Communication and Child Development

ASG1

Definitions

Speech –
The expression of and the ability to express thoughts and feelings through structured sentences. Every child’s speech will be different as it can be affected by many different factors i.e. parents, friends, area in which they live. The key points for accurate speech are as follows - • Saying sounds accurately and in the right places in words •The sounds people use to communicate words
• Speaking fluently, without hesitating, prolonging or repeating words or sounds • Speaking with expression in a clear voice, using pitch, volume and intonation to support meaning.

Language –
The method of communication between people. It can either be spoken or written (or in the case of a deaf person, hand signs), consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. But not all language is verbal or written, any nonverbal method of expression or communication is still language, such as facial expressions and hand or arm gestures.

Communication –
This is the imparting or exchanging of information and news and not necessarily verbal. An email, letter, magazine or a text message can be considered communication. We ‘communicate’ our thoughts, feelings, idea’s and emotions through language.

Speech, language and communication needs –
It is our job as the carer’s of each child, while In the nursery setting to provide everything necessary for speech language and communication development. We have a whole range of activities, games, songs and rhymes designed for this purpose that are used on a daily basis.

An explanation of how speech, language and communication skills support each of the following areas in children’s development:

Learning –
Without speech learning would become a lot more stressful and difficult. Speech allows a child to convey an understanding, or a lack of understanding to a new concept through questions and answers. It is essential to communicate with a child in a method they can understand easily, especially when trying to teach them something new. This may not be verbal; it could be through drawings, pictures, song or stories.

Emotional/ behavioural/ social –
Speech, language and communication are vital for dealing with and understanding emotions. As young children don’t have the necessary language and speech skills to communicate their emotions they can some times come out in outburst, such as biting, crying, kicking or hitting. If a child would like a toy that another child has, without the correct communication skills the child will snatch the toy away and leave the first child without a toy and crying. Here there are 2 examples of why language, speech and comms support development, if the child who took the toy could understand how to communicate in a socially acceptable way he would have asked permission for the toy. Also with the child who had the toy taken away, rather than crying, with good communication skills she would be able to convey she was upset because she felt she had been mistreated.

A description of the potential impact of speech, language and communication difficulties on the overall development of a child, both currently and in the longer term.

If a child has difficulty with either speech, language or communication it can be hugely detrimental to the child in every aspect of their life. Firstly the child wouldn’t be able to properly convey their feelings to their, friends, family and teachers thus leading to the child being made to do things he or she doesn’t want to or doesn’t enjoy doing. If this were to continue for a long while the child may become unhappy. It could also lead to the child having very low self esteem and confidence issues. For example if he or she was doing something incorrectly after being explained the correct way of doing something several times, the child may lose faith in its self because he doesn’t understand what’s being said. This is because of a lack of clear communication. If this continued over a long period the child would grow up to become very shy and unsure of their own abilities’.

Explain the ways in which adults can effectively support and extend the speech, language and communication development of children during the early years, including the relevant positive effects of adult support for the children and their carers

In our setting to help support and extend speech, language and communication we use various techniques. The main adult support in the nursery setting is the child’s keyworker. This is good because it gives a chance for one on one support and this enables the keyworker to notice early on any communication difficulties and give the right support. For general encouragement and help in all 3 areas we use nursery rhymes, songs, listening carefully and getting down to the child’s level. This gives the child the confidence to try and speak properly, unrushed and in a comfortable manor. If we can see a child is lacking or excelling in a certain area then the key worker will notice this and tailor an activity to suit the child’s individual needs, i.e with a certain type of puzzle or reading game. Explain how levels of speech and language development vary between children entering early years provision and need to be taken into account during settling in and planning.

As each child coming into our setting is different and learns differently the varying degree’s of speech and language can be vast, even among children of the same age. Again the use of repetitive songs and stories will help give every child a chance to get use to the sounds of correct pronunciation. Any child we consider to be above average in the speech and language skills there key worker will spend time reading to and with them on a one on one basis with a slightly more difficult book so as to be a challenge. With the children that aren’t as advanced in speech and language an effort will be made to listen more carefully, encourage and support. We also need to check for external factors that could be affecting a child’s speech for example, a hearing problem, dental problems, thumb sucking or a dummy. All of these can be detrimental to communicating effectively.

Factors to consider when promoting effective communication.

For the most effective communication we need to make sure each child feels confident and secure about talking. To do this when a child is communicating with us its important to physically get down to there level, maintain good eye contact and give the child time to answer without feeling pressured.

Consider people from different backgrounds, how might they use and or interpret communication methods in different ways?

As each child’s culture, parents and home life can differ greatly it is important for us to consider what affect this may have on their communication methods. If at home the first language spoken isn’t English, as the child’s carer’s we need to be aware of this because it will affect the speed at which he or she learns. Also mannerisms, expressions and culture can be very different depending on the type of community or country you are brought up in. a thumbs up in one culture can mean ‘ok’ and in another mean ‘danger’ so these being interpreted incorrectly by other children or an adult can have a serious affect.

Review the importance of the following in supporting speech language and communication

The environment as a whole –
As language is never complete and always changing its important to notice the world around us, as this affects us so much and unconsciously where we pick up so much of what we learn. By paying attention to our environment we can find out what’s socially acceptable, which words, phrases and expression to use and when.

Staff roles and responsibilities
As the staff it is very important that we are constantly assessing each child’s development and tailoring our activities to include the oldest and youngest child. It is because we spend so much time with the children we are best placed to notice their strengths and weaknesses in communication

Training needs and opportunities
Within our setting to encourage continued development of speech, language and communication in all children, no matter which level they’re at we use different training methods. The first being makaton, this is good because it teaches every child a way of communicating without using speech, this is ideal for a child with low self-confidence. It also includes deaf children without having to adapt the group or make them feel different. Another good method we use is at the beginning of each day when everyone is gathered together, is to point to things within the setting and ask the children to name the object, the colour of it and what it can be used for.

Views of the child
How the child see’s themselves and feels about their abilities is paramount, because without a positive self image and outlook it will be much more difficult for he or she to learn happily and continue improving their speech language and communication skills. If we notice any child becoming frustrated or acting out due to what we believe is due to a lack of communication we will make extra effort to communicate with him or her in a way that is comfortable for them until we can improve their all round ability. For example, if a child always comes to a member of staff and directs them to a toy or a puzzle we can take this to understand the child is interested and wants to play with the puzzle or toy but cant yet convey this through speech, if we wernt to realise this the child would become frustrated and angry at not being understood.

Appropriate involvement of the carers
Once we have established a good relationship and rapport with the child and have a good understanding of their abilities it’s important to communicate this to the parents, usually through the key worker. If there are any concerns or worries we will pass them onto the parents, give our advice and take it from there depending on the parents input. Its very important not to put unwanted pressure on the child, his or her parents may want the speech language and communication to develop naturally regardless of the advancements of their peers.

Give examples of current theoretical approaches to creativity and creative learning. Explain how your setting supports and develops creativity learning and analysis the difference between creative learning and creativity. How does this support other areas of development such as social, emotional, communication and physical?

Most theories of child development view young children as highly creative with a natural tendency to role-play, experiment and explore their physical and conceptual environment. Understanding of creative learning differs from those who see creativity as freedom to express ourselves to those who link it to self-discipline, practise and crafts. Creativity is more about the process rather than the end product and this creative process is useful for many reasons, developing confidence, developing good relationships, finding out what talents and strengths the child has teaches us about who they are, what they love and what we can do to help continue this creativity.

Creative learning is about how children are actively involved in their own learning and their ability to make choices and decisions. This can be achieved through providing a creative environment allowing exploration through play and praising creative efforts. Creativity is about risk taking and making connections, allowing children to explore and express themselves through a variety of media or materials including, dance, music, making things, drawing, painting, building and make believe and to make new things emerge as a result. Being creative is strongly linked to play and can emerge through a child being absorbed in their own actions and ideas. Also when a group of children are behaving this way together it gives some a chance to lead, and others a chance to sit back and listen or think about things critically, thus teaching all involved about team work, compromise and sharing.

James Buckley