Communicating with Special Needs Children

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Communicating with children with complex needs

Communication is a key element of humanity as it helps people live together and share their ideas subject to how they should progress or even solve disputes. Similarly, communication can be in many forms if the people involved understand what the other person is communicating. The most common way of communication is known to be the verbal one where people use language to converse to one another. However, as nurses some there will be patients that have complex needs that we need to converse with in a manner that will make them feel like part of the entire community. This is entirely related to pediatrics who are specialized in taking care of children regardless of their mental, physical or psychological defects. This essay will, therefore, give a detailed analysis of the best ways to use in an attempt to communicate to children that have been discovered to have complex needs.

Makaton is a form of communication that serves as a helper to developing a firm spoken language. It embraces the use of both signs and speech at the same time to help the people with special needs or rather people who may have impaired speech system. It is essential in that is makes sure that the communication is more advanced and detailed since the nurse will make sure that the children with complex needs have knowledge in both sign language and spoken language (Bednarski, 2016). The essence of using sign language is to enhance an easy means of communication for the children who might have problems adjusting to spoken language or maybe have other adverse reasons as to why they are unable to converse in spoken speech like any other children.

The medical system and association of pediatrics classify Makaton as an easy way to communicate between, the nurses themselves, the parents, or caregivers of children who have complex needs. For adults, it is easy to use both spoken language and sign language as they have exposure to the two communication means and it will be simple for them to pass it down to the children who are at their young stages of development and growth. Using Makaton has also proven to be a swift mechanism of supporting integration between all children in such a way that children with no complex needs will be able to communicate with children who are well with no difficulties (Drew, 2108). It opens up the very initial life stages of children with complex needs and makes them feel like a part of the children who have no special needs as they will always interact on level ground and nothing will create a line between them whatsoever.

People taking care of children with special needs can use sign language systems that mimic the actual language that is being spoken. This makes sure that the children will have an insight into most of the common sign language that is used even by people who have the ability to the spoken language. Similarly, it is of great importance that the caregiver does not come up with crude signs that are not there as they will end up confusing the children rather than help them as it is viewed in the first place (Benton & Johnson 2015). Having a common sign language technique will make the children as they grow less vulnerable since they will be able to converse with other people more comfortable than when they had no idea on how to integrate with people who have no complex needs.

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The pediatric association champions for sign language that is more motivating to the children rather than a vast sign language. This is because, besides making the children with complex needs to converse with other people, it is also meant to motivate them in a way that they will not feel as if they have anything wrong as compared to their fellow children or anybody that surrounds them. It is the motivation that will help them have an improved relationship with anybody at any time as to them, they will not have the feeling that he is perceived differently as it is for the case when a child with complex needs cannot interrelate with the rest (Benton & Johnson 2015). As the children develop from time to time and gaining knowledge on spoken language, if at all is possible, they will have a better future as they will be conversant with both languages which means that they will be able to interact with all the people just like a normal child.

Body language is described as a non-verbal system of communication. It is composed of aspects such as, a facial expression which is the most unique non-verbal communication technique. The face is considered as the most expressive body part that is used to relay countless messages or better still emotions without having to say a single word. So, it will be easy to detect what the children are feeling based on their facial expression when they are exposed to certain things (Armstrong et al., 2016). Secondly, gestures are a part of body language that can be used to convey messages between the caregivers, parents or nurses as they interact with children who have special needs that hinder them from having a perfect communication means. Also, there is the use of body movement and postures that can always be used to relay messages between the children with complex needs and the people that take care of them.

In addition, facial expression can be broken down to eye contact which is a key element as far as body language is concerned. It helps the children to pay attention to the matter at hand that is being discussed at that particular stage. There can be touch and space which can be used to relate what the children are trying to communicate depending on how they interrelate with one another and also their caregivers. As a child, it will be easy to detect their notions towards certain things by observing how they react to things that surround them, either to show content or rather dislike. From how they react, it will be able to integrate with them and communicate using non-verbal techniques and ensure that they feel like part of the conversation and not as handicapped people (Roberts, 2106). This will help build their self-esteem as far as communication is concerned and they will be eager to learn new communication skills. It will be the initial step in making sure that they are able and willing to learn spoken language with time as they familiarize themselves with that which they know at the moment.

British sign language is a sign language that has been developed by the British Communication system to help people with special needs to be able to converse with other people using signs that are known to the British people. It is specifically meant for children who have special needs such as the deaf ones at their early age so that they grow while knowing how to communicate to people who have similar problems or even to normal people. In accomplishing this type of communication skills education, many platforms can be used to make sure that the children are ready and willing to learn from time to time in order to reach levels of success (Dockrell & Marshall 2015). At home, BSL should be practiced as often as possible in order to make sure that the children are exposed to as many signs over time and make it

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easy for them to not only use them but also understand them when other people are using them while communication to them.

In addition, for the families of such children, they are encouraged to do the same at all times, that is, use BSL in order to always familiarize the children with the language as it will be of great importance in their life as they grow. The children can be exposed to members of the deaf society who use these languages every time and this will be the best learning platform for children with similar impairments. In school, the staff members should at least have a mastery of BSL to make it easy for children with complex needs to get along easily and cope with the learning environment. Increasing awareness within the school premises so that the children with special needs are not left out as they will be supported throughout the day (Smith, 2019). As a teacher to children with complex needs, it is also of great importance if materials that are used in learning sessions are developed in manners that make it possible for them to learn even more BSL communication skills.

Using the already discussed literature pieces in educating children with complex needs, it will be of most importance to first understand what the children already know. This will make them feel more appreciated and will psyche them up to learn even new techniques that they had no idea about. By doing so, it will be a successive learning experience when one accepts the signs that the children are using even though they might be not known to the other people. After this, modeling the child's notion to fit a new technique which in this time is the right one should be a gradual process that is repeated from time to time to enable the kid to catch up eventually and use the correct communication skills. Allowing the children to interact with one another as they use what they have learned after a day’s work is also essential as it will help them acquaint with the signs and make them better off as they grow.

In addition, it will be easy to use the BSL since it is acceptable in all the regions within Britain, a factor that will imply that children with complex needs will not be perceived as impaired subject to speech or rather conversation. Learning to always appreciate what the children with special needs have and offering to teach them what they may have not been exposed to so that it will be easy and swift for them in case they have to adjust to something different. Starting the communication schemes to teach the children, their parents or caregivers as early as possible so that the children will grasp important concepts that they will use as they grow up, whether it is a mixture of verbal and signs or body language and signs entirely.

In conclusion, communicating with children with complex needs it a vast entity that needs to be taken care of during the initial stages of the life of the children. This will make it possible for them to familiarize with the best skill that fits them subject to their special need. Knowing the child’s weaknesses and strengths will be a clear means to make sure that they have the best communication medium that will be friendly and easy for them to use as they intermingle with other people of either their kind or normal people. It sets a standard of livelihood for the children as they will be considered as part of the society and they will have the ability to pass their ideas out.

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References

Armstrong, F., Armstrong, D., & Barton, L. (2016). Inclusive education: Policy, contexts, and

comparative perspectives. Routledge.

Bednarski, M. (2016). The Exploring of Implementing Makaton in Multi-Sensory Storytelling

for Children with Physical and Intellectual Disabilities Aged Between 5 and 10. World

Scientific News, 47(1), 1-61.

Benton, L., & Johnson, H. (2015). Widening participation in technology design: A review of the

involvement of children with special educational needs and disabilities. International

Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 3, 23-40.

Dockrell, J. E., & Marshall, C. R. (2015). Measurement issues: assessing language skills in young

children. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 20(2), 116-125.

Drew, S. (2018). Let’s talk Makaton. Dental Nursing, 14(11), 530-530.

Roberts, J. (2016). Language teacher education. Routledge.

Smith, C. (2019, January 16). How Can You Support Children Learning British Sign Language?

Retrieved May 26, 2020, from Special Educational Needs Resources Blog website:

https://senresourcesblog.com/2019/01/16/how-can-you-support-children-learning-

british- sign-language/