Message from the Executive Director

Perspective（24） "Words and Expressions That Should Be Re-examined"

There are words and expressions in words that are inappropriate when expressing the appearance or behavior of a child from each of these perspectives: �@The individual (the child), �AThe guardian, �BThe supporter, �CThe specialist, �DThe public. Let’s think about the necessity of re-examining certain words and expressions. 　 Typical examples: ・Make them understand/talk/participate/walk/do it by themselves, etc. …Interaction or approach ・Persistent, noisy, gets carried away, does things intentionally, is selfish, etc. …Behavior・Personality ・Repeats like a parrot, crane phenomenon, etc. …Specialist phrases 　The commonality of these is that the child is seen as troublesome or in need of training and a remedy. For example, “Repeats like a parrot” means the child reflexively copies the voice and doesn’t understand the meaning behind it. “Crane phenomenon” refers to a child that pulls a person’s hand without looking them in the eye. They have negative nuances that imply the child is simply using people as tools. 　Both expressions are rude to children, and cause misunderstandings. A child is not a parrot. They use their own abilities as much as they can, judge the mood and use their understanding to a certain extent, and then imitate voluntarily. And children are aware of the people around them, even though they don’t maintain direct eye contact. They try to express their needs and thoughts by looking for somebody’s hand. (If you observe them enough, you can see that they are listening to our conversations even though they turn their backs. They are sometimes more aware of us than we think!) 　Behind the action of an adult forcing a child to do something is the thought that children need training, because they don’t or can’t do things voluntarily. We have to be careful, because these ideas lead to referential approaches and guidance; making them maintain eye contact, or making them point or say things properly with words, instead of letting them pull an adult’s hand. Such approaches can sometimes lead to a passive attitude (E.g. They don’t act unless they are instructed) or stunt the growth of their natural emotions. 　We believe that the starting point should be “Every child has intentions and emotions, so our principle is to understand that and support them in expressing themselves.” and place value on cultivating their independence. We should change the expression “Make them do X.” to “Provide support so that they can do things voluntarily, willfully, and with understanding. For example: ・Make them understand→ Provide support for them to understand ・Make them participate→ Provide support for them to join in voluntarily ・Make them walk→ Provide support for them to walk with their own will 　Please reconsider your words and expressions by standing in the child’s place.

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