Understanding_Variour_Special_Educational_Needs

12.11, 12.12, 12.13, 12.14 Understanding Various Special Educational Needs In this assignment I’ve researched many Special Educational Needs, the various signs which may come with the condition and the different methods that could be used to support specific SEN. I’ll explain my understanding of how to overcome communication barriers and learning difficulties within the school and how, as a Teaching Assistant, I can give my support. 12.11, 12.12 Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) ASD is a complex developmental disability that affects the way a person can communicate and relate to others. The word spectrum is used as the condition will affect people in different ways; although there are 3 main area’s of difficulty that occurs: • Difficulty with social communication • Difficulty with social interaction • Difficulty with social imagination This condition can vary from person to person, some people can have accompanying learning difficulties, while others are able, with average or above average intelligence. ASD is a lifelong disability, children with the condition will grow into adults with the condition. People with ASD like to follow set routines and can become very upset if they are disrupted. People with ASD do not look disabled, so children are often thought to be ‘naughty’. Children with difficulty in social communication “For people with autistic spectrum disorders, ‘body language’ can appear just as foreign as if people were speaking ancient Greek” (National Autistic Society) Many people with ASD often take what people say very literally e.g., common phrases like “it’s cool”, to them, may mean cold, but it may have been meant as good. They find it difficult to read facial expressions or your tone of voice and don’t understand jokes or sarcasm. Often people with ASD may not speak or have limited speech, although can understand what people are saying to them, preferring to communicate by sign language or visual symbols. Others may have good language skills but still find conversations hard and maybe just repeat what the other person has said or talk about their own interests at length. This could be supported in the classroom by making sure all the children in the class are aware that their classmate has ASD and has a good understanding of it e.g., shouting out unexpectedly or laughing if they get hurt etc, and that explaining that the child cannot help this behaviour. Visual aids would also be a good way to support the child e.g., photographs and picture cards when reading and visual timetables to allow the child routine. It is also important not exaggerate what you mean and to avoid sarcastic speech, as this may be took literally by the child and misunderstood. Children who have difficulty with social interaction “Socialising doesn’t come naturally-we have to learn it” (NAS). People with ASD often have difficulty recognising other people’s feelings. This means they may find it difficult to form friendships’ as they are unsure how to go about this. To overcome this, pairing the child with a sympathetic partner would be helpful and to encourage the child with ASD to be involved in all classroom activities. Emphasise the social aspects of an activity: for example, a cookery lesson could include sharing the food out afterwards. If a child refuses to join in with team games, these could be replaced by partner games, such as badminton or tennis, so they still learn to play with others. (NAS) Children who have difficulty with social imagination “We have trouble working out what other people know. We have more difficulty guessing what other people are thinking.” (NAS) Difficulties with social imagination mean that people with autism find it hard to engage in imaginative play activities, although many are very creative. Children with ASD find it hard to prepare for change, plan for the future and cope in new or unfamiliar situations. 12.13 To support this it would be good to have timetables and to avoid unnecessary changes but if changes were to be made to let the child know in advance, so as not to disrupt routine. Tasks should be explained slowly and clearly to the child and plenty of time should be given for the information to be processed. Overall, distractions should be kept to a minimum e.g., background noise etc and tasks should be set to the appropriate level of the child’s ability and could be linked to the pupil’s favourite subjects to maintain their interest. 12.11, 12.12, 12.13 Dyslexia Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty which affects language and literacy skills. It’s present at birth and its effects are lifelong. This condition affects the child across all subjects at school but in different ways. In general, children with dyslexia have poor concentration and are slow to process information. They are forgetful of words and have difficulty following instructions. Writing When writing, children with dyslexia often have poor handwriting and get confused by letters, particularly b/d, p/q, n/u etc. Children may have poor motor skills and find it difficult to hold a pen/pencil. They may also spell a word several times over until they think it’s correct. Their written work is often far poorer than their ability to talk about topics. To help support a child in the classroom, they could be encouraged to use cursive (joined ) writing as this is most helpful for dyslexic children and a reference chart could be available to hand to act as a reminder to the child how words are spelt. Reading Reading is often hesitant and the child will find it difficult to blend words together. Children with dyslexia often fail to recognise familiar words and easily lose the plot of the story being read or written. Words are often added or missed out of texts and pronunciation of words comes across unusual. These issues could be overcome by using a structured reading scheme which involves lots of repetition and for new words to be introduced slowly. Working to the ability of the child whilst they’re reading and using lots of motivation will help the child’s confidence to grow. Also it is better to not ask the child to read out loud in front of the class and have one on one reading times instead and try and make reading fun for the child. Numeracy Children with dyslexia have difficulty remembering anything in a sequential order e.g. tables, the alphabet or days of the week, they are confused by symbols e.g. + or – and number orders e.g. units, tens and hundreds. These barriers may be overcome by showing children how to use the times table square and to encourage them to say their workings out aloud. Also, ensure that they have a clear understanding of mathematical terminology before they use them by rehearsing mathematical vocabulary using multi sensory and kinaesthetic methods e.g. calculators and abacus’ etc. Key words could also be written down in the front of the child’s work books so that they can be referenced when they need them. Children with dyslexia also have problems telling the time, remembering the days of the week and the months and seasons of the year. It would help the child if there were posters and flashcards around the classroom showing all this information. In general, there are lots of ways to help a child with dyslexia in the classroom. Brightly coloured paper and card could be used with large bold print on it. More time could be given for work and verbal descriptions from the child on topics could be received to ensure the child has an understanding of what is being taught. A flexible approach to teaching methods would be helpful. Listening to books on tape, using computers during lessons and voice activated software could be an option to help the child also. Lots of praise and motivation is also essential as a child with dyslexia often has to try far harder than his peers. It’s also important to remember that these children often have many strengths e.g. great oral skills and artistic abilities, so playing to their strengths as well as helping out with their difficulties is essential. 12.11, 12.12 Dyspraxia Dyspraxia can affect any or all areas of development – intellectual, emotional, physical, language, social and sensory – and may impair a normal person’s process of learning. Usually it’s said to be an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, but associated with this may be problems of language, perception and thought. (BBC) Children with this condition may not be able to run and jump and be slow at dressing so could try and avoid games lessons. Their language may also be impaired or late to develop. Children with dyspraxia may have difficulty when writing stories and poor handwriting is one of the most common symptoms. Also, children with this condition have a short attention span are often poorly organised. Often, dyspraxia comes across in a child as clumsiness. 12.13 To overcome these difficulties a speech and language therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist and specialist teachers may be used within school. These specialists can offer advice and exercises to help perform daily tasks and activities and to develop their reading and writing skills, also to help with the child’s poor motor skills, you could try out different sizes of pens and pencils with various grips to see which best suits the child and also limiting the amount of writing that the child needs to do by giving, where possible, ready printed worksheets. Clear instructions should always be given and to make sure the child has a good understanding of what they are doing. . Lessons should be adapted for the child, so they are not given too much information to take in at once. Also, you should make yourself aware of the child’s seating position in class, making sure that both feet are on the floor and the table and chairs are at the right height. 12.14 Physical Impairment Cerebral palsy; This isn’t a particular disease or illness. The term means a physical condition that affects movement as a result of an injury to the brain. Every person with cerebral palsy is affected in a different way. (BBC) A common misconception is that people with cerebral palsy inevitably have learning difficulties. This may have arisen because people with the condition can have problems controlling their facial movements and speech, and it can be difficult to understand them at first. Some people with cerebral palsy do indeed have moderate or even severe learning difficulties, but just as in the rest of the population, there’s a range of intelligence. (BBC). There are several different types of cerebral palsy and common problems often include difficulty with walking, talking writing, eating and dressing. People who have this condition may also have visual and hearing difficulties. School’s need to know enough about the child’s medical conditions to help them access their educational entitlement. (ATL, 2002; p.29). Strategies to overcome barriers in the classroom could include making the rooms accessible for wheelchair user and making plenty of space for them to manoeuvre e.g. if a pupil has mobility aids, they have room to move freely without obstacles. Electric doors would also be helpful. Ramps would also be needed around the school. Equipment may also have to be specially adapted for play and learning. Again, specialist agencies may be needed to offer support and advice e.g. occupational therapists, physiotherapists, special needs assistants and speech and language therapists. 12.12,12.14 Speech and Language Delay All children will reach their own milestones at their own pace but some children do seem to lag behind enough to warrant a thorough evaluation. Although delays in speech are fairly common, if a child works with a speech-language pathologist, they can often reach their highest potential. The following are considered normal expectations for a child’s development; The first 12 months; babies should respond to sound and turn towards familiar voices and coo in response. Once they reach around 9 months, they are able to string short sounds together, often without meaning and then by a year they should be able to say their first word. 12 to 18 months; At this age they should have a small use of vocabulary, around 20 words, communicate in ways such as waving and clapping and be able to follow simple instructions. 18 to 24 months; This will be a period of impressive speech and language growth. Children will have a vocabulary of around 50 words by now and be able to follow more complex instructions. 2 to 3 years; Between the child’s second and third birthday, they seem to learn new words daily. This is when they will begin to identify colours and shapes. While speech and language is often used together, they have different meanings. Speech refers to the forming of words while language is broader and refers to verbal, nonverbal and written communication. Delays in speech often alerts parents to a problem, while language delays, such as when a child can verbalise well but has trouble following the direction can often be mistaken for misbehaviour, rather than language issues. Both the listening and speaking skills of a child should be considered when assessing their ability. There are many possible causes for speech and language delays, sometimes difficulty in hearing is responsible for delays in speech, this in turn makes it difficult for the child to understand what is being said and to imitate and form the correct sounds. Also, oral motor problems are to blame for delays, this means the area of the brain responsible for speech does not communicate properly with the lips, tongue and jaw to allow the child to speak clearly. Children who speak more than one language may also suffer from speech and language delay as they need more time to process information in a given language. Sometimes, some pupils may choose not to speak, this is called selective mutism and can occur for various reasons e.g. shyness, lack of confidence or lack of social skills etc. Ways to overcome these barriers in the classroom are to speak slowly and clearly to the child, to be a good speech role model. If the child has a stammer, it’s important not to interrupt them and to let them speak at their own pace. Reassurance should also be used and one on one speaking with the child can help confidence grow. Encouraging children to speak but not insisting they do is helpful. Sign language is also a vital way to communicate with children where needed and picture instructions and visual aids could also be used. Speech and Language therapists can help improve the pupil’s education too. 12.12, 12.14 Sensory Impairment Hearing Impairment (HI) – One in four children under seven experiences some sort of hearing loss and this may range from slight impairment to profound deafness. If a child has mild to moderate deafness, they may have difficulty following speech, especially in a noisy situation like the classroom and some may need to use a hearing aid. If they have severe deafness, the child will probably need to lip read or use sign language, even if they do have a hearing aid. For children suffering from profound deafness, they will rely on lip reading and sign language. Ways to overcome these teaching barriers within the classroom are to keep background noise to a minimum where possible by having area’s carpeted. You should also ensure that you have the child near you and you’re facing them, so they can hear or lip read you. Speaking clearly is very important. Also, making sure the child is paying attention throughout the class and use visual aids to keep the lesson interesting e.g. photos, pictures and books. Visual Impairment (VI)- This will affect approximately 2000 children and there are many different causes and each is individual. The broadest definition is that vision can be considered to be impaired if, even with the use of glasses or contact lenses, a persons sight cannot be fully corrected. (ATL, 2002). Most children with a VI will have been diagnosed before starting school but in cases where they have not, you may notice a child blinking a lot, having watery, itchy eyes, frowning and squinting, bumping into furniture or people, covering one eye whilst reading, having difficulty forming letters and numbers, seeing the blackboard and suffering from frequent headaches. There are many ways to support pupils with a visual impairment in school. Specialist advice and equipment may be used. Also, again, make sure the child is near you. Making sure the child is wearing glasses if they need to is important. The classroom should be clear from clutter and obstacles. When worksheets are given out, make sure the words are bold and clear and use aids such as a magnifier if needed. Also, oral methods could be used e.g. tape recorders to keep written work to a minimum. It can also be helpful to use the other senses e.g. sight and sound, to reinforce learning and specialist advice and support could also be used within the school. In general, lots of support, patience and understanding are needed when working with children who have Special Educational Needs. There are many agencies which offer specialist advice and are needed to help support teachers and teaching assistants to give each and every child an education.