Positive Changes to the Communication Environment: Communication Development for Children

CYPOP22
2.4

Explain how positive changes to the communication environment can support communication development for children and young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

Positive changes to the communication environment to support communication development for children and young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties could be:
Making timetables visual – We use pictures, symbols or photographs in our setting to enhance understanding for children with BESD, SLCN and for younger children. Having a visual time line can be very effective as they can clearly see what will be happening throughout the day and in which order, it also lets them know of any changes to the daily routine. This will help the child to understand what will be happening and what the expectations of them will be. I would show the child the picture pointing to it clearly saying what it is making sure the child can clearly see my mouth movements. This will help the child to understand the words associating them with the picture and encourage use of the word/words slowly developing into sentences.
Making the routines of the setting or activity very explicit - We use daily routines to repeat and emphasize basic language promoting communication and language.
Often children can benefit from rehearsing routines several times to become more confident in the environment increasing their overall development. Children get used to doing the same things in the same order, repeating to the child what it is we are doing at the time of doing so, so that they start to understand and associate these things together, for example, showing a child the picture of the toilet whilst saying ‘toilet time’ the child will start to understand linking these together and will start to say ‘toilet’.
Consider noise levels - Environments must avoid being too loud and chaotic as this will inhibit interaction between adults and children since children would be easily distracted and unable to focus. We always try to engage the children in activities that are taking place, this stops them becoming bored, running around and shouting and aiding conversation about the activity that they are taking part in. Also taking the room design into consideration. We always try to make effective use of space to take into account the use of light and sound density as well as creating small spaces which feel more secure to children and will therefore aid communication because they will feel more relaxed and not so easily distracted.

Giving children the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the setting – We could give them extra support to get to know the names of the staff and providing children with strategies to ask for help, like, giving them extra time to look around and to listen, responding positively and value all attempts of communication which may include non-verbal communication such as simple gestures, body language or signing as well as spoken language.
Another important aspect to consider is the physical environment since this too is a means in which the opportunity for language can flourish. It is important that play and activities are challenging and creative as opposed to stagnant and repetitive since this will only result in boredom and minimal use of language. Label equipment and places for specific activities – We use pictures, symbols, photographs or written labels so the child recognizes where specific items are.
Increased accessibility of the language used in behaviour management techniques – It is important to consider the language and vocabulary that might be appropriate. Introduce new vocabulary by giving the child opportunities to use every one of their senses to investigate, for example we have been discussing exotic and unusual fruits as part of our ‘healthy eating’ topic, so we have given the children the opportunity to see, touch, smell and taste them to help them understand what they are. It is also important for us to use new words regularly so that they become part of the children’s vocabulary.
We also work alongside SLT’s and behaviour specialist’s if they are needed within the setting and take their guidance of approach with a specific child from them.
Ensuring children and young people understand verbal and written information – We use registration and circle time to ensure that children understand verbal and written information provided to them within the setting, giving them lots of opportunities to ask questions, giving them time to look and listen.
It is also important to show the children how spoken language and written language are linked. For example, if a child has drawn a picture of their family I will ask the child if they would like me to write on their picture a caption/sentence, like, ‘my family’ or this is mummy, this is daddy etc. as I write what the child says I always read it back to them so that I am modelling both the process and that of writing. We put out pencils and small pads or paper daily, like in the home corner as they attempt to write shopping lists which promotes PSED, LD, PD (fine motor skills) and communication development as they usually talk about what they are writing.

Clear visual support – We use outside agencies such as, a behaviour specialist or speech and language therapist and work alongside them with the equipment that maybe provided to encourage development. We have a boy whose speech is very poor and have been given flashcards to use with him for a set amount of time each day by the speech & language therapist. The boys’ keyworker takes him out to the coffee lounge, which is a small quiet area and plays a game with him with the flash cards. He enjoys the game encouraging him to talk about what they are doing also promoting turn taking and sharing.
Making rules, routines and boundaries clear, explicit and understandable – We use registration and circle time to make the rules, routines and boundaries clear making sure the children understand what we are telling them. At registration I always remind the children that they are not allowed to go through the red doors without an adult and if they need to use the toilet to ask a member of staff. I remind the children to play nice and to share or if they see another child playing alone to ask them if they would like to play. I inform them of what the day’s activities are etc. always giving the children opportunities to ask question as well as myself asking them questions to clarify that they have understood what I have been saying, for example I say “are we allowed to run at playgroup?” In which they all shout “no” and will then ask “why are we not allowed to run around at playgroup” and they usually respond with lots of answer but generally the right ones, in case you fall over, or bump into somebody, or bang your head etc. and I always finish it with “sharing is……… and they all shout ‘caring’. It is important to remind the children of the rules, routines and boundaries as it helps the children to feel confident and secure, and are therefore more likely to behave and talk, if the environment makes sense to them.
Decreasing visual and auditory distractions – It is vital to have an area where there’s not too much on display or around them and a quieter place, so that the child can concentrate on the adult talking to them rather than having their attention taken with what they can see or hear. We use the coffee lounge which is a small, quiet area where the child can really focus and engage with the adult weather this is one to one or in a small group. We also make sure that all items set out are clear for the children to reach and see, for example, we have coloured tables which have different items on (to support each area of development) such as, chalks & blackboards, drawing table, playdoh, construction table etc. and if the playdoh was red this week (as we change the colour every week to tie in with our learning of colours, shapes etc.) We would not place the red playdoh on the red table as they be hard for the children to see, we would place it on the green table so it was clearly visible.
Increased staff awareness and skills – We are all given the opportunity to go on relevant staff training courses and receive in house training. We regularly review practice by having regular staff meetings and appraisals to make sure we are providing the most appropriate communication friendly environment to support all development include, behaviour and children’s speech, language and communication development.
We also regularly review, observe and monitor the children’s progress and provide next steps to meet identified stages of development, referring (with parental consent) to the relevant therapist if needed. Ensuring approaches which support children to ask for clarification – It is important for the children to understand what is being said to them. Sometimes I have to simplify my language and use gestures and signs to help children who are struggling to understand. For example, if I ask the child to come for their snack and they have a confused look I might point to the snack table whist clearly saying ‘snack table’ or by showing the child the picture from our timeline of snack time, or making gestures as if I am eating, helping them to link the two together, simply, repeating the words ‘snack table’ whilst sitting at the table a few times. Also asking the child to repeat back to you what has just been said to them to clarify that they understand.
When strategies are used to help improve the speech, language and communication needs of children there are a number of indicators that can tell us if what staff are doing is of benefit, and if improvements are being made and that the child’s needs are being met.
These will include an improvement in a child’s self-esteem, more confidence which will be evident in their social interaction with others, acceptance of peers, increased attention span, and ability to follow instructions and abide by the rules. There will be marked improvement in the frequency of positive and desirable behaviour, better literacy skills and overall progression in the attainment of speech, language and communication skills.