Social, Emotional And Behavioural Difficulties Research Articles

Speech and language therapy support for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) - a pilot project

Current research highlights the prevalence of potentially undetected communication difficulties, often associated with major difficulties in literacy and learning, among pupils identified as having behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD). In this article, Sarah Heneker, who is a speech and language therapist working mainly with adults with learning disabilities in a Primary Care Trust in Surrey, reports on a pilot project that provided speech and language therapy to a group of pupils in a pupil referral unit (PRU). The research involved formal assessment of 11 pupils aged between five and 11 years. These assessments confirmed that ten out of the 11 pupils experienced some degree of difficulty in communication. Six of these pupils, whose significant difficulties warranted the intervention, were offered speech and language therapy for one term. All these pupils made progress in the areas targeted for intervention and gained confidence generally in their communication. The pupils who worked on word knowledge made the greatest measurable progress. Sarah Heneker reports on these and other benefits to the pupils involved and reveals that the success of her pilot project has led directly to a sustained programme of speech and language therapy input for the pupils in this PRU. This may be a response that education providers in other localities will wish to emulate.

Supporting the inclusion of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the primary school: the role of teaching assistants

During the past ten years in the UK there has been a considerable increase in the number of teaching assistants (TAs) appointed to work alongside teachers in schools. A significant number of these colleagues are appointed to support pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This paper reports on the ways in which the role of the teaching assistant in supporting pupils with SEBD has been developed in schools for pupils aged 7–11 years in one English Local Education Authority (LEA). It suggests that there are several models of support emerging and that the role of the teaching assistant is perceived as crucial to the effective inclusion of pupils with SEBD in mainstream classrooms.

Key factors that enable the successful management of difficult behaviour in schools and classrooms

This paper argues that there are common factors in successful classroom practice with regard to managing behaviour in classrooms, and particularly when teachers successfully meet the needs of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). These common factors could be used to predict the success of current and future initiatives and strategies in meeting the needs of children with SEBD. The paper draws on of research undertaken at the University of Birmingham (UK) over the past ten years, as well as experience as a classroom teacher, consultant and staff development provider.

The Sera Lecture 2002: The Transformative Potential of Consulting Young People about Teaching, Learning and Schooling

This article examines the role that New Community Schools (NCS) could play in working more effectively with pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). It uses a small study of parents whose children had SEBD and attended a NCS to investigate how services were co-ordinated, how parents were communicated with and any difficulties they experienced. It shows that, although parents had modest expectations, these were often not met because there was no overall co-ordination of services and professionals did not always engage productively with parents. It is argued that NCS could represent the catalyst to promote the structural changes necessary to improve services for children with SEBD but a lack of commitment to continuing funding may militate against this.

Striving for Inclusion: Evaluation of Provision for Young People with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) in Secondary Schools in a Scottish Council

In 1997, a Council in Scotland embarked upon a restructuring of its provision for secondary age pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). In 1999, the Council commissioned researchers from the University of Strathclyde, Faculty of Education, to undertake a study during school session 1998/99 with the aim of identifying the strengths and weaknesses of this new approach. The findings of the study were wide ranging but, in particular, evidence emerged to show that while no two schools organised provision in the same way, the establishment of in-school support bases was the dominant model. However, the rationale, organisation and effectiveness of provision varied considerably. It was also evident that the key departments at council level did not share the same degree of commitment in relation to the new initiative. There were also unresolved issues in respect of the empowerment of the professionals working in schools. Many of these issues are particularly relevant in the light of the Government’s New Community Schools initiative which embodies a multi-agency approach.

Expression of two isoforms of Ca 2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinases in the adult rat brain

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) was used to examine relationships between teacher attitudes and behavior toward children with social, emotional and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). One hundred and eleven elementary school teachers completed questionnaires. Teacher perception of their school principals' expectations (subjective norm) predicted teacher behaviors. Teachers who had attended more in-service training (INSET) sessions held more positive feelings, but teachers with more experience were less willing to work with children with SEBD. Findings suggest that school principals have a central role in promoting an inclusive ethos within their schools. INSET could focus more on challenging beliefs.