1.3  Creating an inclusive environment

Identifying your strengths

As mentioned at the start of this week, as a practitioner, the knowledge and skills you have already gained from working with children, qualifications that you have studied for and training that you have done will have helped you to support children with ASN. However, sometimes we need to remind ourselves of our strengths and this next activity will help you to do so.

Activity 1.3  Children with ASN – reflecting on your skills

Timing: Allow 10 minutes

Think about a situation where you have provided unique support to a child (or adult), family or friends, or someone in your professional capacity and consider the following questions:

  • What did you do?
  • What did you say?
  • How did you decide what to do?
  • Was it successful immediately?

Discussion

You may have identified a range of different ways that you were able to offer support. For example, did you do any of the following?

  • Did you make time for a one-to-one conversation and allow time for the child to respond to you?
  • Did you give some extra time?
  • If your example related to a child, did you adapt your language to suit a child’s understanding?
  • Did you communicate in ways that are suitable for a child with no language, limited language, with limited English or who is deaf?
  • Did you choose a book or tell a story in response to a child’s concerns or situation?
  • Did you use a play opportunity to interact with the child?
  • Did you use pictures, signs or gestures to communicate with the child?

If the answer to any of the above is yes, then you already have many skills that are helpful to children who require additional support.

The Scottish national framework for children, ‘Getting it Right for Every Child’ (GIRFEC), provides five questions all practitioners who work with children need to ask themselves about a child or young person:

  1. What is getting in the way of this child’s or young person’s wellbeing?
  2. Do I have all the information I need to help this child or young person?
  3. What can I do now to help this child or young person?
  4. What can my agency do to help this child or young person?
  5. What additional help, if any, may be needed from others?

You may agree that these questions are relevant to ELC practitioners who have responsibility for planning the care and education of children.

As well as the skills of observation and reflection, as an ELC practitioner you are familiar with the need to provide warm and supportive interactions with children. Your knowledge about the importance of play opportunities and providing appropriate resources will also help you to identify and respond to children with a need for additional support.

When might a child need additional support?

Adapting the environment for a child with ASN