When might a child need additional support?

A child may need additional support for learning for a short period of time. For example, a child who has hearing difficulties because of glue ear may require fluctuating support depending on the level of hearing impairment. Another child might need equipment to support their mobility on an ongoing basis.

The list below is from the Scottish Government’s Supporting Children’s Learning guidance (2017). Children who require additional support may include those who:

  • have motor or sensory impairments
  • have low birth weight
  • are being bullied
  • are children of parents in the Armed Forces
  • are particularly able or talented
  • have experienced a bereavement
  • are affected by imprisonment of a family member
  • are interrupted learners
  • have a learning disability
  • have barriers to learning as a result of a health need, such as foetal alcohol spectrum disorder
  • are looked after by a local authority or who have been adopted
  • have a learning difficulty, such as dyslexia
  • are living with parents who are abusing substances
  • are living with parents who have mental health problems
  • have English as an additional language
  • are not attending their early years setting or school regularly
  • have emotional or social difficulties
  • are on the child protection register
  • are refugees
  • are young carers.

Each child is unique and will cope differently with issues in their lives. As discussed in Section 1.3, it is important not to make assumptions. It is part of the responsibility as a practitioner to know the children and to be able to identify their emotions and be able to interpret the meaning. For example, a deaf child may appear angry when they are expressing frustration due to miscommunication.

Activity 1.2  Circumstances that may mean a child has ASN

Timing: Allow 10 minutes

Looking at the list above, can you think of examples of other circumstances that may result in children requiring additional support? You might want to think of some examples you have come across in your early years setting. Think about issues that might affect children aged under five and note them down here.

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Discussion

You have might considered experiences such as:

  • living with a chronic (ongoing health conditions, such as asthma)
  • the arrival of a new sibling
  • a house move
  • becoming adopted after having been looked after
  • being homeless
  • difficulty with using a toilet
  • being on the autistic spectrum
  • living in poverty.

These different situations highlight that ASN are not only related to disability or a condition, but the need for additional support can be related to the background events in children’s lives.

Given that young children’s experience of play and community at your setting will be unique, it might not always be obvious that you are providing additional support. You may already be doing it. You may need to gain additional training or knowledge, or you may need help from other professionals to provide that support.

The next section looks at how inclusive your early years setting is for children and families.

Providing additional support

1.3  Creating an inclusive environment