Child Development, Communication and Management

Question 1

Milestones in Development - describe features of the pre-school child (2 years) - 5

Answer 1

• can be awkward to deal with (pre-cooperative stage)
• v dependent on parent - poor communication skills do not share or play well
• communicate mostly by crying ie thirsty, tired, hungry scared etc seperation anxiety
• time issues ie cant sit still
• PARENTAL support and education is key in this age!

Question 2

Child development - describe features of a 3 y/o(4)

Answer 2

• similar aspects in crying for communications but should have some verbal skills to enhance understanding which relieves frustration
• try to be grown up - mimic adult behaviour
• should respond well to colourful descriptive stories to capture imagination
• still time issues - need to be quick

Question 3

child development - describe features of a 4 y/o

Answer 3

• start to test boundaries and impose their will
• I do it! - battle for them toothbrushing begins
• communication and interaction skills improve
• most children who will find dentistry difficult will fall into this group (POTENTIALLY COOPERATIVE)

Question 4

Child development - describe features of the school child (5)

Answer 4

• egocentric and inflexible this is constant until around 7/8
• need less parental support and are more independant. concentration improving but still a problem for long periods
• respond to praise and flattery. constant positive feedback is needed, use language that they will understand.
• love to show of there posessions
• children of 7 can seperate messages and deem ones that arent important and which ones are.

Question 5

child development - describe features of teenagers (4)

Answer 5

• • increasing independance
• major emotional, hormonal and physical changes
• moody, sensitive to criticism so comments need to be delivered with care.
• difficulties with motivation but can deal with cause and effect relationships in health but still better in the present day than future

Question 6

tactics when treating a 2y/o(5)

Answer 6

• keep appts short
• avoid asking questions that can get a no answer as thats there fav word
• invite parent into surgery
• full concentration on child
• avoid sudden scary movements, never work from behind

Question 7

tactics when treating a 3 y/o(4)

Answer 7

• get and keep attention by arousing curiosity
• might touch things - keep control of this
• positive attitude - its easier/ better to do this/ ive got a better way etc
• no negative attitude - may frighten

Question 8

tactics for treating a 4 y/o

Answer 8

• explain simple procedures. why do u need to stay open/suction etc
• keep control, work steady and avoid delays

Question 9

tactics for treating 5-8 y/o(5)

Answer 9

• show interest in clothes in items that are brought into surgery hair bobbles clips etc
• appeal to egocentric - clean the dirty tooth to fill with a silver star etc
• give lots of praise
• steady concentration on child
• teach stop signals and practice to reassure child

Question 10

what are the 3 relationships between age and behaviours

Answer 10

charactierised in 3 ways -

• cooperative
• potentially cooperative
• pre-cooperative - lacking cooperative ability.

MOSTLY COOPERATION IS AGE DEPENDANT

Question 11

when are management techniques put into place/for what kind of patient(3)

Answer 11

• these are appropriate for cooperative and potentially cooperative children.
• pre cooperative is a child who lacks the ABILITY to be cooperative and includes communication issues in the preschool child and with certain disabilities
• this category may need dfferent approaches which may include GA

Question 12

describe the two locus of control methods we have in a child

Answer 12

INTERNAL - they can control what happens to them/ are responsible for there own health
EXTERNAL - what happens is down to chance and has no personal input

Question 13

describe what needs to happen when giving information to INTERNAL locus children

Answer 13

• these children need specific information regarding treatment sessions as it gives them a feeling of expectation and control over the procedures. if this is ignored the child is more likely to feel anxious

Question 14

describe what needs to happen when giving information to EXTERNAL locus children

Answer 14

• the OPPOSITE is true for the child who has an external locus of control
• they respond better to an outline of session as DETAILS will increase anxiety so try to avoid this.

Question 15

describe what it means by the term trait anxiety

Answer 15

• this is a term used for patients who seem to be more anxious than others
• prone to anxiety and worry in other areas, especially if it can involve failure
• a routine appt can raise the same level of anxiety as an operative appt.
• NEED CONTINUING SUPPORT TO MANAGE CONTROL

Question 16

how do we communicate well with a child patient (5)

Answer 16

• a balancing act
• inform child AND parent
• remember the message you are sending may not be the one the family are receiving
• in young children, words used will have less of an impact than the tone of your voice!
• in older children, long explanations to the parents may use up their attention span or make them more anxious if they dont understand.

Question 17

how do we communicate well with parents(7)’

Answer 17

• gain the parents concerns about there childs dental health
• respect the parents desires and feelings even if you disagree
• relieve some of the parents guilt and anxiety
• encourage positive health, promoting behaviour
• encourage parent to reinforce the childs positive, cooperative behaviour
• explain planned procedures - NO JARGON
• discuss various treatment options without biasing the decision

Question 18

Verbal Communication - what would the outcome be if we used jargon infront of the child when treating them

Answer 18

child may misunderstand or become anxious as the treatment sounds frightening to them

Question 19

Verbal Communication - what do we need to consider when speaking at a level to the child

Answer 19

• words used need to be age? appropriate for the person you are speaking to
• explanations given at the wrong level may be insulting, frightening or confusing
• difficult if you need the child and adult to understand but most of the time the parents will understand that you are trying to make things easier for the child. - the parents will usually understand what you are saying to them

Question 20

Verbal Communication - things we need to consider when speaking to the child - how is there listening

Answer 20

• we must remember that we only listen to 25% of our potential
• listening decreases if we are anxious or awaiting treatment
• this means we may need to GIVE SOME INFO IN ADVANCE OF THE APPOINTMENT

Question 21

how much information is RETAINED when verbally communicating with someone

Answer 21

• 50 % of information is forgotten within 5 mins of leaving the surgery
• it may be helpful to WRITE DOWN ANY INFORMATION FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

Question 22

name the types of non-verbal communication we have

Answer 22

• FACE
• EYES
• GESTURES/BODY POSTURE
• BODY CONTACT

Question 23

what are the 2 steps that will ensure success on almost all occasions with almost all patients…

Answer 23

1. gain RAPPORT with the patient (eye contact, make them smile)
2. give CONTROL TO THE PATIENT (raise your hand if you want me to stop)

Question 24

specific techniques for patient management (6)

Answer 24

• introduce in STAGES
• teach them relaxation breathing/imagery
• tell - show - do
• reinforcement and reward
• modelling (puppets)
• distraction

Question 25

describe some ways in which we can get the dental environment right for children/make it children friendly (11)

Answer 25

• communicating with a child has to be age specific
• childrens corner in waiting room
• child friendly colours
• childrens books/toys
• posters positioned at childs height
• pinboard for drawings
• colouring sheets and badges
• puppets
• friendly staff
• put the child at the CENTRE
• remember COMMUNICATION IS MORE THAN JUST WORDS