Saturday, July 16, 2016

Observing Communication

My observation took place in a classroom with children that have different disabilities. The grades were kindergarten to second grade.  I was watching a teacher’s assistant working with a child age six with ADHD and the mind of a three or four year old. They were working on learning how to spell their name and to draw a picture of their family. Well with child was not paying attention and not doing what he was supposed to do.
The assistant was talking to him and asking questions about his family who he lived with, any brothers or sisters and if he had any pets, he was answering her questions. In the video Lisa Kolbeck also mentions that children have to have to feel listened to and seen (Laureate Education, 2011). So by her asking him about his family he felt like she cared and he enjoyed sharing the information with her. I believed that by her getting to his level and asking him questions it helped him to connect with what they were doing, he drew his family even though it wasn’t very well she told him how wonderful it was and he became very excited about it.


I work with children with disabilities every day and my grandson is ADHD and is on the autism spectrum and she handle it just has I do with my class and grandson. By showing them that we care about how they feel and we are interested in the things they do will make a happy child. As Stephenson points out, through observation, “I learned that each child has a different style, and is likely to talk in different ways and in different contexts. I needed to find ways they could communicate that were enjoyable for them” (Stephenson, 2009).


 Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). Strategies for working with diverse children: Communicating with young children. Baltimore, MD:


Stephenson, A. (2009). Conversations with a 2-year-old. YC: Young Children, 64(2), 90-95. Retrieved from the Walden Library using the Education Research Complete database. http://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=37131016&site=ehost-live&scope=site


 

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