Children with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties and Communication Problems

Children and young people with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) are far more likely to have communication problems than their peers. Exploring the ways in which children's language and emotional development are linked, Melanie Cross considers the reasons why behavioural and communication difficulties often occur together. Identifying the common causes of these problems, and why they so often go undetected, she provides practical guidelines for assessing communication skills, and describes the complexities of identifying communication problems in children, including those in public care. She shows that improving children's communication skills can also improve their behaviour, and that speech and language therapy is an important, yet often absent, service for children with SEBD. This second edition also contains information on unidentified and unmet communication needs in vulnerable young people, including young offenders and those at risk of social exclusion, as well as on the mental health consequences of communication difficulties. Containing practical strategies to help children and young people to develop their emotional and communication skills, this book will be an invaluable resource for speech and language therapists, social workers, teachers and other professionals working with children with emotional, behavioural and communication difficulties.