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Special needs
Introduction
This is a general introduction to the area of children with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND). The most prominent words in the Wordle image – participation, making choices, taking control and the removal of barriers – are important considerations for supporting children with SEND and these concepts underpin this section.
Many teaching assistants are employed to support children with SEND as a one-to-one, or in a specialist support role. So you will be considering how to support children with SEND through their primary and secondary schooling. This section aims to develop your understanding of what SEND encompasses, what support there is for children with SEND, and what the challenges are for such children.
This subject has been divided into three topics:
- What does SEND mean? considers what we mean by the terminology and policy relating to SEND.
- Victimisation and bullying focuses on the support children might need if they come to school with a particular ‘diagnosis’ or label. What does legislation and policy tell us about how we should be supporting children, and what does policy look like in practice?
- Supporting a child with SEND focuses on the role of the teaching assistant in supporting children with SEND. However, no one is an expert in everything, so we also consider what you can do if you are feeling out of your depth.
A note about terminology:
The Children and Families Act 2014 clarified the scope of support from earlier legislation, which only referred to children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), to specifically include children and young people with disabilities by using the term SEND in policy documentation. However, this change in terminology is not reflected in pre-existing documentation and so, as you work through the material, you will come across the term SEN, as well as the term SEND.
Learning outcomes
By completing this section and the associated quiz, you will:
be able to identify strategies and resources that can support children with SEND to overcome challenges they may face in school
develop an awareness or understanding of current documentation and terminology associated with SEND.
1 What does SEND mean?
Terms such as dyslexia, autism, dyspraxia, Aspergers syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and English as an additional language (EAL) are in common use. However, what do we mean by them? How can we define a child with – for example – autism, or EAL? What can these children do, and what do they find difficult? What support will the children need in order to access the curriculum or other aspects of school provision?
1.1 Defining terms
The first activity gives you the opportunity to test your understanding of some of the terminology used when describing a child’s disability or condition. All the definitions are taken from The National Autistic Society (NAS) or the British Council websites.
Activity 1
Match the following terms with their correct definition.
Using the following two lists, match each numbered item with the correct letter.
Dyslexia
ADHD
Dyspraxia
Autism
EAL learner
Aspergers syndrome
a.A specific learning difficulty which mainly affects the development of literacy and language related skills (NAS)
b.An immaturity in the way the brain processes information resulting in problems of perception, language and thought (NAS)
c.A condition that makes a person inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive (NAS)
d.A person with this condition has difficulties with social communication, social interaction and social imagination (NAS)
e.Anyone who has been exposed to a language other than English during early childhood (British Council)
f.An overarching term used to refer to all conditions on the autism spectrum (NAS)
- 1 = a
- 2 = c
- 3 = b
- 4 = f
- 5 = e
- 6 = d
Terminology is often defined within government policy documents. In England the SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 (Department for Education (DfE), 2014a) defines special educational needs (SEN) as ‘learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for a child or young person to learn than most children and young people of the same age’ (British Dyslexia Association, nd). You may feel that this is a very loose definition, rather than a definition that helps with providing appropriate support for an individual child. This is a valid opinion, and one that both practitioners and parents/carers may share.
The SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 (DfE, 2014a), as a policy document relating to Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014, is written in such a way deliberately as it provides statutory guidance on duties, policies and procedures for children’s services, such as schools. The wording aims to include as many children with special educational needs or disability as possible who may need extra or different help from that given to other children.
The SEND guide for parents and carers (DfE, 2014b) makes a distinction between children having individual learning needs at different points in their education (for example, if a child’s first language is not English) and children needing extra support due to SEND.
The next part explains the four areas of special educational needs and the legal definition of ‘disability’.
Special educational needs (SEN)
Children and young people with SEN all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children and young people of the same age. These children and young people may need extra or different help from that given to others.
If your child’s first language is not English, does that mean they have a learning difficulty? The law says that children and young people do not have learning difficulties just because their first language is not English, although, of course, some of these children and young people may have learning difficulties as well.
Many children and young people will have SEN of some kind at some time during their education. Early years providers (for example, nurseries or childminders), mainstream schools, colleges and other organisations can help most children and young people succeed with some changes to their practice or additional support. But some children and young people will need extra help for some or all of their time in education and training.
Children and young people with SEN may need extra help because of a range of needs. Paragraphs 6.27 – 6.35 of the 0-25 SEND Code of Practice set out four areas of SEN:
Communicating and interacting – for example, where children and young people have speech, language and communication difficulties which make it difficult for them to make sense of language or to understand how to communicate effectively and appropriately with others
Cognition and learning – for example, where children and young people learn at a slower pace than others their age, have difficulty in understanding parts of the curriculum, have difficulties with organisation and memory skills, or have a specific difficulty affecting one particular part of their learning performance such as in literacy or numeracy
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties – for example, where children and young people have difficulty in managing their relationships with other people, are withdrawn, or if they behave in ways that may hinder their and other children’s learning, or that have an impact on their health and wellbeing
Sensory and/or physical needs – for example, children and young people with visual and/or hearing impairments, or a physical need that means they must have additional ongoing support and equipment
Some children and young people may have SEN that covers more than one of these areas.
Disabilities
Many children and young people who have SEN may also have a disability. A disability is described in law (the Equality Act 2010) as ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term (a year or more) and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ This includes, for example, sensory impairments such as those that affect sight and hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or epilepsy.
The Equality Act requires that early years providers, schools, colleges, other educational settings and local authorities:
- must not directly or indirectly discriminate against, harass or victimise disabled children and young people
- must make reasonable adjustments … including the provision of auxiliary aid services (for example, tactile signage or induction loops), so that disabled children and young people are not disadvantaged compared with other children and young people. This duty is what is known as ‘anticipatory’ – people also need to think in advance about what disabled children and young people might need
1.2 The SEN Information Report
The SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25 (DfE, 2014a) requires every school to publish a SEN Information Report on their website, and to keep the report up to date. This report provides an account of how that school implements the special educational needs policy – they have to explain what they actually do, not what they may aspire to.
You can find further information about the information required in the SEN report in the statutory guidance Section 6, paragraph 6.79 (DfE, 2015).
Activity 2
Locate the SEN Information Report for your school. If your school does not have a SEN Information Report because you are working outside England, locate your school’s policy for children with SEND. If you are not currently working as a teaching assistant, locate the SEN Information Report of a school in your neighbourhood.
Answer the following questions as you go through the report or policy:
- What SEN support does the school provide?
- What is the school’s approach to teaching and supporting children and young people with SEN?
- How are children and parents consulted about the child’s needs?
Comment
If you were not aware of some or all of the information before looking at this document, you might want to have a discussion with other support workers, or other staff members, to develop your knowledge and understanding of the SEN support offered across your school.
If you are not currently working as a teaching assistant, reflect on whether you would feel reassured by the support on offer if you were a parent of a child with SEND attending the school in your neighbourhood.
1.3 Inclusive practices
The principles underpinning the SEND Code of Practice (DfE, 2014a) are set out in Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014. These principles make it clear that children’s services, such as schools, must have regard to:
- the views, wishes and feelings of the child or young person, and the child’s parents
- the importance of the child or young person, and the child’s parents, participating as fully as possible in decisions, and being provided with the information and support necessary to enable participation in those decisions
- the need to support the child or young person, and the child’s parents, in order to facilitate the development of the child or young person and to help them achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, preparing them effectively for adulthood.
Putting these principles into practice for all children (and their parents) can be challenging. However, inclusion in relation to education is about increasing participation for all children and adults, and supporting schools to be responsive to diversity (Booth and Ainscow, 2011).
The Index for Inclusion (Booth and Ainscow, 2011) is a practical resource for self-evaluation and improvement, focusing on all aspects of inclusion. It is aimed at helping those working within a range of children’s services to find their own ‘next steps’ to increase the participation in play and learning of the children and young people they work with.
Activity 3
Part 1
We’d now like you to think about how inclusive your practice is. The links below are to questionnaires to help you do this. You can choose to do this activity either from the perspective of your own practice (Option 1) or from the perspective of your school’s practice (Option 2).
2 Victimisation and bullying
All children can come across issues that affect their social and emotional development, or academic development, at some point in their school career. This can be for all sorts of reasons. For example, very young children may find it hard to separate from their parent and settle into school life, or a child’s personality may impact on how easy (or not) they find it to make friends.
Children who are on the autistic spectrum may find it difficult to respond to social and verbal cues, and they may not understand what is appropriate in terms of social behaviour. Both these issues can influence how other children respond to a child with SEND, and vice versa.
In this topic we focus on bullying and victimisation as an issue that is often of particular relevance for children with SEND. Although children with SEND vary enormously, there are some common themes that may affect how well the child copes in school, and how likely it is they will become a victim of bullying.
Activity 4
List three challenges children with SEND might face in school and how these may impact on the child and affect their development, leading to bullying or victimisation. We have given one challenge to start you off.
Use the free response box to list the three challenges you identify and how each challenge might impact on the child and affect their development, leading to bullying or victimisation.
| Challenge or issue | How it might impact on the child and affect development, leading to bullying or victimisation |
|---|---|
| Does not display age-appropriate behaviour | Relationships. Other children may find it difficult to relate to the child with SEND. Child may have to be removed from the situation if their behaviour is disruptive. Child may be seen as immature by the other children and teased or ridiculed as a result. |
Comment
Evidence shows that children and young people with SEND are significantly more likely to be bullied or victimised than those who don’t have SEND (Anti-bullying Alliance, 2015a). Many children with SEND have difficulties communicating effectively with other children in their class; this in turn can impact on the formation of peer friendships, or working in small groups on a task. In addition, communication difficulties may mean the child struggles to understand what is being asked of them, or what the task is about, and this can frustrate other children and make them more likely to be negative towards the child with SEND.
For more information on issues that may result in bullying or victimisation have a look at the document Preventing bullying by the Anti-bullying Alliance, which can also be found in the further reading list at the end of this topic.
2.1 Dealing with difficult relationships
Friends become more important the older a child gets and play an important part in a child’s personal, social and emotional development. Friends can be used as sounding boards for young people to evaluate their likes and dislikes and test who they want to be. However, children with SEND tend to be less accepted by their peers. This rejection can become a source of stress for children and young people, particularly when it escalates into bullying or victimisation.
Bullying
What is bullying? The following definition is from the Department for Education (2011):
Bullying is behaviour by an individual or group, repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally.
The key words and phrases to note in this definition are:
- behaviour by an individual or group
- repeated
- intentionally hurts another individual or group
- physically
- emotionally.
Research suggests that children with SEND are particularly vulnerable to name-calling, ridicule and being ostracised or excluded. These can have a profound effect on a child’s self-esteem.
Activity 5
Using the five key words and phrases above, make notes on how Jax’s story fits the definition of bullying.
Case study: Jax, aged 14
‘I don’t know whether it has ever happened to you? It started when Justine came into our class. Justine said she wanted to be my friend. It was OK at first but then she and some of the other children in the class began laughing about things and I didn’t know what was funny. They had secrets they wouldn’t tell me. They started nicking my things and pretending I had lost them. I tried really hard to join in with them and do as they said, but then they’d go off without me.
They’d pretend to help me with my work, but then they’d scribble on it or laugh when I got it back with loads of corrections. They started sending me horrible text messages. They got everyone against me. I didn’t want to tell her – but my Mum found out when I told her because she found me crying in my room.
I wouldn’t go to school. Mum went to school and spoke to Miss Ratcliffe but she said they, the teachers, hadn’t seen anything and they couldn’t do anything about it. I got really down. My Mum went to school and got angry because I was missing so much school. They got everyone together and changed my form. They also gave me a mentor. Things are better now but I still don’t speak to Justine – she wasn’t really my friend.’
Comment
- Behaviour by an individual or group – the bully in Jax’s story was Justine.
- Repeated – the behaviours occurred on more than one occasion. Justine and others laughed at Jax, stole her things, spread rumours about her, sent nasty text messages and turned other people against her.
- Intentionally hurts another individual or group – Justine and the other children carried on with their actions even though they must have known they were hurtful.
- Physically – Justine and the other children stole things, which is a physical action. Jax refusing to go to school was a physical outcome that was caused by an emotion.
- Emotionally – Jax was very upset. She describes how her mum found her crying and how she didn’t want to tell her mum about what was happening at school.
It is clear that bullying can cause children and young people, including children and young people with SEND, a lot of stress and worry. For Jax there was a successful outcome. The school supported her by moving her to another class and by giving her a mentor to talk to.
Being bullied can lead to depression and suicidal thoughts or attempts in young people. Jax’s story is an example of bullying that many of us would see as typical; children and young people might refer to it as ‘ganging up’ against one another and often do not realise that there can be a serious outcome to such activity.
Cyberbullying
The growth in social networking sites and technologies such as mobile phones has led to a type of bullying known as ‘cyberbullying’. The use of the internet as a vehicle for bullying is now widely acknowledged and schools often include cyberbullying within their policies on bullying.
Activity 6
Watch this YouTube video, Let’s fight it together, in which a young person describes what it is like to be subjected to cyberbullying.
Transcript
[close up of Joe, a boy of about 14 in school uniform, sitting in what looks like a bedroom, talking to camera]
[cut to]
Joe walking down a street, puts in earphones
[cut to]
School canteen: A group of four girls and boys are sitting at a table – Joe joins them and shares his earphones with one girl (Girl A). The mood is happy.
[cut to]
Joe walking to classroom with other pupils.
[cut to]
Classroom: Teacher asks question and Joe answers correctly. Girl A from the previous scene who is sitting behind him pulls a mocking face.
[cut to]
Pupils leaving the school at the end of the day. Joe exits with Girl A behind him. She appears to say something hurtful to him and walks away. Joe looks sad and thoughtful, then walks on.
[cut to]
Joe approaches a group of friends including Girl A. She ignores him. He walks off. They look and laugh. Another girl hands Girl A a mobile phone. She begins to text.
[cut to]
School bus. Joe gets a text message ‘YOU LITTLE KISSASS!’. He looks worried.
[cut to]
Joe arriving home. Another text message alert is heard.
[cut to]
Inside Joe’s house. He greets his mother and behind his back deletes the text message.
[cut to]
Another school day – Joe looks through a window and can see his friends including Girl A. They beckon him over and take a picture of him on a phone camera.
[cut to]
Joe getting the school bus with other pupils.
[cut to]
A hand dialling a number on a payphone.
[cut to]
Joe answers his phone.
[cut to]
Several of Joe’s friends including Girl A shouting at him down the phone.
[cut to]
Joe walks away from the school bus.
[cut to]
Joe in his bedroom doing homework. He receives an email/instant message that says ‘HEY FREAK’. He answers ‘hu’s dat’. He receives the responses ‘YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE’ and ‘LOSER!’
Joe replies ‘is dat u Kim?’
He receives a reply, ‘TOMORROW YOU WILL FIND OUT. U GONNA GET KILLED. BETTER WATCH OUT TEACHERS PET‘.
Joe’s Mum knocks on the door. He quickly closes the screen. She looks concerned.
[cut to]
Another morning, Joe leaving for school. Another text alert. Joe reads the text, looking more and more concerned.
[cut to]
Joe sitting alone on school steps. A teacher sits next to him appearing to ask if he is ok. He nods his head. She gets up and leaves.
[cut to]
Montage of Joe walking down the street, in a school corridor, another street. Close ups of Joe getting more and more distressed.
[cut to]
Joe in his bedroom. He receives an email/instant message from an anonymous sender with a website link. He clicks it and it takes him to a web page called joeisaloser.co.uk. It shows a picture of Joe with a superimposed long tongue and a picture of the teacher from the classroom. We see hints that the website content is about Joe spending his time watching his teachers, playing computer games and that he has no friends. Joe stands up and goes and sits on his bed, head in hands.
[cut to]
Joe getting on the school bus, which is full of pupils laughing and pointing at him, chanting ‘loser’. He walks up the bus. One boy is not chanting and looks at Joe with a hint of empathy. Joe sits.
[cut to]
Joe’s bedroom. He switches on a video camera and speaks into it:
‘Well that’s it. I just can’t take it any more.’
[cut to]
Joe’s mum looking at the video footage on the camera. We hear Joe on the camera speaking: ‘I thought they were supposed to be my friends but they are all laughing at me. I’ve got to get them to take notice.’
[cut to]
Caption ‘Cyberbullying is bullying. It ruins lives.’
[cut to]
Classroom. The camera pans around the room but Joe is not there.
[cut to]
Joe’s mum walking up the path to the school.
[cut to]
Teacher noticing Joe’s mum.
[cut to]
An office, perhaps that of the head teacher. Joe’s mum and Joe sit opposite another person (perhaps the head teacher). Joe’s mum passes papers across the desk, which appear to be printouts of the emails/messages. The head teacher appears to ask Joe a question to which he nods.
[cut to]
Close up of one of Joe’s bullies in a classroom – she looks up and taps Girl A who is sitting next to her, on the hand. They look out of the window to see a police officer walking up the path to the school. Girl A looks worried.
[cut to]
Caption ‘Cyberbullying. Let’s fight it together.’
[cut to]
Joe leaving a classroom with the boy from the bus who didn’t chant. He looks happy.
[Fade]
[Fade up on logos for Department for Children, Schools and Families and Childnet International.]
As you watch, think about the following two questions and make a note of your responses:
1. What incident triggered the bullying of Joe?
2. What methods did Joe’s peers use to bully him?
Comment
- What seemed to trigger the bullying was Joe answering a question in class. Some of his friends/peers may have not understood the question and perhaps became jealous of him or the praise he received from the teacher.
- The bullies sent messages by text, phone and email. They also used a networking site to post unfavourable images.
Cyberbullying in its extreme has been linked to a number of suicides in young people. The UK is not exempt from this and the government has produced short films like the video above to generate awareness and understanding of the nature and outcomes of cyberbullying.
The Childline website is a resource for young people who are worried about themselves or someone else who is being bullied. It is also a useful resource for parents/carers and other adults working with children and young people. You might find it useful to make a note of this link for future reference.
If you are interested in exploring the issue of bullying of children with SEND, the Anti-bullying Alliance run free online training that you can work through at your own pace. Each topic will take you about half an hour to complete and you can select the topics you are interested in.
Further details for the free online training for professionals can be found on the Anti-bullying Alliance website. You will need to sign up to access the training, but this is free to do.
2.2 Optional readings and resources
If you have time and would like to explore this topic further, take a look at the resources below.
Anti-bullying Alliance (2015b) Preventing Bullying: A Guide for Teaching Assistants. SEN and Disability: Developing Effective Anti-bullying Practice
This guide is based on the views of children and young people, who receive support from teaching assistants, about bullying. It is designed to give teaching assistants advice on preventing bullying of disabled children and young people and those with special educational needs (SEN).
Anti-bullying Alliance (2014) Tackling Disablist Language-based Bullying in School: A Teacher’s Guidehttps://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/ tools-information/ schools-and-teachers
This guide addresses name-calling and derogatory language which is disabilist, examines disablism, its origins and how this is represented in the language, and discusses successful strategies, useful activities, case studies and resources. This document is useful for all teaching staff, including teaching assistants.
Contact a Family (2014) Dealing with Bullying. Available at https://www.youtube.com/ playlist?list=PLWq2B0oT01K2HjIiEKy9ArDb-2ohF5CXY.
A series of podcasts with practical advice and information for parents or carers of children with SEND who are experiencing bullying at school.
3 Supporting a child with SEND
In the previous topic you looked at relationships, with a specific focus on bullying. The primary role of a teaching assistant is to support children to access the curriculum, inside or outside the classroom. In order to do this effectively, a teaching assistant will engage holistically with a child. In order to support a child’s learning and development, it is important to support their social and emotional development. In addition, it is essential to help the child to develop their social skills and competencies, and communicate effectively using appropriate language.
It can be very easy to support a child in the ‘wrong’ way – a less than helpful way – without realising it. It is important, therefore, to know when to give support and when to stand back.
The following activity focuses on common ways of responding to children with SEND, and strategies that are often put in place to support a child with SEND.
Activity 7
Consider the potential positive or negative outcomes for the child of adopting a particular support strategy, or expectation. Then complete Table 2, which has been provided as a partially filled in Word document.
| Strategies and/or expectations on behaviours | Positive outcomes | Negative outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance – expecting children to be passive and do what the adult tells them to do | No need to negotiate with others in order to complete a task; learn expected norms of behaviour | Do not develop interpersonal skills relating to negotiation; no engagement with others’ viewpoints |
| Overprotection | Shyness and a lack of social competence can be made worse if not exposed to social situations | |
| Withdrawal from the classroom for additional support sessions | ||
| One-to-one support within the classroom | No need to actively seek help, which can alert peers to a child’s inabilities | |
| Differing expectations on behaviour for child with SEND and other children in the class | ||
| Any other strategy/expectation used in your setting |
Comment
Table 3 suggests some positive and negative outcomes for each strategy or expectation on behaviour. These are not the only possible outcomes though.
| Strategies and/or expectations on behaviours | Positive outcomes | Negative outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance – expecting children to be passive and do what the adult tells them to do | No need to negotiate with others in order to complete a task; learn expected norms of behaviour | Do not develop interpersonal skills relating to negotiation; no engagement with others’ viewpoints |
| Overprotection | Not exposed to situations they are unable to cope with or do not yet have the skills for | Shyness and a lack of social competence can be made worse if not exposed to social situations |
| Withdrawal from the classroom for additional support sessions | Gives the opportunity for the child to build their confidence | Do not develop interpersonal skills or engage with others’ viewpoints |
| One-to-one support within the classroom | No need to actively seek help, which can alert peers to a child’s inabilities | Potential to develop an over-reliance on support |
| Differing expectations on behaviour for child with SEND and other children in the class | Child is not put into a situation they are unable to cope with, such as sitting still for the same length of time as others for a story | Other children can become resentful |
| Any other strategy/expectation used in your setting |
Social support from friendships and peer relationships are very important, yet there are many factors that impact on this for disabled children and young people. These include:
- spending a lot of time with staff
- being isolated by being taught away from their peer group or having Learning Support Assistant support in class
- a lack of social opportunities (or support to access social opportunities) to promote and sustain friendships.
Other issues to think about are:
- Positive or negative outcomes can also depend on the child’s individual circumstances, their personality and so on.
- Factors, such as those identified by McLaughlin et al. (2012) can isolate disabled young people and make it more difficult for them to develop friendships and relationships with their peers (Anti-bullying Alliance, 2015b).
- Depending on the child’s disability or condition, they may find it difficult to know how to behave in social situations. One way children can be supported is to teach them how to behave.
- Social expectations or the proper way to respond when interacting with others are typically learned by example, but children with communication difficulties and/or behaviour problems sometimes need more explicit instructions.
3.1 Social stories
Social stories are used to support children on the autistic spectrum to develop appropriate knowledge and understanding to cope with daily social situations such as break times or taking turns. They allow the child to rehearse activities, understand social cues and gain an awareness of the social rules that exist in different situations.
A social story is a short, descriptive story, using simple language and – very often – illustrations. It aims to provide accurate information relating to social situations.
‘Social story tips and sample’ gives more information, which may inspire you to have a go at creating a story to share with the children you work with.
SOCIAL STORY TIPS AND SAMPLE
The following is an example of a social story explaining when it’s appropriate to run.
Running
I like to run. It is fun to go fast.
It’s okay to run when I am playing outside.
I can run when I am on the playground.
Sometimes I feel like running, but it is dangerous to run when I am inside.
Running inside could hurt me or other people.
When people are inside, they walk.
Walking inside is safe.
I will try to walk inside and only run when I am outside on the playground.
My teachers and parents like it when I remember to walk inside.
Writing a Social Story
Begin by observing the child in the situation you are addressing. Try to take on the child’s perspective and include aspects of his or her feelings or views in the story. Also, include usual occurrences in the social situation and the perspective of others along with considering possible variations.
There are three types of sentences used in writing social stories:
- Descriptive sentences: objectively define anticipated events where a situation occurs, who is involved, what they are doing and why. (e.g., When people are inside, they walk.)
- Perspective sentences: describe the internal status of the person or persons involved, their thoughts, feelings or moods. (e.g., Running inside could hurt me or other people.)
- Directive sentences: are individualised statements of desired responses stated in a positive manner. They may begin ‘I can try…’ or ‘I will work on…’ Try to avoid sentences starting with ‘do not’ or definitive statements. (e.g., I will try to walk inside.)
A social story should have 3 to 5 descriptive and perspective sentences for each directive sentence. Avoid using too many directive sentences. They will be lost without adequate contextualisation. Write in first person and on the child’s developmental skill level. Also remember to use pictures that fit within the child’s developmental skill level to supplement text.
Reference:
Broek, E., Cain, S.L., Dutkiewicz, M., Fleck, L., Grey, B., Grey, C., et al. (1994). The Original Social Story Book. Arlington, TX: Future Education. www.thegraycenter.org
3.2 Supporting children’s social and emotional development
The strategies teaching assistants use to support children with SEND can have a profound effect on the child’s social and emotional development. Therefore, it is important that teaching assistants have an understanding of the potential impact of their actions. Reflecting on your own practice and then discussing your thoughts and ideas with other colleagues is a good way to develop your awareness of what you do.
Activity 8
The link below will take you to a few questions that will help you reflect on the strategies you use when working directly with children with SEND in the classroom.
You may also be able to ask a colleague to observe you for a short while and give you some feedback on your performance. This may alert you to things you do unconsciously.
Comment
Giving a child with SEND a voice and getting their opinions on issues can help with not making assumptions about what the child likes or doesn’t like, and what they want. Also helping the child to build friendships and peer relationships, and providing them with social opportunities will help them develop independence for the future and a positive self-image.
The following ‘top tips’ from disabled young people illustrate what they see as important:
- ‘Dip in and out’: give us support when we need it but move away when we don’t.
- Encourage our independence. Make sure we have time with our peers wherever possible.
- Work with children and young people in small groups, rather than one-to-one, where possible.
- Let us signal when we need or want support, rather than being with us all of the time.
3.3 Being an advocate
The ‘top tips’ given in the feedback to the previous activity show how important it is for children to have a voice and be as independent as possible. However, some children with SEND need support. A teaching assistant can offer this support by acting as an advocate for the child.
What is advocacy?
Advocacy is a process of supporting and enabling people to:
- express their views
- access information and services
- find out about options and make decisions
- secure their rights.
As a teaching assistant you may act as an advocate for a child by representing the child’s interest and speaking out on their behalf. This can be at the level of letting the class teacher know how a child is feeling about a particular teaching strategy if the child is not able to tell the teacher themselves: ‘Elisha is finding it difficult to… / is unhappy about…’
With the greater focus on children’s rights, children can be encouraged to self-advocate and speak up for themselves and state their own needs.
3.4 Effective support – how can you help?
A key role for a teaching assistant working with children with SEND is to make the curriculum accessible for the child. This can include thinking about how you can:
- make the abstract curriculum more real to the child by linking it to their everyday experiences
- use a range of teaching styles, and considering a child’s learning style
- provide opportunities to talk about the task
- scaffold the child’s learning by providing a challenge that is just beyond what the child can easily do by themselves, and then giving prompts, asking questions or modelling the steps involved in the task
- use visuals
- use other strategies.
In addition, it may take a child some time to understand a particular topic, or a particular child may not understand the way the teacher is explaining something due to the child’s particular learning disability. This can create challenges for you as the teaching assistant in finding different ways to explain or support a child.
As a teaching assistant it can be helpful to build up a bank of ideas that you can draw on to support different children, on a range of learning tasks. Many of the strategies used to support children are universal in that they relate to general principles of support.
The following activity introduces you to one website with a range of ideas to adapt.
Activity 9
Visit the British Council EAL Nexus: Effective Teaching of EAL Learners web page.
Read the summary list of some of the key features of EAL pedagogy. Choose one feature – for example, ‘make the abstract curriculum more concrete’ – and click on the link to the Great Ideas page.
When you have read the ideas, jot down how, in a teaching assistant role, you could use one or more of these ideas with children with SEND.
Comment
Hopefully you learned some new strategies to support you in your role.
3.5 Support services and other professionals
As a teaching assistant you are not alone in supporting children with SEND. There is a wide range of services and professionals also involved in this process. You may, or may not, have a direct working relationship, or contact with these, but it is useful to know who they are.
Activity 10
Jot down your answers to the following questions:
- What services or professionals come into schools to work with SEND children?
- What do you know about the service or the professional’s role?
- How could you find out more information?
Comment
The SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) in your setting is a good starting place if you are unsure of what is on offer in your setting. The internet is also a useful source of information, although you need to take care that you are accessing a reliable source, such as a national organisation website, or government site.
If you’d like to find out more, we suggest reading the resource document, Some of the services and professionals involved in supporting children with SEND.
3.6 Optional readings and resources
DfE (2011) Developing Quality Tuition: Effective Practice in Schools
This document provides useful information on how to provide quality provision for pupils learning English as an additional language.
DfE (2014) SEND Code of Practice: 0 – 25
This document provides details of the legal requirements in relation to children and young people with SEND.
The Families and Childcare Trust is an organisation focused on campaigning, carrying out research and giving out information to governments, employers and parents. It contains a wealth of information on its website.
Some of the services and professionals involved in supporting children with SEND
The National Autistic Society (NAS)
A UK charity providing information and support. It also campaigns for people on the autistic spectrum.
A UK charity focused on improving the emotional well-being and mental health of children and young people. Their website provides a wide range of information and resources for children and young people, parents and professionals.
What you have learned in this section
- Terminology in common use in schools and services for children and young people for describing a child’s disability or condition. You considered what defines children with SEND, what policy says about how children with SEND should be supported, and reflected on the inclusivity of your practice.
- To identify some of the issues for children with SEND in respect of their social and emotional development and how they manage relationships. Through Jax’s and Joe’s stories you were challenged to think about victimisation and bullying in the real (non-digital) world, and in the online environment.
- Some of the helpful and potentially unhelpful ways to support children with SEND. You were introduced to strategies such as social stories and being an advocate. Reflection on common support strategies used in the classroom was encouraged.
- Where to find additional resources. Special needs is a vast topic and so this section signposted to websites and resources that you can use as and when you have the need.
All children are individuals and this section has only scratched the surface in relation to supporting children with SEND. However, we hope that it has raised your awareness of issues, and introduced you to some ideas and practices that may be new to you. The further reading and resources are there for you to use to further your knowledge, so do dip into them when you have the time or the need to do so.
Section 4 quiz
Well done, you have now reached the end of Section 4 of Supporting children’s development, and it is time to attempt the assessment questions. This is designed to be a fun activity to help consolidate your learning.
There are only five questions, and if you get at least four correct answers you will be able to download your badge for the ‘Special needs’ section (plus you get more than one try!).
- I would like to try the Section 4 quiz to get my badge.
If you are studying this course using one of the alternative formats, please note that you will need to go online to take this quiz.
I’ve finished this section. What next?
You can now choose to move on to Section 5, Professional development plan, or to one of the other sections so you can continue collecting your badges.
If you feel that you’ve now got what you need from the course and don’t wish to attempt the quiz or continue collecting your badges, please visit the Taking my learning further section. There you can reflect on what you have learned and find suggestions of further learning opportunities.
We would love to know what you thought of the course and how you plan to use what you have learned. Your feedback is anonymous and will help us to improve our offer.
- Take our Open University end-of-course survey.
References
Acknowledgements
This free course was written by Isobel Shelton and Sue McKeogh (staff tutors at The Open University). Contributions were made by Katie Harrison (teacher and member of the ATL Union).
Except for third party materials and otherwise stated (see terms and conditions), this content is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 Licence.
The material acknowledged below is Proprietary and used under licence (not subject to Creative Commons Licence). Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following sources for permission to reproduce material in this free course:
Every effort has been made to contact copyright owners. If any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.
Figures
Figure 1: © The Open University
Figure 2: Credit: Christopher Futcher/iStockphoto.com (models for illustrative purposes only)
Figure 3: Fuse/Getty Images (model for illustrative purposes only)
Video
Activity 6
Transcript from video, Let’s fight it together, Childnet http://www.childnet.com/