Adaptation of the baby to the day-care context: the importance of communication grammar

• Autor(a) principal: Jales Ribeiro, Esperança
• Data de Publicação: 2018
• Outros Autores: Felizardo, Sara, Nunes, Fátima, Figueiredo, Maria Pacheco
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/6879
• topic: Day care; Infants; Adaptation strategies; Communication

Day care has a socio-educational nature that should be provided to children as it leads to their overall development and well-being. Enrolment of an infant in this context provides access to situations which differ from those within the family setting. This calls on resources of adaptation on the part of small children, families and professionals. In the nursery, the infant’s day is organized around educational experiences and permanent care that are unique moments to promote didactic interactions and diversified learning. The aim of this research is to identify the strategies and procedures used in the context of the nursery to promote infants’ adaptation and well-being. Interactions between infants (aged 6 to 11 months) and two professionals (at reception, departure and during routine care and education), as well as with family members (upon arrival at the nursery and on returning home), were observed. The professionals were also inquired regarding the strategies used for infants’ adaptation in this context with a view to promoting their well-being. It is a qualitative and exploratory study with recourse to direct observation and semi-structured interview. The strategies used to promote adaptation which emerged from the observations made were triangulated with the results of the interviews. The following results as regards valued strategies have been highlighted: emotional literacy (the professional’s adaptation of responses to the infant’s individuality, the professional’s socio-affective skills); communication with the family (the exchange of information, harmony of procedures, transactional objects) and type of communication (verbal and nonverbal). The results show the importance of using a communicational grammar to safeguard the infant’s adaptation process to a new socio-educational context nature, consequently helping to promote well-being.