Talkabout for Adults

Talkabout for Adults is a practical resource to help therapists or support staff develop self-awareness and self-esteem in adults. It is particularly aimed at adults with an intellectual disability (learning disability) or older children with special needs.

This resource has been adapted from Talkabout for Children: Developing Self-awareness and Self-esteem to suit an older audience. Some activities are almost identical, but a number have been modified for greater appropriateness. The book also introduces new activities, such as 'A book about me.', which enables adults to create a personal book throughout the sessions, summarising key personal facts. This can serve as an addition to a communication passport, or stand alone as an alternative.

Talkabout for Adults is a stand-alone resource offering approximately a year's worth of activities focused on developing self-awareness and self-esteem. It comprises 50 activities designed for adult participants and has been successfully piloted at Speaking Space. It includes:

• A short assessment of self-awareness and self-esteem.
• A year's worth of work on self-awareness and self-esteem, including 50 activities and some worksheets.
• Practical suggestions to ensure successful group work, including 25 group cohesion activities.
• A plan for intervention, and forms for monitoring and evaluation.

This resource continues to employ the Talkabout hierarchical approach to teaching skills, ensuring basic self-awareness skills are taught prior to more complex skills, such as social and friendship skills. It is designed to be used logically from topic 1 through to topic 8. While most activities are better suited to group settings, some can be adapted for one-to-one work.