Presenter: Martin Dover
Affiliation: University
of Manchester, United Kingdom
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation (In-Person)
Title: Beyond words: The role of alternative communication in hearing the voice
of the child in paediatrics
🌍 Children’s Rights and the Power of
Expression
Article 12 of the UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child (1989) affirms every child’s right to express their
views in matters affecting them. However, in clinical practice, a child’s
“voice” is often interpreted narrowly—as spoken language.
This creates inequity. Pre-verbal
children, non-speaking children, non-English speakers, and those silenced by
fear or trauma may struggle to participate meaningfully in healthcare
conversations. True child-centered care requires communication approaches that
extend beyond words.
This project explored how
alternative communication methods can promote inclusive participation in
pediatrics and piloted a practical visual communication toolkit designed for
safeguarding contexts.
🔎 Rethinking Communication in Clinical
Settings
A systematic literature review was
conducted using Ovid Medline and Embase to examine evidence surrounding visual
and alternative communication strategies for children.
Although more than 20,000
publications describe the benefits of alternative communication in educational
and therapeutic contexts, very few studies have evaluated its use within
pediatric clinical conversations. Only four studies specifically assessed the
impact of such tools in medical interactions.
These studies demonstrated that
alternative communication strategies:
·
Empower
children to share their own experiences
·
Enhance
their understanding of clinicians’ explanations
·
Promote
more balanced, participatory conversations
Despite strong theoretical
support, practical integration into routine pediatric care remains limited.
🛠 Introducing My Voice Matters
To address this gap, a visual
communication toolkit—My Voice
Matters—was co-designed in collaboration with 126 London schools
and safeguarding teams across 26 NHS trusts.
Drawing on established speech and
language therapy principles, the toolkit was created to:
·
Support
accessible, child-friendly communication
·
Facilitate
participation during safeguarding assessments
·
Ensure
that children’s perspectives are actively heard and documented
The toolkits were introduced into
all community clinic rooms and used during child protection medical assessments
in four London boroughs.
Additionally, dedicated
communication stations were established in:
·
A
central London children’s hospital emergency department
·
A
general pediatric ward
·
Two
community child-health centers
These stations included visual
aids and alternative communication resources tailored to clinical discussions.
📊 Measurable Impact in Safeguarding Contexts
Within the first three months of
implementation, significant outcomes were observed:
·
Eight
children disclosed previously unreported experiences of abuse
·
The
proportion of cases explicitly documenting the child’s voice nearly doubled
These findings highlight how
structured communication support can strengthen safeguarding processes and
improve the accuracy of clinical assessments.
🏥 Transforming Hospital Communication
Culture
The introduction of communication
stations across hospital settings led to substantial improvements:
·
The
proportion of children reporting that they had not been heard decreased from 9%
to 0%
·
Staff
use of alternative communication methods increased from 17% to 96%
This shift reflects a meaningful
move toward inclusive, child-centered communication practices embedded within
everyday clinical care.
💬 Beyond Verbal Language: A New Standard of
Care
Communication in pediatrics must
go beyond spoken words. Children have both the right and the ability to
participate in decisions about their care—but many lack accessible tools to do
so effectively.
Child-centered communication
resources:
·
Enhance
safety
·
Promote
equity
·
Improve
care quality
·
Strengthen
safeguarding outcomes
Integrating structured
communication toolkits such as My
Voice Matters demonstrates how healthcare systems can
operationalize children’s rights in practical, measurable ways.
🎯 Conclusion: Making Every Child Heard
Ensuring that every
child—regardless of age, language, ability, or circumstance—can express
themselves in healthcare settings is not optional; it is essential.
Embedding alternative
communication strategies into routine paediatric practice should become a
universal standard of care. When clinicians move beyond words, they move closer
to truly hearing the child.
👩⚕️ About the Speaker
Martin Dover BSc (Hons) is a year 4 medical student from the
University of Manchester, England having completed a BSc in Medical Sciences at
the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He has a keen interest in pediatrics
and is part of a national research team ‘My Voice Matters’ working to improve
how we hear children’s voices in healthcare, via alternative communication
methods. Their research spans clinical practice in community child protection
clinics and medical education across the UK.
🌍 Join the Global Conversation
Event:
International Conference on Pediatrics, Neonatology & Child Health
📅 March
26–28, 2026
📍 Singapore
& Online
🔗 Website: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/
🔗 Register: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/register
🔗 Abstract
Submission: https://pediatrics.miconferences.com/abstract-submission
📞 Phone: +1 (312) 462-4448
💬 WhatsApp: +1 (424) 377-0967
#Pediatrics #ChildHealth #Neonatology #EarlyChildhood #ChildDevelopment #InfantCare #PediatricResearch #ChildWellbeing #HealthcareInnovation #SocialPediatrics #PediatricConference #HybridConference #GlobalHealth #MedicalResearch #ChildProtection #ChildMentalHealth #ChildGrowth #AbstractSubmission #CallForAbstracts #ResearchConference #InternationalConference #ConferenceAlert #SingaporeEvents
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