There are important links between speech, language and communication needs and behavior. Behavior is communication. Many children and young people, who have behavioral difficulties, including many of those with social, emotional and mental health needs, also have speech, language and communication needs. These needs often go unrecognized because behavior can mask a child or young person’s difficulties with communication. Speech and language therapists play a key role in supporting children and young people with behavioral problems and social, emotional and mental health needs by identifying their speech, language and communication needs, advising their families and professionals working with them on how to respond appropriately, and providing direct therapy to those children and young people who need it.
What Are Speech, Language And Communication Needs?
Speech, language and communication needs can take many forms, including:
▪ Problems understanding what others say;
▪ Difficulties explaining their actions clearly;
▪ Not having many words to express feelings; and
▪ Difficulties with social communication,
So, they don’t know how to join a conversation in the right kind of way. speech, language and communication needs might
be masked by other ‘labels’ or ‘diagnoses’, such as learning difficulties.
What Does Communication Have To Do With Behavior?
Communication difficulties are strongly associated with behavioral problems, with studies observing consistently higher levels of disruptive and antisocial behavior amongst children and young people also identified with speech, language and communication needs. These associations can be understood by considering the impact of speech, language and communication needs on the skills and abilities a child or young person needs to behave appropriately.
Understanding
hildren and young people with speech, language and communication needs often have problems understanding what others say to them – for example, understanding instructions and understanding things that are not directly stated. They may also have difficulties understanding indirect requests. These children may then appear to be uncooperative, disobedient or oppositional, when in fact they have not understood an instruction or the broader context. It can be harder for them to learn new words, and words for thoughts and feelings.
Expressive Language
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs can have a variety of expressive language difficulties, such as: stammering; selective mutism; difficulty finding the right words; and problems constructing sentences or a clear narrative, all of which can be misinterpreted negatively. Those who are hesitant and revise their sentences might be seen as untruthful.
Memory And Concentration
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs often have poor working memory abilities, meaning they are more prone to distractions and require repetition of information. These difficulties can often be interpreted as laziness or a willful desire to frustrate teachers and parents.
Emotional Regulation
Language is important for emotional regulation. Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs may have difficulties finding the words which describe their own feelings, and can find it hard to cope with their emotions and calm themselves. Language skills are also needed to understand our own and other peoples’ thoughts and feelings, which are important for behaving in the expected way.
Social Interaction
Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs may struggle to understand jokes, idioms (for example, ‘get a grip’) and sarcasm, all of which are important for social interaction. They may also have difficulties understanding the rules of conversation, including how to repair misunderstandings when they occur. This can be partly due to slow processing, which leads them to miss cues and means their turn taking is mistimed.
Understanding Behavior As Communication
Negative behavior in children and young people with speech, language and communication needs could
mean:
• I don’t understand what you want me to do
• I can’t understand my feelings or do anything about them
• I know you don’t understand me and it making me very anxious
• I can’t explain what I mean
• This work is too hard for me
• I’m in a fight again and I don’t know how to make it better
The Risks Of Not Supporting Speech, Language And Communication Needs
Unidentified and unsupported speech, language and communication needs put children and young people at risk of a
range of negative outcomes in relation to behavior:
• Difficulties forming friendships, resulting in fewer opportunities to learn how to behave and communicate well; they
may be at risk of peer rejection which can lead to further behavioral problems
• Literacy difficulties which impact on school work
• Exclusion from school
• Increased risk of being bullied or being a bully
• Effect on emotional wellbeing
In addition, behavior assessments and interventions which are language based, such as anger management and
cognitive behavioral therapy, and other ‘talking therapies’ place significant demand on language processes. Unless
children’s speech, language and communication needs are identified and their needs accommodated, assessments risk
delivering inaccurate results, and treatment programs risk being ineffective.
How Speech And Language Therapy Can Promote Positive Behavior?
Speech and language therapists have a key role to play in promoting positive behavior and reducing the risk of negative behavior by enabling the following.
Greater Understanding Of Communication Needs
• Working collaboratively with other staff to understand the skills gaps and emotional needs which may underlie
‘behavior’ problems.
• Acting as an advocate for the child or young person, helping others to understand their communication needs.
• Ensuring that procedures and policies regarding de-escalation, positive handling and debriefing are accessible to
children and young people with speech, language and communication needs.
Training On How To Adapt Teaching And Support
• Providing communication-friendly environments, including by modelling appropriate interactions and language.
• Sharing effective vocabulary teaching strategies, ensuring children and young people understand the language of
the classroom and vocabulary around behavior management.
• Collaborating with others to make sure behavioral targets are differentiated so they can be understood and broken
down into small achievable targets.
• Contributing to behavior management training on communication needs, including on differentiation, visual support,
the effects of being literal, language for self-regulation and emotional literacy.
Direct Support
• Helping the child or young person to understand and express their needs and involve them in planning for change
in a respectful way; helping them understand what behavior is required in a way that is meaningful for them.
• Teaching the communication skills required to behave well; offering verbal and nonverbal scripts, offering
opportunities to practice and succeed in using new skills including how to repair conversational breakdown.
• Supporting children and young people through transitions, both through the day and in phases of education - for
example from primary to secondary school.
Improving Outcomes For Children And Young People With Behavioral Problems
Identification:
It is important that children and young people with behavioral problems have any speech, language and communication needs identified as early as possible. This is in line with Department for Education guidance: “Where there are concerns about behavior, the school should instigate an assessment... to determine whether there are any underlying factors such as... difficulties with speech and language”. Identification of speech, language and communication needs can also change adult attitudes, leading to more positive outcomes.
Responding Appropriately:
Responding Appropriately: All professionals working with children and young people should be trained on the impact of speech, language and communication needs on behavior, and how to respond appropriately to children with speech, language and communication needs.
Removing barriers:
Children and young people with behavioral issues should be taught the skills they need to behave well and should be empowered to regulate and reflect on their behavior. Barriers to communication which spark inappropriate behaviors should be removed and structured environments with explicit teaching of rules and procedures should be created.
Support:
Speech and language therapy should be provided to those children and young people who need it, as well as ongoing advice and support to staff to enable them to meet the needs of individual children and young people.