Supporting Children with Behaviour Difficulties

Reviewed by Collette Drifte, special needs consultant.

This book has been written by an educational psychologist and is aimed at classroom assistants who are working with children who have behaviour difficulties.

It is well written in a reader-friendly style and, unlike many similar books, avoids technical jargon or heavy, dry passages. The book is presented with boxes, bullet points and amusing illustrations that all help to break up the text into an attractive format.

Early years professionals who are not working in a school or class setting may be tempted to dismiss this book as 'not for them', because of the school-based language or the references to older children. While it is true that most of the text does not refer to non-school or early years settings (and, to be fair, the book is not aimed at this audience), there is much useful information and many good ideas and practical suggestions that are equally applicable to early years practitioners. The author gives interesting explanations as to why children behave as they do, and what we as practitioners can do about it. For these sections alone, the book is worth having.