Language for Behaviour and Emotions: A Practical Guide to Working with Children and Young People

This practical, interactive resource is designed to be used by professionals who work with children and young people who have Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs and Speech, Language and Communication needs. Gaps in language and emotional skills can have a negative impact on behaviour as well as mental health and self-esteem. The Language for Behaviour and Emotions approach provides a systematic approach to developing these skills so that young people can understand and work through social interaction difficulties.

Key features include:

• A focus on specific skills that are linked to behaviour, such as understanding meaning, verbal reasoning and emotional literacy skills.
• A framework for assessment, as well as a range of downloadable activities, worksheets and resources for supporting students.
• Sixty illustrated scenarios that can be used flexibly with a wide range of ages and abilities to promote language skills, emotional skills and self-awareness.

This invaluable resource is suitable for use with young people with a range of abilities in one to one, small group or whole class settings. It is particularly applicable to children and young people who are aiming to develop wider language, social and emotional skills including those with Developmental Language Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

404 pages with 350 colour illustrations

Table of Contents

Introduction

• The Language for Behaviour and Emotions approach
• How adults can help
• What to do when things don’t make sense (understanding)
• Saying when you don’t understand (comprehension monitoring)
• Understanding words (vocabulary)
• When people don’t say what they mean (figurative language)
• Talking about feelings (emotional literacy)
• Finding clues and explaining your thinking (inference and verbal reasoning)
• The story (narrative)
• Bringing it all together and solving people problems
• In summary
• References, further reading and general resources

The Guide for using Language for Behaviour and Emotions

• 1 Creating a communication and emotion friendly environment
• 2 Assessment
• 3 Creating a LFBE profile, identifying key skills and related tools
• 4 Specific everyday strategies
• 5 Teaching skills in a LFBE session
• 6 Reassessment

Assessment

• General assessment administration guidelines
• Language for Behaviour and Emotions assessment overview
• Assessment record sheet: Scenario 1
• Assessment record sheet: Scenario 2
• Assessment record sheet: Scenario 3
• Assessment record sheet: Scenario 4
• Scoring guidelines
• Scenario assessment further analysis
• Young person’s view of their own communication
• How well does the adult help me?
• Adults’ views of young person’s communication
• Comprehension monitoring assessment
• Behaviour vocabulary assessment
• Crazy phrases assessment (idioms/figures of speech)
• Sarcasm and implied meaning assessment (includes exaggeration and white lies)
• Emotion words assessment
• Narrative assessment
• Solving people problems assessment
• How well did I do?

Language for Behaviour and Emotions Profile and Action Plan

• LFBE profile
• LFBE action plan
• LFBE action plan summary

Scenarios

Toolkit

• Saying when you don’t understand (comprehension monitoring)
• Understanding words (vocabulary)
• Word Wizard 295
• When people don’t say what they mean
• Talking about feelings
• What’s that feeling called? (naming emotions)
• Dealing with feelings
• Finding clues and explaining your thinking (inference and verbal reasoning)
• The story (narrative)
• Solving people problems
• Problem solving frame LFBE Language Level A
• Problem solving frame LFBE Language Level B
• Problem solving frame LFBE Language Level C/D

"The important and complex link between children and young people with SEMH difficulties and those with SLC needs is fully considered in this manual. It provides a comprehensive assessment framework, followed by a wide range of realistic interactive interventions aimed at addressing specific communication needs, and illustrated scenarios that young people can explore to develop the necessary skills for potentially problematic social interactions. LFBE is written by experienced practitioners and provides practical interventions for those professionals who support vulnerable children."
- Dr Rob Long,, Chartered Educational Psychologist, UK

"I commend this resource to you – it’s informative, compelling, straightforward to understand, makes a strong effort to engage the children/young people in setting their own goals, attractive to look at and enjoyable to use."
- Kate Bruton, Specialist Teacher for Inclusive Practice, reviewing for NAPLIC Matters, Autumn 2021