Interpersonal Communication Skills in Working with Children

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Interpersonal Communication Skills in Working with Children
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WORKING WITH CHILDREN 2
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

WORKING WITH CHILDREN 3
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.