Social and emotional mental health needs

Children and young people presenting with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties often struggle to manage their emotions and behaviour. They also find it difficult to make and keep relationships with adults and other children and young adults.

These difficulties may show as them becoming withdrawn or isolated as well as through challenging, disruptive or other concerning behaviour. Children and young people with SEMH often struggle to engage in a learning environment, often showing inappropriate behaviour and may benefit from additional support to reach their full potential.

As well as ADHD and autism, your child or young person may experience one of the SEHM needs described below.

All of the descriptions provided below represent how behaviours or presentation can be perceived by others. It is important to see these behaviours in the context of anxiety and possible language and or learning needs.

Attachment Difficulties

Common characteristics:

• Appears anxious and withdrawn
• Appears to sabotage situations where things are going well
• Avoids eye contact
• Finds it difficult to join in with play or interactive games
• Lacks self-belief and confidence
• May experience intense and overwhelming emotions, including anger or loss of control
• May lack any inhibitions, for example hugging people they don't know or being over friendly
• Struggles with impulse control
• Struggles with cause and effect thinking.

Some of the strategies our tutors may use when working with and supporting a child with attachment difficulties:

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Fight and Flight

Common characteristics:

• Appears to be dishonest
• Blames others
• Is disrespectful
• Is violent towards property or people
• Pushes friends away
• Refuses to follow instructions of comply with normal behaviour rules
• Self-harms or has self-sabotaging behaviour
• Steals
• Uses inappropriate language.

Some of the strategies our tutors may use when working with and supporting a child with fight and flight:

• Communicate new routines in advance
• Consider movement and learning breaks
• Ensure consistent rules, boundaries and schedules whilst remaining willing to offer some flexibility
• Make tasks relevant and interesting, and link to their strengths and development needs
• Provide a secure and safe place
• Provide support through organised activities during unstructured times
• Support verbal input with visuals (demonstration, images, objects, key words).
• Think carefully about lesson content in relation to any previous known experiences

Freeze and fold Behaviours

Common characteristics:

• Appears confused often
• Does not listen or interact
• Easily distracted and has difficulties with concentration and engagement
• Is clumsy
• Is forgetful.

Some of the strategies our tutors may use when working with and supporting a child with freeze and fold behaviours:

• Assess through teaching if there are parts of the curriculum that they find easier to manage than others
• Investigate when the behaviour changed
• Provide play based activities and establish their interests

Low Level Disruption

Common characteristics:

• Frequently interrupts
• Often fiddles with objects
• Talks out of turn.

Some of the strategies our tutors may use when working with and supporting a child who displays low level disruption:

• Allow a time out or quiet area
• Describe and differentiate the differences between the use of voice, gesture and body language
• Focus on reducing anxiety
• Provide flexible and creative use of rewards
• Provide positive reinforcement of expectations through speech or visual prompts.

Physical Symptoms

Common characteristics:

• Soiling themselves
• Stomach pains
• Often has headaches.

Some of the strategies our tutors may use when working with and supporting a child with dyslexia:

• Provide activities that are stress reducing, for example:
  • animal care
  • colouring
  • dancing
  • Forest School
  • gaming
  • gardening