Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. This page outlines some ways in which social, emotional and mental health needs may present at the Specialist Level of the Graduated Approach.

Needs Descriptors

Emotional Health and Wellbeing

• The child or young person may routinely experience distress which is presented through external behaviours or internalisation.
• The child or young person may experience high levels of stress that persistently affect their daily functioning.
• The child or young person may place unreasonable expectations on themselves that cause extremely high levels of stress and/or self-injurious behaviours or harm to others.
• There may be persistent absence from school, or lessons.
• The child or young person will require bespoke and creative strategies to engage with any formal learning in the whole class or group situation.
• The child or young person may experience frequent emotional dysregulation and be unable to understand or communicate their emotional needs.
• The child or young person may need substantial support to mutually regulate their emotions and responses to the environment and change.
• The child or young person’s emotional regulation needs may substantially impact on their attendance, engagement in learning and/or wellbeing.
• The learner may have substantial and persisting difficulties when faced with change, uncertainty, or transitions.
• The learner may be unable to functionally communicate their needs when dysregulated when overwhelmed or overstimulated which could result in shutdowns and melt downs.

Social Behaviour

• The child or young person may be highly susceptible to negative influence.
• The child or young person may be unable to recover after setbacks and may express this through harmful behaviours to self and others.
• The child or young person may use language to deliberately harm or shock others.
• The child or young person’s difficulties with emotional regulation may frequently lead to unsafe behaviours, whether internalised or externalised.
• The child or young person may exhibit behaviours that give rise to safeguarding concerns.
• The child or young person’s behavioural presentation may impact good order to a significant extent, this may be a need for excessive control, impulsivity or deficits in attention derived from emotional distress.
• The child or young person’s behaviour may present significant risk to self or others requiring constant supervision.
• The child or young person may intentionally harm others to avoid things they find too hard.
• The learner may be unaware of any personal, social, environmental, and physical risks and their own vulnerabilities.
• The child or young person’s difficulties with emotional regulation may present as manipulative or demand avoidant behaviours that challenge the authority of staff. It can also be demonstrated as introverted responses.
• The child or young person may have a lack of body awareness and frequently causes a risk to self and/or others in attempts to seek sensory input or regulation.

Relationships

• The child or young person may find it difficult to ask for or accept help.
• The child or young person may be unable to form any positive relationships resulting in vulnerability, social isolation and disengagement.

Links

• Removing Social, Emotional and Mental Health Barriers
• Training and Resources

 

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