Most children face learning challenges at times, but children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) may need extra tailored support to thrive.
SEND stands for special educational needs and disabilities; a SEND or SEN (Special Educational Needs) child or young person will likely have greater learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which means they will need additional help, support and adaptations made for them at home, in health and in education in order for them to learn or access activities. This will look different for different families depending on what the child’s SEND needs are.
A child does not need an official diagnosis to receive adequate support for their SEND!
A few of our young people may have difficulty in a number of areas but to determine they get the right support in place for them it is important to establish a primary area of need which is the area in which they will need more support.
These children may be struggling with mental health problems like anxiety, depression etc and are likely to have problems with managing emotions, developing relationships and coping with difficult situations.
These children may find retaining and learning new information a challenge and can struggle with things like reading, writing and working with numbers. Children with Dyslexia (difficulties with reading and writing), Dyscalculia (difficulties with numbers) and children with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD), Severe learning difficulties (SLD), Profound learning difficulties (PLD) and Profound Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) would need more support around this area of need.
These children may find interacting and socialising with others challenging or may not be able to communicate and/or interact with others in an appropriate or typical way. These children can typically have speech and language difficulties and may include children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
These children may have a physical disability, medical condition or may have sensory processing difficulties. These children may also have sensor impairments like deafness, blindness, deaf blindness or a mobility issue like Cerebral Palsy.
