Communicating Partners
Dr. James D. MacDonald's Website
Helping Parents Help Children. Programs for Parents, Therapists & Educators
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BE BALANCED |
BE MATCHED |
| __1. Keep child in more frequent & longer interactions | __1. Play and act in ways child can act |
| __2. Interact frequently and as much as the child | __2. Communicate in ways child can communicate |
| __3. Initiate contact with child | __3. Communicate about what child is doing |
| __4. Respond to child | __4. Talk in ways that show a next step |
| __5. Keep child in interactions | __5. Be "childlike"(i.e. "Barbara-like" or "Mark-like") |
| __6. Communicate for a response then wait | |
| __7. Keep a topic going | |
| __8. Keep a back-and-forth flow going | |
| __9. Wait; give child time to respond |
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BE RESPONSIVE |
BE NON-DIRECTIVE (SHARE CONTROL) |
| __1. Respond to child's interests/small development steps | __1. Share control with child |
| __2. Respond to child's pace--wait for the child | __2. Follow child's lead occasionally |
| __3. Respond to child's changes | __3. Show the child the lead occasionally |
| __4. Respond to child's actions as communications | __4. Increase comments |
| __5. Respond to child's nonverbal communication | __5. Decrease questions |
| __6. Respond to child's language | __6. Decrease commands and directives |
| __7. Respond to child's emotions | __7. Limit questions to authentic ones |
| __8. Respond less to immature communications | __8. Allow child to have freedom to have his say |
| __9. Respond to inappropriate behavior by waiting silently |
| BE EMOTIONALLY ATTACHED | SUMMARY COMMENTS |
| __1. Actively enjoy the child | ____________________________________ |
| __2. Make the child feel comfortable | ____________________________________ |
| __3. Show a child-like, playful style | ____________________________________ |
| __4. Feel competent with child | ____________________________________ |
| __5. Actively reduce pressure | ____________________________________ |
| __6. Be animated | ____________________________________ |
| __7. Reduce nonverbal judgments and criticisms | ____________________________________ |
| __8. Reduce verbal judgments and criticisms | ____________________________________ |
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