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ACQ Volume 11, Number 3 2009 175
Mental health
to a particular age group, and includes 30-minute activities
to promote the development of speech and language. It’s a
great therapy resource for speech pathologists working with
babies, toddlers and preschoolers.
5 Talkabout – A Social Communication
Skills Package
by Alex Kelly (1996), UK: Speechmark Publishing. Available
from Speechmark
products
This is an essential resource for running social skills
groups. It consists of a comprehensive photocopiable
manual which can be used with children and adolescents.
Also available is the Talkabout DVD and Activities handbook
which can be purchased separately but which are designed
to complement the Talkabout resource. The DVD contains
acted scenarios to complement social skill programs. The
Activities book has practical activities to facilitate discussion
or to teach social skills.
6 Children with Emotional and Behavioural
Difficulties and Communication
Problems
by Melanie Cross, (2004). London & New York: Jessica
Kingsley Publishers; ISBN 9781843101352. Available from
the publishers
This text explores ways children and young people’s
language and emotional development are linked and
considers why behavioural and communication difficulties
often occur together. Practical guidelines for identifying and
assessing communication problems are provided and a
range of strategies for speech pathologists, teachers, and
health professionals is given.
7 The Selective Mutism Resource Manual
by Maggie Johnson and Alison Wintgens (2001). Oxon, UK:
Speechmark Publishing.
The manual enables teachers or clinicians working with
a young person with selective mutism to understand the
disorder and it provides practical tools for assessment and
intervention. It includes excellent handouts for family and
school staff.
8 Hanen Centre programs and publications
Visit the Hanen Centre website: .
You Make the Difference Parent-Child Interaction program
(YMTD; 2005). This is a group program for parents which
aims to enhance positive parent–child interaction, thereby
facilitating both speech and language development and
a secure relationship between young children and their
parents. YMTD resources include a DVD and parent
handbook.
More Than Words – Helping Parents Promote
Communication and Social Skills in Children with Autism
Spectrum Disorder (1999). This is a group program for
parents which aims to empower them by giving them tools
Speech pathologists working in child and
adolescent mental health services in Australia work with
children 0–18 years and their primary caregivers. Clients of
these services may have social, emotional and/or
behavioural difficulties, or in the case of babies and toddlers
be at risk of developing mental health problems. Many of
these children present with severe and complex needs. The
following list is by no means comprehensive but rather a
compilation of resources used extensively by clinicians in
Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. It covers
resources for both group and individual work across a range
of ages.
1 Clipart, colour printer, and laminator
Clipart is invaluable for designing individualised handouts,
visual programs and schemas, and therapeutic stories.
These can then be used as a standalone therapeutic tool or
to reinforce face-to-face intervention.
2 CYMHS/CAMHS speech pathologists
Speech pathologists in CYMHS/CAMHS are proactive and
creative and have designed many innovative resources
including intervention programs, handouts and therapeutic
stories. Schemas for teaching social skills and problem-
solving, handouts to support development of emotional
literacy, and a range of therapeutic stories to facilitate
management of emotional disorders or to effect behavioural
change are among those available. For further information
contact Narelle Anger, CYMHS, QLD: narelle_anger@health.
3 Getting to Know You – Recognising
Infant Communication & Social
Interaction
This DVD of infants and their parents was filmed and
produced by Northern Beaches Child and Family Health
Services and NSW Institute of Psychiatry, Australia, (2006).
The DVD highlights the ways babies communicate and
interact from birth and the importance of the attachment
relationship. It aims to help parents recognise infant
communication and is a useful tool when working with
parents or for use in training other professionals. An
extended teaching version which comes with a facilitator’s
manual is also available. Contact the NSW Institute of
Psychiatry on tel: 61 2 9840 3833 or
to purchase.
4 Baby Talk
by Sally Ward (2000), UK: Random House Publishing; ISBN:
0099297205. Available from
books
Dr Ward, a leading British speech pathologist, designed
and developed the Baby Talk program to maximise children’s
learning. This companion book describes child development
in an enjoyable and meaningful way. Each chapter is devoted
Our top 10 resources
Infant, child, and adolescent mental health services
Andrea Murray