Children with specific communication needs
All children have different communication needs, time and consideration must be given to understanding how children best communicate and working with others to overcome any barriers in communicating with children. Even when children have very limited communication with only a hand, sign or even eye pointing movement that indicates yes and another to indicate no, this does not mean that the child cannot understand or is able to communicate what has happened to them. All children have the ability to communicate, and it is up to professionals to identify how.
Throughout any assessment process, communication is key. All steps must be taken to avoid confusion. Participation in all forms of planning meetings and post assessment must be encouraged and facilitated. Where there are communication impairments or learning difficulties, particular attention should be paid to the communications needs of the child to ascertain the child’s perception of events and his or her wishes and feelings. Practitioners should be aware of non-verbal communication systems and should know how to contact suitable interpreters and facilitators. Very young children and many disabled children effectively communicate their needs through their behaviour. It is therefore very important to maximise the use of observation and reports from those in contact with the child. Practitioners must not make assumptions about the inability of a disabled child to give credible evidence, or to withstand the rigors of the Court processes where these are required.