▸ The child sitting close to the doctor without an adult between them. ▸ The adult being able to express their concerns early in the consultation. ▸ The doctor invites the child to speak using the appropriate recipient design. ▸ This ‘recipient design’ when addressing the child includes: Using the child's name. The doctor looking at the child. Waiting to see that the adult can see the doctor is looking at the child Allowing a ‘long’ pause after a doctor's questions. When an adult answers for the child, if another question is asked with the doctor maintaining gaze towards the child, this appears to facilitate the child answering the second question. The doctor using the same tone of voice when addressing the parent and also with the child, which was noted in episodes of triadic talk. ▸ Awareness that the parents or adult carers may use phrasing that encourages the doctor to take the problem seriously. ▸ An awareness also that the children's answers to the doctor's questions may change to ‘agree’ with their adult carer's answers, and that children sometimes appear to express themselves in terms of their world. ▸ Children seem to be able to answer closed questions more easily than open ones.
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