ABSTRACT
In the course of your work as an assistant you will come across a considerable number of children who need support because of emotional or behavioural difficulties. The 1981 Act recognises that emotional and behavioural needs are special educational needs because no child can learn optimally if they are unsettled or unhappy in school for whatever reason. Sometimes these difficulties are caused as a result of physical, sensory or learning disability but they are rooted in difficult home backgrounds. There is usually a combination of factors which come together to cause the child to exhibit signs of emotional or behavioural difficulty. In a recent study of pupils considered to be ‘at risk’ of exclusion from their secondary schools, all had recent or current traumas in their home life; 75 per cent had poor reading skills and 25 per cent were identified as having quite marked signs of mental health problems (bulimia, fire-setting etc.).
