helping children learn to listen
Jacksonville, Florida – February 8, 2013 – Professional Development Resources has announced a new addition to its online continuing education (CE) curriculum for mental health professionals:
Failure to listen is a common occurrence among all children at least some of the time. When it becomes a chronic condition, that is, when a child rarely or never listens to adults, it becomes clinically worrisome because the safety and
well-being of the child can be at risk. The failure to develop good listening skills is also a threat to a child’s learning processes.
“There are four reasons why many children have trouble listening and are non-compliant,”
1. Listening is difficult for children
Listening does not come naturally, and children have a hard time with it. Adults who have to sit in long meetings and lectures can commiserate. It takes a lot of concentration and energy to listen. Listening requires quiet and the ability to pay attention and discern the important messages that are being conveyed.
2. Children have a natural instinct for independence
Children, like all human beings, possess a strong desire for independence. It is actually a basic human need. Being independent makes us feel that we have some control over our decisions and our fate. Children are often torn between wanting to please their parents and needing to feel independent.
3. Children want to be obedient but don’t know how
The case can be made that children today have a tougher time listening to authoritative figures than children in earlier generations. Why is this? Primarily because modern parents – those born in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s – are not as comfortable setting rules and demanding respect from children as their own parents were.
4. Misbehavior is a natural part of growing up
Non-compliant behavior is a normal part of the parent-child interaction. Most young children – and even teens – lack self-control until they have more life experience. As they mature, they slowly learn the rules of how to behave and be more compliant.
Helping Children Learn to Listen is filled with how-to strategies for winning children’s cooperation and teaching them to become good listeners. Among the techniques described are keeping a predictable schedule, maintaining order and boundaries in the home, making sure children are well-fed and well-rested, and helping children prepare for what we expect them to do.
According to Soclof, the guiding principles that summarize the secrets of how to get children to listen are understanding that listening is a learned skill and is not instinctive;
About Professional Development Resources, Inc.
Professional Development Resources is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation founded in 1992 by licensed marriage and family therapist Leo Christie, PhD. The company, which is accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB), the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), the American Speech-Language-
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