Children can make connections with their teachers and friends, and thrive at school even when they don’t have the words to say how they’re feeling – writes Kim Graham, lead practitioner and specialist teacher, Northumberland High Incidence Needs Team. 

If you are unable to take part in a discussion, explain what you need or join in with a group activity, life becomes incredibly isolating.  

That’s what school life can be like for a child who has difficulty communicating with their teachers and peers – and it can have a profound effect on their wellbeing.  

This could explain why children with additional needs are particularly vulnerable to poor mental health. In fact, more than half (56%) of 6 to 16-year-olds with SEND have a probable mental disorder compared with 12.5% of their peers, according to NHS Digital. 

School-related anxiety 

As a specialist SEND practitioner and teacher, I am seeing more and more evidence of children whose anxiety is linked to the challenges they face with social communication and interactions, as well as limited language skills to communicate their thoughts and feelings. This can lead to high levels of anxiety. In fact, this type of anxiety contributes to many of the referrals in our caseloads. 

To address school-related anxiety among our neurodivergent students, we use a range of techniques to help children manage their emotions, navigate the school day and make friends. 

It is wonderful to see how being able to communicate has such a positive impact on children’s wellbeing. 

1. Boost emotional literacy 

To express their emotions, children first need to understand what they are feeling. The key is to let children know that no emotion is wrong. 

One way to do this is through Zones of Regulation, which categorises different emotions into four coloured zones. Children use these to identify the emotions they are feeling at any given time, for instance, sad, proud, excited or angry.  

This really helped a child at one of our schools who was struggling with the transition into Year 1 and missing the free flow of the early years curriculum. The pupil couldn’t articulate how he was feeling, but he was able to identify which zone his emotion was in.  

We then worked with the pupil using Widgit symbols, which are simple visual illustrations of concepts, objects and ideas, such as feeling happy or being kind. Using these, the pupil could tell us he was worried or upset, and we could find ways to help him regulate these emotions and navigate the transition more easily.  

2. Help children join in 

Some children with SEND find it difficult to tell their teachers what they need, and this can hold them back from taking part in lessons or activities.  

One of our older students found himself unable to speak in class due to anxiety. The student did not want to be asked a question or invited to speak, but he did want to show the teacher he had understood the lesson.  

We gave the child some symbols he could show the teacher to say, ‘I know the answer but please don’t ask me,’ or ‘I don’t understand that part, could you explain it again.’  

This helped the student to continue learning even though he couldn’t use his voice to join in with the lesson. 

3. Find new ways to understand 

Being unable to ask for something or explain what you need can be extremely frustrating and makes it harder to deal with changes during the school day. 

Cate Marsden, who is director of external partnerships at Woodbridge Trust, Bolton, explains how her team helped one of their pupils communicate his needs. 

 “A pre-verbal child at one of our settings didn’t want to join any outdoor learning sessions but couldn’t explain why. We needed to work out why he was afraid to be outside, so we showed the child a board containing symbols of everyday words.  

“This enabled him to tell us he didn’t like the flags in the playground. Once we had taken the flags down, the pupil was happy to come outside again.”  

4. Support friendships 

When children are unable to ask questions, suggest games or simply take part in the chat, it’s difficult for them to participate in social activities, and this can raise anxiety levels even further.  

This can be a particular challenge for children with situational mutism, a condition which prevents children from talking to people in certain situations. To make matters worse, a child with situational mutism can come across as rude, indifferent or aloof, according to Psychology Today, creating even more barriers to making friends.  

Children with communication difficulties need help building friendships, as Cate explains. “One of our children was situationally mute and couldn’t ask her friends to play. So, we made ‘Will you play with me?’ cards using symbols which she could use in the playground. That was a big breakthrough in helping her make friends and supporting her wellbeing.” 

5. Involve parents and carers 

Families play a crucial role in supporting their children in developing communication skills, and when families and schools work together, children make more progress, which improves their wellbeing. 

My colleague Robyn McGregor, who is an autism family support worker for the Northumberland High Incidence Needs Team, is a passionate advocate of home-school partnerships.  

“Helping children with routines is important in promoting their wellbeing. Some children have become used to using visual timetables at school. These are illustrated boards which help children understand what will happen throughout the day, for instance a visual for outdoor play followed by another one for snack time, then circle time.   

“We encourage parents to use this approach at home too. When one family was having difficulties with their child’s bedtime routine, we helped them make a visual timetable with a symbol for each step, including getting changed, brushing teeth and choosing a story. The family even edited the symbols to make them personal to the child, with a pink toothbrush and a special toy.”  

As Robyn explains, “The visual timetable reduced the child’s anxiety by helping her see what will come next, making bedtime easier and reinforcing the importance of a regular routine at school as well as home.” 

When children can make their emotions, needs and views understood, they feel a stronger sense of belonging, which leads to a happier, more fulfilling time at school. 

To learn more about special educational needs and disabilities, join our  The National Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Conference 2024 on 8th of May 2024. 

Written by Kim Graham who is a lead practitioner and specialist teacher at the Northumberland High Incidence Needs Team.