The SEN Resources Blog

My latest book ‘SEND Strategies for the Primary Years’ is out in the shops and one question I’ve been asked a fair bit is this: “Why isn’t there a chapter on behaviour in ‘SEND Strategies for the Primary Years’ ?”

Here’s why…
I can see why teachers and parents might expect a behaviour chapter in SEND Strategies for the Primary Years, and my editor and I discussed this when I was writing the book.

But I was keen not to have a chapter on behaviour at all. The reason being that, especially for our youngest children with special educational needs and disabilities, behaviour is going to be due to something else.

So if I had a chapter on it in the book, I was worried people would read it thinking that the BEHAVIOUR was the problem to be solved or need to be supported… whereas we need to work out whats behind that behaviour, especially for our children with SEND.

So instead I mention behaviour in each chapter of SEND Strategies for the Primary Years in the part where I’m explaining ‘how you might notice a child with a certain area of need’.

For example, in my chapter on Speech, Language and Communication Needs – I explain that you might notice a child being frustrated, not engaged, misunderstanding instructions and appearing to be doing their own thing…and you need to think… could it be a speech, language and communication need causing this behaviour?

And it’s the same with other difficulties: literacy, numeracy etc.

I also have a whole chapter on emotional regulation instead of behaviour and provide information on the development of regulating emotions and strategies and resources to help chidlren to co-regulate and then self-regulate their emotions in school or at home.

You can find SEND Strategies for the Primary Years in all major bookshops.

Here’s the Amazon link to buy the book