Confabulation
Confabulation means that a child has the habit of telling other children invented stories as if they were true.
Instead of using time trying to understand why a child confabulates, it can be more useful to try working out which skill they need to learn in order to overcome the habit. This skill could be, for example, “speaking honestly”, “sticking to the truth”, “being sincere” or “being unambiguous”. The aim is for them to speak in a forthright and upfront manner that does not leave others puzzled about whether what they have just been listening to a fact or fiction.
An important skill
Learning to avoid ambiguity – to speak in a way that does not misdirect people or leave them puzzled about whether what they have just been listening to is true or a product of fantasy – is an important skill for humans of all sizes to learn. Making a clear distinction between fiction and fact brings clarity, credibility and trust, while mixing up fact and fiction usually causes confusion, bewilderment and distrust.
Learning to avoid ambiguity – to speak in a way that does not misdirect people or leave them puzzled about whether what they have just been listening to is true or a product of fantasy – is an important skill for humans of all sizes to learn. Making a clear distinction between fiction and fact brings clarity, credibility and trust, while mixing up fact and fiction usually causes confusion, bewilderment and distrust.
A learnable skill
Improving your child’s ability to be clear about what is fact and what is fiction is a skill that can be learnt with the help of the Kids’Skills steps. Help him see the benefits of acquiring this new skill, ask him to name it, help him select his supporters, plan together how to celebrate when he masters the new skill and most important of all, let him decide how he would like to be reminded of his new skill when he speaks in ways that make others wonder whether he is telling the truth or not.
You can also discover ways for your child to rehearse communicating clearly. For example, try playing a version of the “Fact or Fiction?” game. In this, players take turns to relate odd or strange stories while the other players attempt to guess whether the story being told is fact or fiction.
Possible skills
- the skill of speaking the truth
- the skill of sticking to the truth
- the ability to help others distinguish between fact and fiction in your communications
- the skill of helping others know when you are telling stories and when you are telling the truth
This article is owned by: Kids’Skills https://www.kidsskills.org/WP-fin/http://www.kidsskillsapp.com/
