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Communicating with Children: Overcoming Barriers and Applying Resources

Professionally, communication is an important element of effectively engaging with
clients. An even more important element of this communication is knowing how to interact
and engage with a particular target client group since each group has peculiarities that
demand special attention. For instance, dealing with children calls for a different approach
compared to the elderly. Children tend to be more active and call for more active
engagement during communication that the elderly who are much more relaxed and call for
a much less preemptive approach. For adult professionals working in environments that
require constant and effective communication with children, this can prove to be a daunting
task. However, particularly for social workers dealing with this demographic, it is a vital
aspect of their development and well-being as well as working with them (Seo et al., 2021).
This clientele requires a conscious effort to enable children to express themselves and
understand others. My personal encounters with clients of this demographic have enabled
me to refine my ability to communicate with children.
According to Febriantini et al. (2021), in order to make headway when dealing with
this group of clients, it is important to “make them involved in social interaction, it needs
special effort to make them be able to speak or communicate first”. This is further supported
by Zhao and Chen (2018) who insist on getting children not only involved verbally but also
physically stating that physical activity “is an important contributor for health in populations
with developmental disabilities, and the benefits of physical activities for children with ASD
have been studied.” A further exploration of the topic reveals that working with children
comes with a number of barriers to communication which may negatively impact the
outcome of interactions with clients in this group. The most noteworthy among these include:
1. Attention Span - Children tend to hold attention for far less than adults which impacts
how you communicate with them
2. Limited Vocabulary - Communicating complex issues to children can be a challenge
due to their limited vocabulary. Finally,
3. Language Development - Depending on their developmental stage, children can be
difficult to communicate with due to underdeveloped language prowess.
Working with children therefore requires one to actively attempt to counter these
barriers (French-Troy, 2015). This is, however, further impacted upon when iyt comes to
dealing with children suffering from various developmental and cognitive issues that may
further delay the development of language and communication abilities.
In order to ensure that adults working in capacities that require frequent interactions
with children hyave positive outcomes when called upon to communicate with them, they
need to be armed with a number of relevant skills. These skills will not only make them
better at talking to the children but also make them effective listeners. In an effort to improve
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my capability to effectively communicate with children, I have identified the following skills as
essential:
1. Active Listening: Paying close attention to what the child is saying and
acknowledging their feelings.
2. Simplified Language: Using simple and clear language appropriate for the child's age
and comprehension level.
3. Nonverbal Cues: Understanding and responding to the child's nonverbal cues, such
as body language and facial expressions.
4. Language complexity: Complex language can be counterintuitive in this case
because children have limited understanding and vocabulary.
The goal in communicating with younger clients is not only to understand them and
relay information to them but also to make them feel comfortable sharing and feel
understood (raisingchildren.net.au, 2017). Research indicates that the integration of sign
language and speech therapy aided autistic children in improving their oral language abilities
following the intervention. This may suggest that augmenting verbal communication with
nonverbal cues raises the linguistic proficiency of children with autism. As a result, it is
imperative to incorporate various resources, both visual and non-visual, during
communication to improve the effectiveness oof outcomes during interaction with clients.
Several resources can aid in enhancing communication with children:
1. Visual Aids: Utilizing pictures, drawings, or flashcards to convey information visually.
2. Storybooks and Role-Playing: involving kids in role-playing or storytelling exercises to
promote understanding and communication.
3. Technology: including educational games or interactive apps based on the child's
interests and learning preferences.
4. Storytelling dice : These cubes are ideal for providing innovative and creative help for
language development and communication.
In my experience dealing with clients from this group, I have been called upon to
handle a number of autistic children. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder face a number
of unique challenges when it comes to communicating which make them more difficult to
deal with. These children may exhibit a number of cognitive challenges such as lagging
behind when it comes to their speech development and the understanding of language.
According to Rapin & Tuchman (2008), the slow development of speech that plagues autistic
children may result in problems with social interaction causing these children to seclude
themselves and have issues communicating in a way that seems regular to others of their
age. According to Sari (2018), it is possible to develop interactions that stem from verbal
communication and non-verbal communication promoting successful interactive systems to
teach and communicate with these children. In this case, I was dealing with children who
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had failed to get an early diagnosis which could have helped to prevent them from
developing other problems in the future (Hosozawa, Sacker, and Cable, 2021). and teaching
and learning verbal skills have to be done in an adapted way so that children with autism still
acquire a large vocabulary and certain language skills.
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References
Febriantini, W. A., Fitriati, R., & Oktaviani, L. (2021). An analysis of verbal and non-
verbal communication in autistic children. Journal of Research on Language
Education, 2(1), 53–56. https://doi.org/10.33365/jorle.v2i1.923
French-Troy, A. (2015, October 9). Tools for Communicating with Children. TLC
Learning Center. https://www.learningwithtlc.org/blog/2015/10/9/tools-for-
communicating
Hosozawa, M., Sacker, A., & Cable, N. (2021). Timing of diagnosis, depression and
self-harm in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 25(1),
136236132094554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320945540
raisingchildren.net.au. (2017, June 5). Communicating well with children: tips.
Raising Children Network. https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/connecting-
communicating/communicating/communicating-well-with-children
Rapin, I. & Tuchman, R. F. (2008). Autism: Definition, Neurobiology, Screening,
Diagnosis. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 55(5), 1129 – 1146.
Sari, F. M. (2018). Patterns of Teaching-Learning Interaction in the EFL Classroom.
TEKNOSASTIK, 16(2), 41. https://doi.org/10.33365/ts.v16i2.139
Zhao, M., & Chen, S. (2018). The Effects of Structured Physical Activity Program on
Social Interaction and Communication for Children with Autism. BioMed Research
International, 2018, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1825046