When a child is born with a sensory impairment, or develops one over time, it can have a significant impact on their ability to communicate and connect with those around them. In this article, we explore some practical ways that those around a child with a sensory impairment might support them to overcome certain barriers to communication and build strong relationships with family and friends.
How can a sensory impairment affect communication?
The term ‘sensory impairment’ means that one or more of a child’s senses, like their vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and/or spatial awareness, is reduced or diminished. This means they can’t rely on their affected sense as much or at all. A sensory impairment will impact every aspect of their life, including how they communicate with others.
If a child is unable to use one or more of their senses, they may need to be supported to find other ways to understand the information coming at them from their environment and the people around them, and to express themselves in ways that work for them. This might mean however that a child with a sensory impairment won’t follow the same rules of communication as children who do not have a sensory impairment and they might miss certain social cues or find it more difficult to feel involved in social activities.
Communication is simply the exchange of information between people, and good communication can create positive connections and strong bonds. By supporting a child with sensory impairment to discover the styles of communication that work for them, and educating others around them so they are able to become more fluent in those communication styles, families and friends can build meaningful connections and create thriving relationships.
Speaking to family and friends about a child’s sensory impairment
If you are a parent of a child with a sensory impairment, you might find that certain family and friends seem uncomfortable and find it difficult to communicate with your child. In almost every case this is simply because they lack confidence and are unsure about what to do.
As the parent and carer, you can take the initiative, educating friends and family members about your child's sensory impairment and their communication needs. You might provide information, resources, and practical tips to help them better understand how your child experiences the world, and how they might communicate effectively with them.
When starting the conversation about your child’s sensory impairment, being relaxed and open about your child’s condition will allow others to feel they can ask questions about it, learning about how best to support your child, and you too.
Creating the right environment
The right environment can have a significant impact on a child’s ability to follow a conversation and take part in social activities. Perhaps your child becomes agitated if there is too much competing noise, so a quieter place is best for them. Perhaps comfortable seating is important, or good lighting is vital because they need it to sign or lip read. Understanding these can be hugely important in creating safe spaces for your child to interact with others.
To help your child gain the most from social experiences, you might let people know what type of environment works best for your child by organising playdates, family gatherings, or outings in spaces where everyone can participate and engage with your child comfortably. Once you are there, you could help people to understand why these particular places are right for your child, pointing out how certain features and qualities enhance your child’s ability to engage and communicate.
Starting to build a positive relationship with a child who has sight or hearing loss
When thinking about building relationships, it can be helpful to consider how family and friends can gain the most from the interaction with your child. This may look different to how they engage with other children, who do not have a sensory impairment.
When a child has a sensory impairment, it can be really important not to startle them when approaching them. By attracting a child’s attention in a gentle way can help to initiate the conversation in a positive way. If your child has hearing or sight loss, they may not be aware when someone walks into a room, so sharing the strategies you use to attract your child’s attention will be really valuable.
Your child might also need more time to process information given to them, so letting friends and family know that they should be patient and allow your child the time they need to respond will be helpful for everyone.
Your child is unique, and will have their own quirks, personality and preferred way of doing things. If they have a particular way of letting people know they have understood something, share this with your family and friends so when your child communicates this to them, they will know they have been understood. This positive feedback will strengthen their growing relationship.
As the parent who knows your child best, you can lead by example by modelling how you communicate with your child. Showing your family and friends how you use active listening and empathy, and showing respect for your child’s communication preferences, will encourage them to feel more confident and to do the same.
There are many tools and strategies available that can support people to overcome communication barriers, and the ones your child prefers will vary depending on their particular condition and how they like to communicate. Of course, all children love to play, and inviting family and friends to learn and share in your child’s favourite games is a wonderful way to create fun memories and promote healthy, strong relationships.
Other strategies can include sign language, speech-to-text and text-to-speech software, visual communication boards and tactile cues and gestures, to name just a few. Our other articles on communication strategies to support someone who is blind or visually impaired, and communication strategies to support someone who is deaf or has an auditory impairment go into greater detail on this.
Learning communication strategies and languages
As a parent caring for a child with a sensory impairment, you might have already supported them to learn a new communication strategy that suits their needs, and have learned it yourself. Sharing some simple phrases in Makaton with your friends and family for them to learn can open up whole new dimensions to their relationship with your child. When this communication style changes as your child gets older (they might move from using Makaton to British Sign Language, for example) your friends and family can learn that too. This continuous learning can be a great opportunity to connect and can be hugely beneficial for everyone, with your child acting as the expert, teaching and sharing what they know with others.