The importance of fostering positive self-esteem as speech and language therapists
Written By:
Speech and Language Therapist | Speech Therapy Services London Ltd.
For any of a whole range of reasons, most of us have struggled at some point or other with low self-esteem. It is well-known that teenagers in particular experience poor self-esteem during their school and college years. At a very basic level, these are years of discovery, exploration of identity, becoming more independent, navigating complex social spheres and starting to think about future aspirations. All of this can make for an exciting time when nurtured and supported adequately, but generally speaking, adolescence will often be a source of confusion, anguish and feeling under pressure.
Illustrating this time of shift, research has shown that there is a “distinct drop in girl’s self esteem between the ages of 11 and 14” (Forbes, 2021). Add the impact social media has on young people’s self-image into the mix, and positive self-esteem becomes all the harder to attain. Undeniably, lockdown has only served to exacerbate the impact of social media
on adolescents’ perception of themselves, with 68% of young people reporting that their mental health got worse during lockdown (Mind, 2021).
With internet platforms being the only arenas for socialising, young people have flocked to places like Instagram and Tik Tok to get their references for what is ‘in’ and what is not, as well as for how they should behave and aspire to look. The problem is that the internet presents unrealistic idealised versions of reality, placing unattainable expectations on impressionable minds.
Self-esteem for young people with learning difficulties
Things get even trickier for young people with learning differences. A recent study found that young autistic people report lower self-esteem than non-autistic youth (Boyer and van der Cruijsen, 2020). In many of these cases, low self-esteem will be a pre-cursor to PTSD, depression or anxiety, among other disorders impacting social and emotional health.
It has been found that autistic individuals experience self-doubt to an extreme degree due to traumatic past experiences at school or in their community, and this inevitably shapes their self-worth and can restrict the potential for positive connections in the future. It’s also worth noting that low self-esteem has been found to be an underlying factor in students who exhibit aggressive behaviour.
When we consider that so many young people who are currently being excluded from their school settings for reasons linked to ‘poor behaviour’ turn out to have undiagnosed needs, it becomes evident that fostering positive self-esteem in these students could hold the key to preventing so many young people being let down by the education system.
Furthermore, when we trace the link between positive self-esteem and emotional health as well as academic self-efficacy (Batool et al., 2017), we see just how imperative it is that we education and healthcare practitioners foster positive self-esteem in the young people we work with.
How can we improve self-esteem?
Broadly speaking, good self-esteem can be promoted in two ways: either implicitly or explicitly. That is, through less direct ways where learners may not be consciously aware that their self-esteem is being bolstered, or through direct and targeted intervention that requires a certain level of metacognition from the learner.
Part of our role as speech and language therapists in academic settings is to provide specialist knowledge around how to meet and nurture the needs of students. Advocating for our learners with communication differences is a key component of the work we do and within this scope we have a responsibility to promote and help create a learning environment that nurtures positive self-belief, a strong sense of identity, and acceptance of self and others. The language we use about and around our children within educational settings can really shape the way they perceive themselves, as well as set the tone of a school or college’s approach.
Using neurodiversity-affirming language, as well as highlighting young people’s strengths in a genuine and consistent manner are crucial to fostering an environment where students can themselves begin to cultivate positive self-esteem. Embedding supportive and affirming language throughout a school is an implicit yet sure-fire way of fostering a healthy level of self-belief in young people.
Encouraging students to reflect on their work routinely - ideally focusing on what they believe went well or ‘what felt good/enjoyable’ – is another way of imbuing learning with a level of positive self-awareness and sense of agency.
Through means such as these, we are also paving the groundwork for learners to develop metacognitive skills necessary for more explicit teaching. If appropriate, based on the student’s language ability and self-awareness, a more direct approach can take place during therapy sessions or through the delivery of therapy programmes. These could involve unpicking what ‘self-esteem’ is in a one-to-one or small group setting, as well as introducing various strategies that young people can apply in their daily lives to challenge negative self-belief and tap into healthier self-perception.
Key benefits
Some of the key benefits of improved self-esteem in young people are as follows:
Improved sense of self-worth
Decreased need for ‘masking’
More balanced friendships and relationships
Increased ability to cope with social and emotional challenges
Promotes sustained investment in hobbies and interests across lifespan
Much needed shift from performance-driven sense of achievement to doing things for the purpose of enjoyment
Decreased risk of depression and anxiety
Reduced risk of harmful behaviours to self and others
If these outcomes are not worth striving for at a very basic level, then what is our purpose when working with young people, especially those experiencing barriers to their emotional wellbeing and learning?
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MEET MARGAUX
Margaux completed her BSc in Speech and Language Therapy in 2021 at Greenwich University. After studying a BA in Art History at Goldsmiths, Margaux started working in SEN settings in 2014. Margaux’s practice as a speech and language therapist is grounded in her drive to help young people discover and share their identity with confidence. Her approach to therapy balances creativity and a clinical mindset to provide evidence-based intervention that harnesses students’ strengths, interests and individuality.
Margaux is formally trained in the SCERTS framework and the Nuffield Dyspraxia Programme and is passionate about understanding social-emotional health and emotional literacy within the scope of neurodiversity.
