5.2  Communicating with children with complex needs

As discussed in Week 1, you already have tools to help you gain confidence when working with children who have complex medical needs and their families. Everyday skills such as the ability to listen carefully will help you learn about the child, and the ability to assess a child will help you to plan appropriately.

Children will communicate in different ways and as practitioners you should be alert to any attempts at communication. Practitioners should offer a variety of ways for children to communicate and should respond accordingly. A visual picture, an eye gaze or a sign are all ways of communicating and the approach – which accepts of all forms of communication – is referred to as ‘total communication’.

Because of the variation in ways that children with complex needs can communicate, you may find that you must develop new skills and gain new knowledge in order to be able to understand and care for a child with complex medical needs.

This section looks at some of the skills and knowledge in more detail, starting with the importance of listening skills and active listening.