Module 6 – The Different Types of Needs
Estimated Time: 60 minutes
Student Aims
· To be able to define autism, and know the ways that you can accommodate autistic people
· To understand what a severe learning difficulty is, and how an individual’s needs can be accommodated
· To know how a specific learning difficulty differs from a severe learning difficulty, and understand how it can be accommodated in the classroom
· To be able to identify the different types of physical difficulty, and how each can be accommodated in the classroom and school environment
- To understand what a sensory disability is, and know the tools that you can use to support students
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6.1 Introduction
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Working with students who have Special Educational Needs is an area of work that can be challenging.
In your role with SEN students, you will be required to think of the needs of each individual student, and you must be able to identify and properly execute the appropriate actions to cater to each of these needs. As challenging as it can be, the work is very rewarding. In this module, the main categories of special educational needs will be discussed and explored.
6.2 Autism Spectrum Disorder
It is estimated that more than 1 in 100 people are on the autism spectrum (autism.org).
Autism is a developmental disability that causes difficulties with language, communication and social interaction. It is characterised by a difficulty or inability to identify social cues and reciprocate social interactions.
A person on the autism spectrum may demonstrate the following: an apparent absence of empathy for people’s feelings; a lack of responsiveness to other people; a lack of awareness of social cues or cultural norms; and rarely making eye contact in social interactions. Autistic people often have difficulty with inferential meaning and sometimes take things very literally.
How to Meet the Needs of Individuals on the Autism Spectrum
The recommended education priority for students on the autism spectrum is to teach them the purpose of communication and how to use it appropriately. This would include teaching the meaning and purpose of gestures, eye contact and signalling, body posture and facial expressions.
Conversational skills should be emphasised, including active listening, turn-taking, and topic introductions. Teaching with clear and unambiguous instructional language is a necessity in all teaching and learning environments. Additionally, a classroom environment that is distraction-free is a key factor to consider when educating young people on the autism spectrum.
Educational programming must include many opportunities that are purposeful and structured for autistic students to develop imagination and creativity, as these are often difficult areas for them. This will help the student develop an individual and holistic method of learning.
6.3 Severe Learning Difficulty
A student with a severe learning difficulty will have significant cognitive and intellectual impairments, which, in turn, has a considerable effect on his or her ability to engage in the school curriculum independently.
Students with severe learning difficulties will require support in every area of the curriculum. These students could require the teaching of social skills, literacy, numeracy, independence and self-help. Typical signs of a student with a severe learning difficulty include a serious hindrance of developmental milestone attainment, significant communication deficits, and apathetic reactions to his or her surroundings (rather than curiosity). These students, when in adulthood, will often not have the ability to live an independent life.
How to Meet the Needs of Individuals with Severe Learning Difficulties
A student with severe learning difficulties will have an EHC Plan. This is an official document which takes several factors into consideration to help create an individualised method of education for the student. Generally, a student with a moderate learning difficulty may attend a mainstream classroom, but a student with severe learning difficulties will need special provision either through a special school or a SEN programme.
Some strategies that are useful for all students with SEN are to think about supporting your lessons with information that is presented visually. Building on the visual memory of the student is best paired with auditory processing, instead of relying solely on the latter.
Another important action that you can do as a teacher is to provide the student with every opportunity to show that he or she understands the material. This can be done by encouraging the student to use gestures such as selecting or pointing when discussing the material.
Finally, the best way to communicate your lesson plan is to target all of the student’s senses. Make the material visual and auditory, and encourage motor responses such as facial expressions and eye pointing from the student whom you are teaching. Multi-sensory teaching and structured learning – although used in the SEN classroom – actually benefits all students, not only those with SEN.
6.4 Specific Learning Difficulties
Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) is the term used to describe a student’s challenges in one or more parts of learning.
There are a number of difficulties that are categorised under this term, including dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a disorder that a student will exhibit as a difficulty in reading, writing and/or spelling. Students with this difficulty can show a hindrance in information processing, like working memory, rapid naming and phonological processing.
If you are working in the classroom of an SpLD student, there are several things that you should take note of to help him or her in the learning process. Providing differentiated instruction throughout the class, for example, is a way that you can cater to many of your students’ needs. This allows you to provide the most effective learning methods for each student. You should also work with parents and staff to help make assessments on the student’s learning status and to provide support to the student’s learning needs both at school and at home.
Dyscalculia
Dyscalculia is a cognitive condition that causes an individual to have problems with learning basic arithmetic facts and processing numerals. They, therefore, often struggle with maths. Some typical symptoms of this area of difficulty are: an ill sense of estimation; problems with counting backwards; and not understanding if an arithmetic method has provided the correct answer.
If you are working with a student with this condition, the main action that you can take to assist the student is to cater to their needs. Experiment with different strategies – visual, auditory, etc. – to help them understand the lesson. Make sure that the student communicates with you about the strategies that they like or find effective.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects a person’s ability to write accurately and legibly. They may also have difficulty with spelling and may find it hard to organise their thoughts on paper.
Dysgraphia can be a very frustrating condition for the individual, as it can make it very hard for them to communicate their thoughts and ideas on paper.
There are a number of different ways that people with dysgraphia can be supported. These may include: the use of special writing tools and special lined paper, allowing more time to complete tasks, providing pre-printed lesson notes, the use of technological support, such as voice-to-text software or dictation machines, and customised learning and development plans.
If you are starting a new role, it is worth getting to know any access arrangements that are in place for particular pupils you are working with. If the pupil has an Education and Health Care Plan, these arrangements will be included within this document.
Your responsibility is to help SEN children progress and learn at their pace. They will need an individual learning plan (ILP), like any other student. This will help you to identify their personal, social and educational objectives. Above all, SEN children, like all children, are individuals whom you have a responsibility to teach and develop, both on a social and an academic level. It is likely that they will need specific help with literacy and numeracy, and you should adapt all your teaching to favour ‘bite-size’ teaching, ‘one-at-a-time’ tasks, ‘thinking time’, and multisensory teaching methods. Teaching strategies that work for children with special needs work for all children.
6.5 Physical Disability
Under the Equality Act 2010, a physical disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment” that “has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
The most common physical disabilities that are experienced in the school system, in the sense that the physical disability is exclusive (the student exhibits no other disabilities), are spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
Spina Bifida
Spina bifida (meaning ‘split spine’) is a condition that has many outcomes due to the incomplete development of the spine whilst in the womb. Spina bifida can result in physical developmental delays and malformations, as well as limit or impair movements below the abdomen.
Depending on the extent of surgery that the individual has undergone, digestive and urinary impairments can occur. Further, depending on the severity of the spina bifida that occurred during foetal development, the individual can experience extreme vulnerability to infections. Many individuals with spina bifida are able to do most motor-related tasks, such as walking, but may need assistance in other areas, such as climbing stairs.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is the general term for a physical disorder characterised by permanent movement disorders, which appear early in childhood. It is a disorder that affects motor skills, muscle tone, and movement.
There are three main types of cerebral palsy, each resulting because of damage to a different part of the brain: ataxic cerebral palsy, dyskinetic/athetoid cerebral palsy, and spastic cerebral palsy.
· Ataxic cerebral palsy – people with ataxic cerebral palsy often have difficulty with fine motor skills, such as writing or buttoning a shirt. They may also have problems with balance and coordination, as well as with speaking and swallowing. Most people with ataxic cerebral palsy are able to walk but may have a wide-based gait (a way of walking that looks like they are about to fall over). This disability can range from mild to severe.
· Dyskinetic/athetoid cerebral palsy – this condition is characterised by involuntary, random body movements or spasms. The muscles alternate between stiffness and floppiness, resulting in uncontrolled and often uncoordinated movement. In some cases, the spasms may be so severe that they interfere with breathing.
· Spastic cerebral palsy – people with this disability often have stiff and tight muscles, making it difficult for them to move quickly and reducing the range of movement that’s possible. This can make everyday activities like eating, dressing and bathing difficult.
The severity of symptoms varies significantly from person to person. However, most people will require a wheelchair or some sort of walking aid at some point in their lives..
6.6 Sensory Disability
Sensory disabilities are those that inhibit the sensory response of an individual.
There are two types of sensory responses that are recognised in the education system: hearing loss and visual impairment.
Hearing loss can range from mild to profound. If a person is ‘hard of hearing’, they will be in a range of mild to severe. However, a person is considered ‘deaf’ if they have profound hearing loss.
People with this disability may need a hearing aid or cochlear implant to make up for the loss in their ability to perceive sound.
People with a visual impairment are considered to be ‘sight impaired’ (previously ‘partially sighted’) or ‘severely sight impaired’ (previously ‘blind’).
Some people may experience blurred vision, which could affect their reading but would not inhibit their ability to walk around alone. At the other end of the scale, some people may not be able to see anything at all.
Accommodating a student with a sensory disability must be based on the student’s particular barriers. How much he or she can do independently should be emphasised and encouraged, and the areas that he or she needs help should invite appropriate assistance.
Modern technology should be utilised to help these students in the school environment.
6.7 Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)
Developmental language disorder (previously referred to as Specific Language Impairment (SLI)) is a communication disorder that affects a child’s ability to understand and use spoken and written language.
Children with DLD have problems understanding what others are saying and formulating speech. They may have difficulty expressing themselves verbally and in writing, which can make it difficult for them to participate in conversations and activities at school or with friends.
A child with developmental language disorder may have problems with one or more of the following: understanding or expressing ideas using spoken words, understanding or using gestures and facial expressions, using complex sentences, following instructions, and learning new words.
A student who has a speech or language disorder will require the support necessary to teach them how to communicate their thoughts and feelings. A speech and language therapist will need to be involved to give the student the best chance possible at improving their language ability.
Sometimes, pupils with other SEN might also require speech and language therapy. Some students with autism or severe learning difficulties may struggle to communicate verbally.
Alternative means of communication come under the guise of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). This is a term used to describe various methods of communication that can help people who are unable to use verbal speech to communicate.
AAC includes both unaided and aided systems. Unaided systems, like signing and gestures, do not require special materials or equipment. Aided systems use picture charts, books and special computers. AAC methods vary and may be personalised to meet each individual’s needs. Many forms of AAC include an assistive technology component which ranges from high- to low-tech strategies.
Fact
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child underlines that children who are capable of forming views have a right to receive information, express an opinion, and have that opinion taken into account in any matters affecting them.
Source: gov.uk
6.8 Emotional and Behavioural Problems
One of the most common behavioural problems in the standard classroom is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This will be discussed exclusively in a later module.
Other common emotional and behavioural problems include:
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
ODD is a disorder that is usually diagnosed in childhood and is characterised by defiant, uncooperative, irritable, negative and deliberately annoying attitudes towards teachers, peers, authority figures and parents. While many children and teenagers exhibit defiance, with ODD, it continues even with reasonable parenting strategies.
Symptoms of this disorder include constant anger, unwillingness to follow the rules, questioning of the rules, unwillingness to take the blame, seeking revenge, and speaking harshly. When working with a student with ODD, a counsellor or psychologist should be working closely with you to guide your interactions with this student. The most effective method of treating ODD is by working with parents so that there is a consistent strategy both at school and at home.
A similar strategy should be approached as a teacher or educator – you cannot know everything about this disorder, so seek the expertise of a professional to inform you of the most effective ways to interact with this student to create a harmonious relationship.
Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorder (CD) is a psychological disorder that is characterised by a repetitive pattern of anti-social behaviour and a disregard for others. Aggressive, deceitful and destructive behaviour are all symptoms of CD. Threatening to cause physical harm, the destruction of property with intention, and repeated lying are all examples of these types of behavioural symptoms.
To work with a student with CD, the same approach to ODD should be taken. Seek professional guidance from the psychologist who is working directly with the student, as they can give you information on how to most effectively communicate, work with, and create a harmonious relationship with this individual.
Childhood Psychosis
Childhood psychosis exhibits disruptions in thinking that are often paired with hallucinations or delusions. Clinical diagnosis for this disorder is required for a student to be identified with the label. Not many students have this disorder, but that does not mean that you will not come across them. Psychosis is a term that includes schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Withdrawal from family, changes in sleeping patterns, hoarding, searching through other’s belongings and showing difficulty in understanding what people are saying are all signs that an individual may be experiencing psychosis.
Again, to work with a student that has this diagnosis, you must work closely with the child’s psychologist or general support team. This will ensure that you know the right protocol when the student is experiencing a hallucination or is displaying behaviour that may be dangerous to other students. Most often, severe cases would not be able to participate in the standard classroom setting.
Assignment
The Different Types of Needs
Time: 30+ minutes
Now that you have completed your study of this module, test your knowledge by working your way through this worksheet.
Download the worksheet below and complete.
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Conclusion
Special educational needs are not something that can be accommodated with one set piece of protocol. Rather, SEN embodies a wide range of complex needs, from physical disabilities to behavioural issues, all of which have their own degrees of severity.
Recognising the general needs of each type of category will enable you to create a supportive learning environment. Having a basic knowledge provides a foundation that you can build upon as SEN students come into your learning space.
In this module, autism was defined and you are now able to identify some ways that you can meet an autistic student’s needs. You understand what a severe learning difficulty is, and how you can help create a supportive learning environment.
You also know how a specific learning difficulty differentiates from a severe one, and you understand how it can be accommodated in the classroom. You are able to identify the different types of physical difficulties, such as spina bifida, and the different types of cerebral palsy.
You understand what a sensory disability is, the signs of a developmental language disorder, and the varying types of emotional and behavioural disorders, and how you can support students with these conditions in a school setting.
In Module 7, we discuss how to identify, assess and support SEN pupils.
WELL DONE!
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