Physical Needs
‘Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time. Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or habilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties. Information on how to provide services for deafblind children and young people is available through the Social Care for Deafblind Children and Adults guidance published by the Department of Health (see the References section under Chapter 6 for a link). Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.’ Code of Practice, 6.34 and 6.35.
Physical Needs – SEN support
| What can help?(Strategies and provision) | |
| Physical access to the school | To include Universal support plus: For CYP with physical needs that requires SEN Support, an EHA referralshould be made to the PIMS Team for further advice and support. Information can be found on the SSE Website. Attend training: PDnet -Supporting Learners with Physical Disability, Level 2 |
| Toileting and self-care | To include Universal support plus: For CYP with physical needs that requires SEN Support, an EHA referral should be made to the PIMS Team for further advice and support. Information can be found on the SSE Website. Referral to the SPOT Occupational Therapy team via Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224 to be made if further advice and support needed for positioning on the toilet. Further information: SPOT Occupational Therapy Service Consider a referral to the continence team or school nurse. School Nurses cover Level 1 continence i.e. Primary Night-time wetting, Bladder and Bowel team cover most other aspects relating to school. For further information see the continence team information on the local offer website. The Children’s Bowel and Charity is the UK’s leading charity supporting all children and teenagers with a bowel or bladder problem
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| Sitting and seating | To include Universal support plus: Referral to the SPOT Occupational Therapy team via Somerset Direct on 0300 123 2224 to be made if further advice and support needed. For further information:SPOT Occupational Therapy Service Follow professional advice for reasonable adaptations and commercially available equipment. Consider referral to Physiotherapy in CYPTS if strategies have not supported progress. Further information and referral criteriacan be found on the service website. |
| Handwriting and fine motor skills | To include Universal support plus:
Referral to SENATAS Development of Touch Typing skills using programmes such as https://www.doorwayonline.org.uk/typing or BBC dancemat Touch Typing https://englishtype.com/junior-type/
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| Coordination and mobility | To include Universal support plus: Regular programme of motor coordination activities individually or in small groups such as:
This will require a referral to the SPOT OT team plus prior attendance at the generic Moving and Handling Training course. Consider a referral CYPTS OT and Physiotherapy should further advice and support be needed. More information and referral criteria can be found on their website. |
Sensory and Physical: Physical Needs – Quick guide
| There are concerns about the child or young person’s: | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Physical skills/needs are affecting their learning and/or access to the curriculum. | |
| Physical skills/needs effect their stamina and endurance levels impacting on quantity and quality of work achieved (such as fatigue). | |
| Physical skills/needs affecting their ability to access the school site/facilities. | |
| Physical skills/needs requiring them to have assistance with personal care/moving and handling. | |
| Physical skills/needs requiring additional support/equipment to evacuate the building safely in the case of an emergency. | |
| Physical skills/needs impacting on their ability to complete activities of daily living such as toileting, dressing, use of cutlery, use of scissors, writing etc. |
Sensory and Physical: Visual Impairment – Quick guide
| There are concerns which may be related to vision loss about the child or young person’s: | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Holding printed resources and/or objects very closely or at an unusual angle. | |
| Failing to respond to non-verbal instructions. | |
| Losing their place when reading, skipping lines and struggling to find text on a page. | |
| Having difficulty accessing, or not paying attention to board work. | |
| Struggling in P.E., especially demonstrating poor spatial awareness. | |
| Appearing isolated in the playground. | |
| Having difficulty interpreting facial expressions, social cues and can get too close. | |
| Being withdrawn or demonstrating behavioural issues. | |
| Tripping over, or having difficulty with steps/stairs/uneven ground. | |
| Has difficulty orientating in an unfamiliar environment. |
Sensory and Physical: Hearing Impairment (Hearing Loss) – Quick guide
| There are concerns which may be related to hearing impairment about the child or young person’s: | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| Having noticeable delays or gaps in attention and listening, play, communication and understanding spoken interaction. | |
| Showing some of the following: poor speech intelligibility, difficulty with recognising and responding to phonics, limited vocabulary both receptive and expressive, and immature grammatical structures in spoken language. | |
| Being distractible in class, having poor listening skills in a busy environment, and asking you to repeat often. | |
| Having low levels of confidence. | |
| Voice varies considerably, which may be due to group size, distance from board/teacher, reverberant rooms or poor light levels. | |
| Being dependent on visual cues from their teacher or peers. | |
| Having difficulty in responding to questions, instructions, starting work after teacher input or discussion, recalling information, social and academic interaction with peers. |