Part 1  Module overview

Everybody needs additional support in their lives at one time or another. The level of support that we need depends on the situation or difficulties that we face. Of course, babies need a great deal of support from the adults in their lives in order to meet their physical, social and emotional needs. The amount of support decreases as the baby grows and develops, and they become more able to meet their own needs and depend less on the adults around them. However, this is not the same for all children: some may require additional support from the adults around them for longer or more permanently, or at different times in their lives.

As a practitioner it can be challenging knowing when a child requires support, knowing when to intervene or not, or judging what is the ‘right’ amount of support to offer is.

This module is aimed at helping you to:

• increase your knowledge and build your confidence in identifying children who require additional support and respond appropriately
• understand your legal responsibilities in relation to the law regarding additional support for learning, which is the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004, often referred to as the ‘ASL Act’.

After completing the module, you should have achieved all of the following learning outcomes:

1. Identify the broad range of additional support needs (ASN) that children in early learning and childcare (ELC) may have.
2. Understand the value of inclusive practice, including the importance of celebrating the strengths and opportunities that children with ASN bring to a setting.
3. Explain the need for all staff, not just those with specialist training, to take responsibility to support children with ASN.
4. Be aware of the sources of support for ELC staff working with children who need additional support.
5. Identify the specialist and cross-professional support that is available to support children with complex ASN.
6. Understand legislative duties that support children with ASN.