeutic communication lacks structure.
• Therapeutic communication is a face-to-face interaction process with components like:
  • Encoder: the person sharing thoughts or feelings.
  • Code: the message.
  • Decoder: the receiver.
  • Feedback: the decoder's response to the sender.

Development of Language

• At birth, infants communicate through crying.
• At two years old, children use two-word sentences (noun and verb).
• By preschool, a child can use about 900 words and make jokes.
• School-aged children refine communication, moving from oral exchanges to using phones and other electronic devices. They can even write poetry and create jokes.

Levels of Communication

• A person may use 5 levels of communication, from cliché to peak communication.
• Level 5 (cliché): "Have a nice day."
• Level 4 (fact reporting): "I am 12, I am in 6th grade."
• Level 3 (shared personal ideas): "I always wanted to be a nurse."
• Level 2 (shared feelings): "It is hard on me to do it."
• Level 1 (peak communication): a strong sense of connection.

Nonverbal Communication

• Methods of nonverbal communication include general appearance, body posture, humor, drawings, and music.

Techniques to Encourage Therapeutic Communication

• Distance: Maintain an appropriate distance.
• Genuineness: Be yourself.
• Warmth: Use a gentle tone of voice and make direct eye contact.
• Empathy: Put yourself in the child's place and be sensitive.
• Gestures: Be mindful of cultural differences in gestures.
• Facial Expressions: Use appropriate facial expressions.
• Touch: Use appropriate touch.
• Attentive listening: Show you are listening with phrases like "uh-huh," "m-m-m," or "I'm listening."
• Reflecting: Reflect the child's feelings, such as "You feel anxious."
• Clarifying: Ask clarifying questions.
• Paraphrasing: Rephrase what the child said for better understanding.
• Perception Checking: Verify your understanding.
• Focusing on the real meaning: Understand the child's true message.
• Supportive statements: Offer verbal support.
• Silence: Use silence appropriately.
• Process recording: Document the communication process.

Factors Interfering with Communication

• Age and developmental level: consider vocabulary, ability to encode/decode messages.
• Intellectual level: consider age and vocabulary.
• Physical factors: consider any physical limitations.
• Technical terminology: avoid using overly complex language.
• Showing disapproval: avoid negative communication.
• Growing defensive: avoid criticism.
• Cliché advice: avoid trite or unhelpful advice.
• Topping-up: avoid asking leading or unnecessary questions.

Situations Requiring Unique Communication Skills

• Shy child: Maintain an active relationship
• Angry child: Don't draw into anger, try to understand.
• Demanding child: Address the needs behind the demands.
• Bullying/sexually aggressive child: Set limits and censor the action not the child.
• Non-English speakers: Use appropriate translation and communication techniques.
• Unconscious child: Approach with caution and sensitivity
• Hearing- or vision-impaired child: Adapt communication strategies accordingly.

Health Teaching

• Teaching goes beyond presenting information, focusing on increasing knowledge and insight.
• Effective teaching requires a strong teacher-learner relationship, ideally interactive.

Types of Learning

• Cognitive Learning: Involves changes in knowledge.
• Psychomotor Learning: Involves changes in ability to perform skills.
• Affective Learning: Involves changes in attitudes, the most challenging to achieve.

Influence of Age on Ability to Learn

• Infants: focus on senses, basic needs.
• Toddlers: emerging autonomy and initiatives.
• Preschoolers: developing a sense of initiative.
• School-aged children: short-term projects are more beneficial.
• Adolescents: striving for an identity, need responsibility for tasks.

Teaching Plan

• Formulate teaching plans with awareness of strengths and limitations.
• Plan with the child and family, one topic per session.
• Choose the appropriate teaching format (formal vs. informal).
• Determine teaching strategies (lecture, demonstration, discussion, etc.).

Teaching Plan Components

• Use visual aids, pamphlets, learning games, videos, puppets, and dolls in teaching.

Counseling and Rapport

• Counseling and establishing rapport with children requires specific techniques and empathy.

Counseling Examples

• Provide age-appropriate information, with explanation of the reasons for taking the medication..
• Provide age-appropriate explanations of the reasons behind the health issue.

Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensori-motor (Birth-2 years): using senses, object permanence
• Preoperational (2-6 years): symbolic thinking, egocentric
• Concrete operational (7-11 years): logic, conservation
• Formal operational (12+ years): abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning

This quiz explores the essential communication skills needed for teaching children and families. It differentiates between therapeutic and nontherapeutic communication and discusses the developmental stages of language. Understand the interaction process that aids effective child care and development.