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Today, let's explore how communication affects a child's behavior. First, a child is given direction, asked to perform a task or received a command. It doesn't matter how we say it, all of these are basically the same thing. You want your child to do something. One of the first questions to ask yourself is, "does my child understand what I am trying to communicate." If he doesn't, it's not his fault. It's my problem because I didn't make my request understandable. Let's discuss how the message can be understood.
Is the direction clear and concise?
Is there anything visual that aids in communicating the direction?
Can the child tell you in his own words what you want him to do?
If you ask the child what she is suppose to be doing, can she tell you?
Does he follow the direction?
If the answer to the first question is yes, you have a good start. Now, let's look at the remaining questions. If the answer to any of them is no, there is probably a communication problem. If he doesn't understand what is being asked, it is unlikely that he will follow through and complete the task. If he is confused, there are several things that might happen. He may try to comply but he misunderstands and does the wrong thing. He might ignor your request because he doesn't understand. He may be non complient because he can't do something he does't "get." It's helpful to remember that "behavior is communication." Many times ignoring or non compliance tells an adult that the child doesn't understand. This causes anxiety to rise. Seldom, will this child ask for help or further explanation. That's a skill that will need to be taught. The adult must check for understanding because a child with language processing difficulties looks like he understands but does not.
Next week, we will look at examples of concise language, sample visual communication and how to check for understanding. These strategies can help in task compliance, follow through and anxiety reduction. All of those sound good to me. How about you?
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