Interpersonal Communication Skills in Working with Children

This article discusses the importance of interpersonal communication skills in working with children. It explores the barriers that can hinder effective communication and provides strategies for overcoming them. The article also highlights various resources that can be used to ensure effective communication with children.

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Interpersonal Communication Skills in Working with Children
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Introduction
In every community there are different factors both internal external that prevent children from
achieving their full potential. This is clearly seen in both rural and urban communities. The well-
being of children entirely depends on the support their families offer to them. Both boys and girls
should be fully involved in setting goals, developing various methods and strategies, assessing
progress in their communities and most importantly in being part of decisions that influence their
lives both negatively and positively. This will eventually help in building their confidence
therefore becoming active citizens.
Barriers in Working with the Children
It is important to note that children acquire skills and knowledge best when their
developmental needs are understood and addressed by the people they interact with daily be it in
school or even at their homes. Some of the challenges hence include;
Communication- In order to interact effectively with people, children require good
language and speech skills. Children who have communication problems may not perform well
in school and have immense struggle with events that depend fully on effective communication.
While dealing with children some of the communication barriers people encounter with includes:
Cognitive problem- Children with this problem encounters insufficient thinking skills.
This may lead to problems in such areas as imagination, intellect, memory, reasoning and
perception and judgment. Head or brain injuries, premature birth and neurological conditions are
some of the causes of poor cognitive functioning. This is according to American speech-
language-hearing Association (Pamela, 2013). Clinicians recommend that children with this

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condition require medical attention as early as when language skills begin evolving. This
problem becomes a great barrier when dealing with children and it should be addressed
Fluency problem- Fluency problem is also referred to as dysfluency. When working with
children with dysfluency disorder one is able to notice fluency problems such as hesitations,
repetitions and prolonged sounds. This condition is common in children aged 2 to 6 years and in
most cases by the time the children are six months old the condition is no longer there.
Speech problems-Speech problem is also known as articulation disorder. This is a
condition whereby a child is not able to pronounce some words and sounds correctly. While
working with children this would be a great challenge since the child may not be able to express
themselves well. These children are not able to use sounds as required. They create omissions in
some words. This condition may occur due to physical issues such as teeth problem, hearing loss,
and cleft palate.
Language problems- This affects the child’s ability to understand speech , use spoken or
written language appropriately. The child is unable to use the correct words to explain what they
mean to others and the child is not able to understand the words used by other children. This is
an expressive and responsive problem that affects the communication process for the kids.
Communication Strategies required for Effective Communication with Children
To achieve effective communication with children, it requires one to listen and talk in
ways that encourage the child to listen to a person (Petrie, 2011). Good communication with
children is all about being able to listen and respond in a sensitive way to all kinds of things not
only to good things or good news, but also to anger, embarrassment, sadness and fear. It involves
listening, questioning, understanding and responding to what is being communicated by children.

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It is also much important to encourage the children to talk so that one may be able to understand
what they are feeling and thinking (Traub, 2016). When this is achieved the bond between the
child and a person is improved therefore encouraging the children to listen to a person.
Methods
The following methods ensure effective communication with children.
 Symbolic communication: This type of communication includes speech, picture
communication system, writing (print or braille) and sign language. While
communicating children may point out to something to communicate expressively
what they want. Through the use of symbolic communication a child is able to clearly
understand what a person means. A person can also use communication boards or
books as a symbol of communication (Zufferey, Gibson, & Buchanan, 2016).
 Eye contact: Whether an individual is talking or listening, it is important to make an
eye contact. Through this one is able to capture the child’s full attention. Holding eye
contact whenever possible is crucial.
 Delay correction and gather more information: For effective communication an
individual should ensure they first hear the children out before any corrections are
made. This gives the children the satisfaction that their concerns are well addressed
(Barieva, kireeva, Zhou, & Kadi, 2018).
 Listen with your whole body: For effective communication it is important to give the
children full attention whenever need be.one may face them, kneel down to get to
their level
Applicable Resources used to ensure Effective Communication

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While dealing with children, one may need some resources in order to ensure effective
communication as pointed out by Pamela (2013). Use of instructional materials is an effective
way of communicating with children. Use of modern technology has greatly facilitated to
effective communication too (Castelllar, 2017). Use of computers to communicate with children
is effective ways since it captures all their attention enabling them effectively understand what is
being communicated to them.
In cases of teaching, the use of textbooks is common and available in every institution.it
is an effective way of communicating with children (Maddox n.d). The use of social media has
also become an effective way of communicating with children. The use of videos is an exciting
new trend of communicating to children. The videos can be scripted and incorporate photos and
animations. The use of Skype conversations too has made communication effective. Discussion
forums also facilitate communication. The forums bring about knowledge sharing amongst
children. No time is wasted answering the same questions over and over again. Through
participating in such forums children morale is boosted yielding positive results.
Conclusion
Different activities in one’s life often come with big rewards, an aspect that requires
effecting communication to ensure there is connection between people. Through communication,
the society achieves healthy adult-child relationships that is often rewarding to both the parents
and the community. Regular communication with children helps them to develop a healthy and
positive personal view of themselves. If only this would be achieved the world can be
overwhelming for children. It surely takes time, energy and effort to build skills to communicate
clearly and effectively.

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References
Barieva, k., kireeva, Z., Zhou, N., & Kadi, S. (2018). The Overcoming the Communication
Barriers of Students as. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, pp. 398-409.
Castelllar, C. (2017, january 1). The Information and Communications Technology in Higher.
University of Zaragoza.
Gilles, G. (n.d.). 7 Tips for Effective Communication with Your School-aged Child. LCPC.
Maddox, N. (n.d.). Barriers to Communication in Children. American-Speech-Language-Hearing
-Association.
Pamela C, M. (2013). Confronting Barriers to Learning to Help All Children Succeed. European
Journal of Industrial Relations, 25(1), 635–650.
Petrie, p. (2011). comunication skills for working with children and young people. Jessica
Kingsley Publishers, pp. 1-176.
Traub, S. (2016). Communicating Effectively With Children. Regional Specialist, Human
Development and Family Science. 13(12),1–19.
Zufferey, c., Gibson, C., & Buchanan, F. (2015). Collaborating to Focus on Children in.
University of south Australia, pp. 1,32-45.

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