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?
Figure 2 Which of these children has a special educational need or disability?
Show description|Hide descriptionPhotograph of a group of five children. Each child has a speech bubble with one word or term and a question mark, by their heads. Back left of the photograph a girl with blond hair is smiling. A speech bubble by her head says ‘EAL?’ To the right of this girl is a girl with dark hair, smiling. A speech bubble coming from her says ‘Dyspraxic?’ In front of these two children, to the left is a boy with short dark hair and a blue shirt. He is smiling and has a speech bubble saying ‘Aspergers syndrome?’ Next to this boy, in the middle of the bottom row, is a boy with curly dark hair and a red shirt. His speech bubble says ‘Autistic?’ To the far right of the photograph is a girl with long hair and a green t-shrt. She also is smiling and has a speech bubble saying ‘Dyslexic?’
