Supporting Children Through Unwanted but Necessary Touch

Focused Topics Sexual Development & Behavior in Children and Youth Lesson 3 Apply Supporting Children Through Unwanted but Necessary Touch Reflection	WWW.VIRTUALLABSCHOOL.ORG ACTIVITY ID: 22961 Name Certifier Date
In some instances, you will decide that it is not in the best interest of the child to allow them to decline your touch. When you must touch a child, it is important that you acknowledge what children are feeling and explain to them why you must touch them. Read the scenarios below, and brainstorm what you would say to help these children understand why you must touch them. Use these examples to help you develop ways you can support children when touch is unwanted but necessary. Kira, a toddler, dislikes having her face wiped. Like most toddlers, she makes quite the mess during mealtime and has spaghetti sauce all over her face Kira’s caregiver let’s her know it is time to wash her face before helping her. She shows the paper towel to Kira and lets her feel how it is “wet” and “warm” from the water. She then gently wipes Kira’s face to get all the spaghetti sauce off. Kira begins to cry loudly, and the caregiver comforts her by holding her and saying, “I know you don’t like it when I wipe your face, but now your face is clean.” The caregiver gets Kira’s blanket and says, “Now you can cuddle with your blanket without getting spaghetti sauce all over it.” Amir is 5 years old and very recently learned to toilet train. When a teacher joins Amir in playing trains, the teacher notices an odor indicating that Amir did not do an adequate job with his hygiene after having a bowel movement. The teacher quietly pulls Amir aside and says, “Amir, I think you could use some help cleaning your bottom. Let’s go in the bathroom so I can help you.” Amir is resistive to this idea and begins to throw a fit. The teacher says, “I know you don’t want to stop playing, but we have to make sure your bottom is clean. If it stays dirty, it can make your skin hurt. After you are clean, you can play with the trains again.” Joy is a school-age child with seborrheic dermatitis, a type of skin condition, on her scalp. This causes Joy to have itchy, flaking skin that distracts her from school and program activities. Also, Joy cannot go swimming, an activity she loves, until her scalp has healed. Joy is due to have an application of a prescription ointment when she arrives at the program, but she refuses and argues about it with the program administrator. The administrator says, “I know it hurts and you don’t want me to apply the medicine, but if we use it like your doctor asked your scalp will heal faster and you will feel better. What do you think about doing it in front of the mirror, so you can watch me put it on?”

Reflection

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ACTIVITY ID: 22961

Name

Certifier

Date

In some instances, you will decide that it is not in the best interest of the child to allow them to decline your touch. When you must touch a child, it is important that you acknowledge what children are feeling and explain to them why you must touch them. Read the scenarios below, and brainstorm what you would say to help these children understand why you must touch them. Use these examples to help you develop ways you can support children when touch is unwanted but necessary.

Kira, a toddler, dislikes having her face wiped. Like most toddlers, she makes quite the mess during mealtime and has spaghetti sauce all over her face

Kira’s caregiver let’s her know it is time to wash her face before helping her. She shows the paper towel to Kira and lets her feel how it is “wet” and “warm” from the water. She then gently wipes Kira’s face to get all the spaghetti sauce off. Kira begins to cry loudly, and the caregiver comforts her by holding her and saying, “I know you don’t like it when I wipe your face, but now your face is clean.” The caregiver gets Kira’s blanket and says, “Now you can cuddle with your blanket without getting spaghetti sauce all over it.”
Amir is 5 years old and very recently learned to toilet train. When a teacher joins Amir in playing trains, the teacher notices an odor indicating that Amir did not do an adequate job with his hygiene after having a bowel movement.

The teacher quietly pulls Amir aside and says, “Amir, I think you could use some help cleaning your bottom. Let’s go in the bathroom so I can help you.” Amir is resistive to this idea and begins to throw a fit. The teacher says, “I know you don’t want to stop playing, but we have to make sure your bottom is clean. If it stays dirty, it can make your skin hurt. After you are clean, you can play with the trains again.”
Joy is a school-age child with seborrheic dermatitis, a type of skin condition, on her scalp. This causes Joy to have itchy, flaking skin that distracts her from school and program activities. Also, Joy cannot go swimming, an activity she loves, until her scalp has healed. Joy is due to have an application of a prescription ointment when she arrives at the program, but she refuses and argues about it with the program administrator.

The administrator says, “I know it hurts and you don’t want me to apply the medicine, but if we use it like your doctor asked your scalp will heal faster and you will feel better. What do you think about doing it in front of the mirror, so you can watch me put it on?”