Communication Skills in Young People

This session covers some of the basic principles of communication skills that are important when dealing with patients of any age, but are particularly relevant to young people who are experiencing changes in their appearance, the way they think, or their relationships with parents and friends. It focuses on the need to adapt communication to fit with the language and cognitive skills of the young person, which will change as they go through adolescence.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Consider the importance of effective communication with young people in health care settings
• Evaluate the impact of adolescent development on communication, including the use of language and cognitive processing
• Adapt communication to the age and developmental stage of the young person
• Demonstrate critical awareness of basic communication skills with young people, including the use of verbal and non-verbal communication and the recognition of non-verbal cues

Introduction

As young people go through adolescence their communication skills develop. Their vocabularies develop, as do the ways that they think about themselves and the world.

Health professionals need to be able to adapt to these changes in order to make sure that they get their message across effectively and avoid being patronising.

One of the most common criticisms that young people have of their experiences of health care is the poor communication between themselves and the health care professional involved.