2. What is this child communicating?
You can tell a lot about how things that have happened have affected a child by observing their behaviour. Every child's experience of inconsistency, neglect or loss is unique and every behaviour is a form of communication.
Children may communicate these experiences in different ways. Some may have physical behaviour patterns or symptoms; some may demonstrate their experiences through social behaviour, and some may communicate through emotional behaviour patterns.
Read now some of the physical, emotional and social behavioural patterns a child may experience.
Physical behaviour patterns
headaches digestive disorders respiratory disorders psychosomatic symptoms muscle tension aching joints lack of spatial awareness altered sleeping patterns.Emotional behaviour patterns
The child may: self-harm find empathy difficult as the child may have experienced little love, hope and gratitude find it difficult to experience joy and find pleasure in things get angry quickly and may not know how to manage this anger be violent cry at things that seem insignificant to other people seem not bothered at significant events, masking/suppressing emotions.Social behaviour patterns
difficulty in making relationships inability to negotiate difficulties in group situations a desire to only be with specific people solitary - spend most of their time alone mix with peers who are unpredictable/perceived as anti-social.