Alex Kelly – författare

The third title in the successful "Talkabout" series, "Talkabout Relationships" reflects current literature and research on developing relationships for people with learning disabilities, and aims, through groupwork, to improve self-esteem and relationship skills in people who are having difficulties in making or maintaining friends. This highly illustrated, practical resource: is designed to help teachers or therapists to work through self-esteem and relationship skills within a group setting in a structured way. It was originally written for young adults with a learning disability, it has also been used successfully with children with learning disabilities and those who present with social skills difficulties. Includes a staff rating assessment of a client's relationship skills and criteria for inclusion in a relationships group, as well as a self-esteem assessment and a self-rating assessment of relationship skills. This title contains illustrated, photocopiable group activities and worksheets to address self-image, identity and self-confidence as well as the different types of relationship, the qualities of friends and some of the skills involved in improving and developing relationships. Illustrated by the author, this hands-on groupwork resource is ideal for speech language therapists, teachers, occupational therapists, community learning disability nurses and anyone working in the field of learning disability.

A comprehensive and practical resource for all speech and language therapists and students, this book covers all aspects of working with this client group. Written by the author of the hugely successful "Talkabout", each section gives the reader a theoretical background of the subject under discussion, practical suggestions and formats for assessment, a guide to intervention as well as a clear and worked-out example. In addition, the author addresses staff training, group therapy, accessing the criminal justice system and working with a multi-disciplinary team.

This collection of 20 games designed to help group cohesion can be used to enhance a social skills activity or as warm up and finishing games. Fun, quick, easy to play and use the familiar Talkabout drawings for visual cues. Contents include: 20 group games. Each game card includes instructions for playing the game and colour coding to show which cards are best to use. A lot of the activities can be made easier or harder by increasing or decreasing the number of cards. 50 illustrated cards. These include 10 pictures in each category: animals, food, objects, actions and emotions and these have been colour coded for easy recognition.Intended for use in educational settings and/or therapy contexts under the supervision of an adult. This is not a toy.

This title features 20 group games to encourage self awareness and effective social skills. Fun, quick and easy to play, this game features the familiar Talkabout drawings to provide visual cues. Contents 20 group games. Each game card includes instructions for playing the game and colour coding to show which cards are best to use. A lot of the activities can be made easier or harder by increasing or decreasing the number of cards. It offers 51 illustrated cards. These include 10 pictures in each category: physical appearance, personality, topics, qualities and emotions - these have been colour coded for easy recognition.Intended for use in educational settings and/or therapy contexts under the supervision of an adult. This is not a toy.

The Talkabout 'Who am I?' cards have been designed to be used with an individual or small group to practice good communication and social skills. The cards could be used in a number of ways such as a warm up game, group cohesion activity or a closing game. They could be used to gel a new group or for players to get to know one another by asking appropriate questions. The cards will therefore help to stimulate group conversation and allow people to practice and improve good social skills with others. Use these cards to improve individual and group social skills in a stimulating manner. One-set of card - several uses, these cards can adapted to be used for several different objectives ensuring maximum benefit. Additional uses provide greater value for money, as there is an opportunity for extension activities including Memory, Survey and Investigation. Contents: 4 group game cards. A description is given for four activities to play using these cards 36 illustrated cards. These include prompts for sharing likes and dislikes, facts and opinions about themselves.Intended for use in educational settings and/or therapy contexts under the supervision of an adult. This is not a toy.

Talkabout for Adults is a practical resource to help therapists or support staff to develop self-awareness and self-esteem in adults. It has been particularly aimed at adults with an intellectual disability (learning disability) or older children with special needs.It has been adapted from Talkabout for Children: Developing Self-awareness and Self-esteem to be suitable for an older audience. This means that some of the activities are almost identical but a number of them have been adapted to be more appropriate. There are also some new activities such as the 'A book about me.' which enables the adults to make up a book over the course of the sessions that will summarise some keys personal facts. This can work well as an addition to a communication passport or equivalent, or can stand alone as an alternative.Talkabout for Adults is a stand-alone resource with approximately a year's worth of activities to develop self-awareness and self-esteem. It has 50 activities to do with adults and it has been successfully piloted at Speaking Space. It includes:a short assessment of self-awareness and self-esteema year's worth of work on self-awareness and self-esteem including 50 activities and some worksheetspractical suggestions to make your group work successful including 25 group cohesion activitiesa plan for intervention, and forms for monitoring and evaluation.This resource continues to use the Talkabout hierarchical approach to teaching skills, that is, basic self-awareness skills are taught prior to more complex skills such as social skills and friendship skills. This also means that this resource is designed to be used logically from topic 1 through to topic 8. Most of the activities are more suited to working in a group setting but some of them can be adapted for one-to-one work.

Talkabout for Children: Developing Social Communication, 3rd edition is a bestselling professional workbook, designed to support educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for children.Social communication is an essential aspect of our quality of life and this resource helps to develop this in young children aged 4-11 years old. The book introduces the second level of the Talkabout hierarchy and provides three sections full of practical activities exploring the areas of Talkabout Body Language, Talkabout Conversations, and Talkabout Assertiveness. Resources include:Planning and evaluation formsA three-term intervention plan for schoolsOver 60 structured activity sessions focusing on social communicationIdeas for group cohesion activities to use at the beginning and end of sessionsAll the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the session, with resources available to photocopy or download and print.Fully updated and revised, this third edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed. This key resource will help teachers, teaching assistants, health care professionals and parents to support children’s social communication.

Talkabout for Children: Developing Social Communication, 3rd edition is a bestselling professional workbook, designed to support educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for children.Social communication is an essential aspect of our quality of life and this resource helps to develop this in young children aged 4-11 years old. The book introduces the second level of the Talkabout hierarchy and provides three sections full of practical activities exploring the areas of Talkabout Body Language, Talkabout Conversations, and Talkabout Assertiveness. Resources include:Planning and evaluation formsA three-term intervention plan for schoolsOver 60 structured activity sessions focusing on social communicationIdeas for group cohesion activities to use at the beginning and end of sessionsAll the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the session, with resources available to photocopy or download and print.Fully updated and revised, this third edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed. This key resource will help teachers, teaching assistants, health care professionals and parents to support children’s social communication.

2 – 6 players Ages 7 - 14This new and expanded second edition of the Talkabout Board Game has been designed to support work on social skills, self-esteem, and friendship skills. The game backs up skills taught within the Talkabout book series but can also be used as a standalone resource.The game takes you on a journey through the week, where you will encounter several different social skills tasks that you need to complete to move on to the weekend. Each day has a challenge that the child needs to complete before moving on to the next day, as well as the possibility of landing on 2 ‘chance cards’ and 1 further ‘challenge card’, depending on the roll of the dice. The purpose of the game is to work together to get everyone to the end of the week and there is, therefore, no winner of the game. Once you have got to the middle of the board, your role is to help the others get there too. The Talkabout Board Game can be played at 6 different levels by using the colour coded challenge cards to work on the following skills:Pack 1: Self-awareness and self-esteem (orange)Pack 2: Body language (red)Pack 3: Conversational skills (green)Pack 4: Friendship skills (pink)Pack 5: Assertiveness skills (yellow)Or any combination of the aboveThis second edition features a greater variety of ‘chance cards’, updated ‘challenge cards’, and a higher chance of children completing a challenge. Designed for between 2 – 6 players and for ages 7 – 14, it will be an essential resource for educators and therapists.

The purchase of the TASS manual includes access to the downloadable assessment tool for one user. If you would like to purchase additional downloads for multiple users please email TASS@tandf.co.uk. For more information on the TASS and the Talkabout series, as well as helpful videos and guidance developed by the authors, please visit https://routledgelearning.com/TASS.Talkabout Assessment of Social Skills (TASS) is an assessment tool using a software programme which allows education and healthcare professionals to input and analyse the assessment of social skills. It gathers information from key sources to provide a holistic view of a person’s social communication and uses rating scales to enable quantitative analysis of intervention.The TASS includes a rating of a person’s social communication skills (nonverbal, verbal and assertiveness) but also assesses a person within a broader context of social skills including associated factors and quality of life indicators, and an assessment of self-awareness and self-esteem. The TASS is divided into five sections:Initial information: this section gathers information from significant others and includes reasons for referral, long-term goals, and an initial action planInterview: a one-to-one interview to assess self-awareness and self-esteemSelf-rating scale: an optional part of the assessment, dependent on age and ability, which asks the person to rate their own social communication and identify factors which are important to themTASS: an updated version of the original Talkabout Assessment Tool which includes sections on body language, the way we talk, conversational and assertiveness skillsSummary: this final part provides summary charts of all sections and areas of high priorityThe TASS software programme is supported by an accompanying manual, which includes an overview of the resource and guidelines for each section, in addition to worked examples and photocopiable versions of the digital forms. This complete assessment tool is a valuable resource for anyone working the area of social communication and is suitable for use by both individual practitioners and teams.TASS should be run on Windows 10 with Java 11 or above installed. For best performance, use a 15+ inch display, a 1920 x 1080 or higher resolution and an I5 or above processor. The TASS software is not suitable for Macs.

The purchase of the TASS manual includes access to the downloadable assessment tool for one user. If you would like to purchase additional downloads for multiple users please email TASS@tandf.co.uk. For more information on the TASS and the Talkabout series, as well as helpful videos and guidance developed by the authors, please visit https://routledgelearning.com/TASS.Talkabout Assessment of Social Skills (TASS) is an assessment tool using a software programme which allows education and healthcare professionals to input and analyse the assessment of social skills. It gathers information from key sources to provide a holistic view of a person’s social communication and uses rating scales to enable quantitative analysis of intervention.The TASS includes a rating of a person’s social communication skills (nonverbal, verbal and assertiveness) but also assesses a person within a broader context of social skills including associated factors and quality of life indicators, and an assessment of self-awareness and self-esteem. The TASS is divided into five sections:Initial information: this section gathers information from significant others and includes reasons for referral, long-term goals, and an initial action planInterview: a one-to-one interview to assess self-awareness and self-esteemSelf-rating scale: an optional part of the assessment, dependent on age and ability, which asks the person to rate their own social communication and identify factors which are important to themTASS: an updated version of the original Talkabout Assessment Tool which includes sections on body language, the way we talk, conversational and assertiveness skillsSummary: this final part provides summary charts of all sections and areas of high priorityThe TASS software programme is supported by an accompanying manual, which includes an overview of the resource and guidelines for each section, in addition to worked examples and photocopiable versions of the digital forms. This complete assessment tool is a valuable resource for anyone working the area of social communication and is suitable for use by both individual practitioners and teams.TASS should be run on Windows 10 with Java 11 or above installed. For best performance, use a 15+ inch display, a 1920 x 1080 or higher resolution and an I5 or above processor. The TASS software is not suitable for Macs.

Talkabout for Children: Developing Self-Awareness and Self-Esteem is a bestselling professional workbook supporting educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for children with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.Self-awareness and self-esteem is an essential prerequisite to developing social skills and so this book is an excellent first step to any social skills programme. This resources creates the foundation of the Talkabout heirachy, where self-awareness comes before non-verbal skills and non-verbal comes before verbal, with assertiveness coming last.Resources include:an assessment frameworkplanning and evaluation formsa three-term intervention plan for schoolsover 40 structured activity sessions focussing on self-awareness and self-esteemall the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the sessions.This second edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts, and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed.

Talkabout for Children: Developing Friendship Skills is a bestselling professional workbook supporting educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for children with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.This resources creates the final level of the Talkabout heirachy, where self-awareness comes before non-verbal skills and non-verbal comes before verbal, with assertiveness coming last.Resources include:an assessment frameworkplanning and evaluation formsa three-term intervention plan for schoolsover 25 structured activity sessions focussing on friendship skillsall the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the sessions.This second edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts, and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed.

Talkabout for Teenagers is a bestselling professional workbook supporting educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for older children and young adults with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.It is a complete group work resource that offers a hierarchical approach, with ready-made material to assist teaching social and relationship skills specifically to older children and young adults.Resources include:an assessment frameworkplanning and evaluation forms37 structured session guides focussing on self-awareness and self-esteem, body language, conversational skills, friendship skills and assertivenessall the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the sessions.This second edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts, and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed.

What can we do to help those who struggle to develop effective social skills?Social Skills: Developing Effective Interpersonal Communication is a definitive guide to understanding and meeting the needs of those who have difficulty with social skills. Written in a clear and accessible manner, this book provides a theoretical framework to the teaching of social skills alongside a range of practical ideas for practitioners. The book offers a four-step plan that can be adapted for use with young people or adults who are struggling with any aspect of their social skills. A simple model for assessing social skills is provided, as well as ways to measure the impact of intervention. Full of interesting examples and case studies, it includes discussion of how to teach social skills, how social skills develop through childhood, why they sometimes might not, and why social skills difficulties can have an impact on self-esteem and friendships. It includes a breakdown of social skills into the following areas: • body language• eye contact • listening and paralanguage• starting and ending conversations• maintaining conversations• assertiveness Written by one of the most well-known speech and language therapists in this field and the creator of the internationally successful Talkabout resources, this book provides a key reference for the study of social skills. It will be essential reading for educators, therapists, parents and anyone supporting others in developing communication and social skills.

Talkabout for Teenagers is a bestselling professional workbook supporting educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for older children and young adults with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.It is a complete group work resource that offers a hierarchical approach, with ready-made material to assist teaching social and relationship skills specifically to older children and young adults.Resources include:an assessment frameworkplanning and evaluation forms37 structured session guides focussing on self-awareness and self-esteem, body language, conversational skills, friendship skills and assertivenessall the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the sessions.This second edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts, and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed.

Talkabout for Children: Developing Friendship Skills is a bestselling professional workbook supporting educators and therapists who deliver social and relationship skills groups for children with social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.This resources creates the final level of the Talkabout heirachy, where self-awareness comes before non-verbal skills and non-verbal comes before verbal, with assertiveness coming last.Resources include:an assessment frameworkplanning and evaluation formsa three-term intervention plan for schoolsover 25 structured activity sessions focussing on friendship skillsall the supplementary handouts and images needed to deliver the sessions.This second edition is presented with full-colour illustrations and handouts, and includes a new introduction by Alex Kelly reflecting on her own experiences of using the resources since they were first developed.

This is a comprehensive programme of activities designed to support young people as they make the transition from education to employment. Following the hugely successful TALKABOUT structure, the programme is broken down into topics and activities, each constructed to teach the skills necessary for further education or employment. Topics explore the various opportunities available to school leavers, offer guidance on the application and interview processes and consider the skills necessary to make employment a success. Exploring transition as a process of discovery, this programme takes the fear and uncertainty out of this time of change. The resource includes: Assessment and evaluation forms to help assess the needs of the individual and personalise the programme 40 engaging activities Fully photocopiable and downloadable colour resources to facilitate group sessions This book is an invaluable resource for professionals working with teenagers and young adults with SEMH needs, autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities. The programme would also benefit teenagers and young people daunted by change or struggling to find or remain in employment.

Theory of mind is a key consideration in autism spectrum conditions and is frequently associated with social, emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties. The latest practical workbook in the TALKABOUT series, this book is designed to support those for whom theory of mind does not come naturally. It teaches strategies that can be used to identify others’ thoughts and feelings based on their behaviour, as well as to adapt behaviour in order to competently manage social situations and have positive interactions. With fully illustrated activities covering topics such as thoughts, feelings and actions, knowledge and beliefs, and respect, the programme outlined in this book can be used with children and young people to develop and confidently implement an awareness of theory of mind.Key features include: Assessments, targets, lesson plans and over ninety activities to support theory of mind Structured activities which progress from simple concepts to more complex skills Opportunities for skills to be practised and recapped Fully photocopiable and downloadable resourcesPacked full of flexible activities to suit different levels and ages, this is a vital resource for educators and therapists looking to support children and young people with poor theory of mind as they develop the skills necessary to create positive interactions.

This core Talkabout manual is a practical resource essential for Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals who need to help people with special needs develop social skills. Over 60 activities form an extensive, structured social skills programme that can easily be adapted for use with children, adolescents and adults. Written by bestselling author and practising Speech and Language Therapist, Alex Kelly, this book sits at the centre of an internationally renowned series of resources supporting social skills.Contents include:a social skills assessment and intervention planning tool to help you identify the best way forward for each client or groupover 60 activities focussing on body language, conversation and assertiveness25 group cohesion activities to help you facilitate well-run, productive group sessionsa wealth of handouts supporting the activities that can be freely downloaded and printed.This updated second edition of Talkabout sits alongside Talkabout for Teenagers and Talkabout for Adults, as well as three titles published for children (Developing Self Awareness and Self Esteem, Developing Social Skills and, Developing Friendship and Skills).

What can we do to help those who struggle to develop effective social skills?Social Skills: Developing Effective Interpersonal Communication is a definitive guide to understanding and meeting the needs of those who have difficulty with social skills. Written in a clear and accessible manner, this book provides a theoretical framework to the teaching of social skills alongside a range of practical ideas for practitioners. The book offers a four-step plan that can be adapted for use with young people or adults who are struggling with any aspect of their social skills. A simple model for assessing social skills is provided, as well as ways to measure the impact of intervention. Full of interesting examples and case studies, it includes discussion of how to teach social skills, how social skills develop through childhood, why they sometimes might not, and why social skills difficulties can have an impact on self-esteem and friendships. It includes a breakdown of social skills into the following areas: • body language• eye contact • listening and paralanguage• starting and ending conversations• maintaining conversations• assertiveness Written by one of the most well-known speech and language therapists in this field and the creator of the internationally successful Talkabout resources, this book provides a key reference for the study of social skills. It will be essential reading for educators, therapists, parents and anyone supporting others in developing communication and social skills.

Talkabout Sex & Relationships 1 is a comprehensive toolkit for all therapists, educators and support staff who deliver relationship education to people with special needs. It is intended primarily to support groupwork but activities can be easily adapted to suit the needs of individuals with varying abilities.The resource emphasises the importance of happy, healthy and positive relationships. It looks at the life cycle of a relationship from finding a partner, coping with problems, staying safe and maintaining a relationship to dealing with the potential ending of a relationship.This toolkit is the first in a two volume set, the second of which will focus on sex. Created by Alex Kelly and Emily Dennis as part of the bestselling Talkabout series, this publication constitutes the most complete and trustworthy set of resources available for groupwork focussing on relationships for people with special needs.

Talkabout Sex & Relationships 2 is a comprehensive toolkit for all therapists, educators and support staff who deliver sex education to people with special needs. It is intended primarily to support groupwork but activities can be easily adapted to suit the needs of individuals with varying abilities.The resource emphasises the importance of being well informed in regards to the physical, interpersonal and emotional aspects of sex; including body awareness, consent, sexual health and guidelines for a healthy sexual relationship. It is packed with practical activities which are designed to open up discussion around sensitive issues in a fun, informative and non-judgemental way. Each activity comes with guidance for practitioners on how to prepare for and delivery the sessions. Features include: guidelines to assess the suitability of students for the programme visually appealing and engaging activities with full colour illustrations photocopiable activities which can also be downloaded for free on the accompanying website template letters for parental permission in delivering the sessionsThis toolkit is the second in a two volume set, the first of which focuses on relationships. Created by Alex Kelly and Emily Dennis as part of the bestselling Talkabout series, this publication constitutes the most complete and trustworthy set of resources available for groupwork focussing on sex and relationships for people with special needs.

This is a valuable resource for anyone using the 'Talkabout' series, this video brings social skills to life! - Contains acted scenarios for each skill being taught, modelling both poor and good behaviour. This title uses a number of settings and different ages, and includes an instruction booklet on how to use the video in conjunction with 'Talkabout'. It is essential for situations where there is only one group facilitator and therefore difficulty in modelling poor and good behaviour. This DVD-resource is a must-have for anyone using the 'Talkabout' books, teaching social skills or working with people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders, learning disabilities or social communication disorders.  Alex Kelly is the Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Hampshire Partnership NHS Trust and works on the New Forest Community Learning Disability Health Team for adults with learning disabilities. She qualified from the Central School of Speech Drama in 1985 and has since worked predominantly with adults and children with learning disabilities. She is the author of the highly successful 'Talkabout' (Speechmark, 1996), 'Talkabout Activities' (Speechmark, 2003) and 'Talkabout Relationships' (Speechmark, 2004). Alex also co-authored the 'Personal Communication Plan (PCP)' in 1991, which has since been revised for inclusion in her book 'Working with Adults with a Learning Disability' (Speechmark, 2000).

Alex Kelly's Talkabout books are a series of workbooks designed to develop social skills in people with special needs. This revised version of the second edition Talkabout manual has been edited for US professionals, with a foreword by Nancy Tarshis and Debbie Meringolo.