Other SEN

How can the tutors support children with Other Special Educational Needs?

The label ‘Special Educational Needs’ encompasses a wide range of conditions which affect how a young person is able to participate in the education system. However, there are also certain subtle aspects of a child’s development which can affect their ability to learn, as well as a few less-common conditions – all of which contribute to their profile of special needs.

Problems with Executive Function

‘Executive function’ is a term describing a set of cognitive skills that enable people to plan their time, organise their workload and exercise self-control. They also help people to focus, remember instructions and undertake several activities at once. Unsurprisingly, this know-how is a crucial component of everyday life as well as studying and passing exams.

Problems with executive function are often an integral part of certain SEN conditions, most notably ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). You can spot these difficulties very clearly in a child who can’t sit still and calls out in class or who can’t finish a piece of work. However, a child who appears quiet and co-operative may just as easily have trouble with these things though their struggles may be more internal. Impaired executive skills can also feature in autism, dyslexia or dyspraxia.

Medication or cognitive behavioural therapy can help some youngsters to focus and cope with schoolwork. However, difficulty with executive function is likely to persist for life.

Hypermobility

People with hypermobility have joints with a wider range of movement than other people of the same age. Although it might not sound like much of a problem, it can lead to pain, tiredness and injury in some people though others – dancers, for example – may find it advantageous. Hypermobility is more common in children and adolescents, and Afro-Caribbean and Asian people, and often improves with age.

In some cases, however, hypermobility is a symptom of a more serious health disorder. There are a number of these conditions, each of which has its own features. Ehlers-Danlos, for example, is a group of syndromes affecting collagen (a component of stretchy tissue) in different parts of the body such as blood vessels, skin, eyes, joints or even gums. Stickler syndrome affects a person’s facial features plus their sight and hearing.

Hypermobility syndromes often occur alongside autism. As you might expect, they can make it difficult for children to participate in PE lessons at school unless the teacher has specialist knowledge.

Trauma

A traumatic event is one that is so distressing to an individual that it has a lasting effect on their mental, emotional or physical health. Trauma can be caused by many things – from witnessing war or a natural disaster to suffering abuse or discrimination or the death of a family member.

The UK Trauma Council estimates that more than one in three people have been exposed to at least one traumatic event by the time they reach eighteen. Witnessing trauma, they say, can affect how a young person’s brain develops, with the risk that they will develop mental health issues in later life or have problems forming relationships. Each child will face their own, unique challenges and ways of coping.

Unsurprisingly, children who have experienced trauma need to be treated with sensitivity and understanding. It helps if teaching staff are aware of the youngster’s history and are experienced in working with children with emotional and mental health issues.

Down’s Syndrome

Down’s syndrome is a genetic disorder, caused by an extra chromosome, which can occur in people of any race, gender or socio-economic background. It’s an intellectual disability which affects someone’s mental and emotional functions though, as it exists on a spectrum, people who have the condition will each have varying degrees of difficulty.

In addition, it often co-exists with physical issues such as gross motor delay, cardiac problems, blood disorders or auditory or visual impairment. People with Down’s sometimes have a diagnosis of autism as well, often displaying the liking for routine and hyperactivity that come as part of ASD.

Youngsters with the condition generally attend mainstream or special schools but all will require specialised help in order to access education.

Useful contacts

• ADHD UK
  ADHD UK provides information, support, and advocacy for people with ADHD, helping to raise awareness and improve understanding of the condition. Visit them here.
• Hypermobility Syndromes Association
  Hypermobility Syndromes Association supports people with hypermobility syndromes by providing information, advice, resources, and community support to help manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Visit them here.
• UK Trauma Council
  The UK Trauma Council provides guidance, training, and resources to help professionals understand and respond to childhood trauma Visit them here.
• Down’s Syndrome Association
  Down's Syndrome Association supports people with Down’s syndrome and their families by providing information, advocacy, training, and resources to promote inclusion and independence. Visit them here.