Functional Communication Training For Parents Simplified

By Douglas Myers


Children communicate at a very basic level. They indicate in a raw format what they want and how they feel. Functional communication training for parents aims at helping them to understand what these children want or mean by the gestures, sounds and signals they give. This is extremely important considering that children cannot communicate articulately as adults would.

Good communication is important to guardians and parents because it helps to strengthen the relationship between parents and their children. However, it is even more important for parents or guardians whose children require special care because of such conditions as ADHD and autism. The children find it difficult to pass their messages and therefore require new avenues to communicate.

Communication training is not limited to guardians and parents. There should be an attempt to teach the children. This applies to a very small clique of children because of their obvious age and ability to understand. The parent or teacher must also be patient with children at this level. Children who understand this form of communication obtain an alternative channel through which they can pass their messages. It will be less frustrating for them to communicate their desires and feelings to adults.

Children with challenges communicating should be handled by a speech therapist. It is the parent or guardian who alerts the pathologist. The pathologist begins by evaluating the capability of the child since each one is unique. Difficulties between children vary and their solutions will be equally diverse. The pathologist identifies the unique challenges facing your child and proposes specific solutions.

Naturally, human beings communicate using words, gestures and body language. For children with delayed milestones, the challenge is on one of these avenues. The pathologist will identify the next best alternative that will still deliver desired results. At the initial stages, the focus is to get communication going. Pathologists identify a hierarchical order in which means of communicating are arranged.

Children begin communicating by using gestures and body language. They will point at the objects they want or move the body in that direction. In other cases, they cry or are agitated while pointing in the direction. Where they do not want something, they will pull the body in the opposite direction and resist any attempt to be associated with the object. Other methods that can be used to communicate include picture exchange, sign language and adoption of customized voice output devices.

The parent or guardian needs to identify new words that will be taught to the child. Learning happens through continuous repetition. You need to combine all learning avenues like sound and gestures to make it easier to learn your desired words. Tempt the child to says or gesture the words by providing the objects in his or her surrounding.

Children with special needs learn at a slow pace and will therefore take time to communicate. Since you are not sure of the words that will be easy to learn, interchange them and try new ones from time to time. Appreciate the uniqueness of each child during training and be conscious to avoid frustration or the wrong approach. Over time, you will achieve the results you desire.




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