Facts About Functional Communication Training For Parents

By Douglas Myers


Communication skills and channels for children take time to develop. This is evident from the raw emotions they express, words and gestures that focus on how they feel and what they want. Even for a parent, these raw messages are challenging to understand. It gets worse if the milestone is delayed. Functional communication training for parents helps in simplifying interactions and helping the guardians to understand the messages being passed.

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.

Training of different ways to communicate goes both ways. It is not only the guardians or parents that should learn. Children also have the capability to learn when their potential is enhanced through special attention and a professional approach. The guardian or parent teaching a child how to communicate should exercise a lot of patience. These sessions are aimed at providing an alternative channel for the affected child to communicate. It eliminates the frustration that arises when communication is broken.

It is speech therapists that handle children facing challenges communicating. The role of the parent is to alert the pathologist who will evaluate your child and recommend the best solution. The evaluation is important because each child is unique and therefore requires personalized approach. Different children face very unique challenges communicating. Once the challenges have been identified, unique solutions can be provided.

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 mainly use body language and gestures to communicate. It is manifested as they point at what they want or move towards it. They will also cry or be agitated while pointing at or learning towards the objects they desire. In case of displeasure, he or she will resist and even attempt to run away. Other options include the use of sign language, picture exchange and customized voice output devices.

The guardian or parent training the kid should look for easy words to train his child. Preference for parents and guardians is because they have the trust of children and spend a lot of time together. Use a mix of gestures, voice and body language to pass the message. Tempt the learning child to use the words or gestures by presenting a situation. Such practical moments also help you to evaluate your teaching skills.

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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