Alison Brownfield

05/05/2010

Level 2 NVQ in Supporting Teaching and Learning L2

Unit 12 – Support a child with disabilities or special education needs
Task Sheet 2 – Supporting pupils with special needs
K5, K6, K8, K9, K10, K12

1. As a parent of a SEN (Special Education Needs) child with cerebral palsy

(appendix 1 definition of cerebral palsy) it would be understandable that the parents
may have feelings of guilt, failure or anger that they had been responsible for
their child being different to other children and requires Special Educational
Needs. These feelings can manifest into high stress levels, depression or lack
of tolerance and should be monitored by the parents G.P. It is important that a
parent doesn’t blame himself or herself, and they identify that their child has a
special need and is diagnosed accordingly. Once diagnosed only then can the
parents seek specialist help and support.

Having a child within the family with cerebral palsy (dependent of the severity
of the condition) can impact the family in a variety of different ways. If there
are other siblings within the family it is important that they receive quality
time with their parents and that sibling rivalry does not become an issue with
the child with cerebral palsy getting constant attention and care. A sibling
could suffer from behavioural issues if they thought that they would receive
attention by being naughty. Other people’s ignorance and fear of children with
special needs can lead to isolation of families, children and siblings and they,
may find that their children are left out of invitations and social events.

Day to day organisation of a family with a child with cerebral palsy can be
difficult. Dependent on the severity special transport might be required and the
family’s finances might not allow for this. If the parent’s are both working
before and after school care for a SEN child can be difficult to find,
appointments which need to be kept can become hard to manage with an
unsympathetic employer and again stress levels may be raised within the
family home.

It is important for parents with a SEN child with cerebral palsy to seek support
as a family and find ways on how to access this. Once diagnosed the G.P will
be able to confirm the extent of the child’s condition. Once this has been
ascertained then it can be determined the impact that this will have on the
family. Transportation, care and funding can be addressed through the local
Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and the G.P can assist with information from
the health authority in regards to home assistance, care and specialist
equipment.
Information on the local authority in regards to benefits and care assistance
can be gained through the CAB and the family can also find information on
local support groups through the CAB.

(Cont/)
 Alison Brownfield
05/05/2010
The Internet is an incredible tool in regards to local support groups, networks
and support groups for people and families suffering from SEN or disabilities.
If the family does not have a computer within the home then most local
libraries are not only a place for accessing books on a subject but have free
Internet access and printing facilities. Most staff within the libraries are happy
to assist with training on Internet use should this be required. By typing in the
search engine of yahoo 11 pages of support groups emerged.

If the child is of school age then the school itself will have communication
between the family of the child and the child’s teacher, head and the SENCo
member of staff. The communication between these staff members and parents
is invaluable for the child to be included within the school setting to the best
of everyone’s ability. If a child has been issued with a statement then the
parents will have been advised about the National Parent Partnership Network
(NPPN, www.parentpartnership.org.uk ).

The school nurse and the nurse within the G.P practice will have numbers for
local and national support groups and agencies which offer specialist care and
leisure breaks for children with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Knowledge Point K12 addressed above.

Points of reference used:-

www.direct.gov.uk
Yahoo search engine for support with cerebral palsy, parent partnership, SNAP
The Teaching Assistant’s Handbook, Louise Burnham
 Alison Brownfield
05/05/2010
2.
As a TA in a class it is important that there is a good working relationship between
you and the class teacher and that you are aware of the children within the class
setting, their individual characters and any special needs of the children within the
class setting. It is important that you have access to the background of these children,
their individual profiles and an understanding of their needs and IEP / IBP (individual
education plan / individual behaviour plan).

It is important that when employed as a class TA that you are aware of current
legislation in regards to inclusion of SEN children (The 2003 green paper ‘Every
Child Matters’) and the schools policy for Inclusion and Discrimination. The SEN
Code of Practice 2001 also enlightens parents and carers as to their rights for their
child to have access to mainstream education. Once this is known then it will form the
basis for SEN children within the school being included and given an equal
opportunity to learn the same as their peers. It is imperative that you are aware of
these polices and codes of practice so that when working with the class teacher the
integration of SEN children within the class can be included and tasks can be adapted
to include all children. Likewise it might be the children are differentiated and
grouped together for certain activities and learning scenarios. Benefits of this might
include such things as resources, which need to be shared, specialist teachers with
limited time, adaptation of activities and the class setting. K5

It is imperative that the class teacher and SENCo of the school makes the TA aware of
the SEN needs of each individual child so that the TA is aware of the range of
abilities for each child and can make differentiation of the class so that tasks can be
adapted accordingly and the correct resources sourced.

It might be that the TA will need training on the use of specialist equipment or
learning aids which are required for certain children. Children with physical
disabilities may require assistance for physical activities and it might be required that
you have training on lifting or that the child in question needs additional support in
achieving a better level of coordination. This information may come from the class
teacher or an outside practitioner such as a physiotherapist. Communication and
information sharing is a key factor between the class teacher and TA so that each
child has access to the same education, even if adapted from the main stream teaching
methods used for the other children within the class. K6

The class teacher will have a schedule and plan of the week, term and academic year.
This information should be communicated to the TA and a weekly meeting prior to
the start of each week should be had to decide what is to be taught, how it is to be
taught and if there are children with special education needs how the weekly schedule
will be adapted to include these children. If specialist equipment and resources are
required, are they available and if the child has a requirement for an LSA is this
available, timetabled into the LSA’s week and is the safety of the child guaranteed.
K8

(Cont/)
 Alison Brownfield
05/05/2010
As already mentioned every child has the right to the same education as the next child
and should not be discriminated against or excluded. Therefore the school should
make every conceivable effort to include every child to an equal education. It is the
school’s responsibility then to provide opportunities so that each child has access to
an education, which is diverse, and where possible excludes barriers to participation
and develops a positive approach to the inclusion of SEN children.

The syllabus for each year group should be evaluated and discussed so that resources
and adaptation of tasks can be made in advance. The school should promote a positive
and tolerant approach to children with SEN needs both within the school (with other
children) and outside communication to parents and carers. Other parents who may
not be understanding, or are ignorant to special needs and disabilities or fear them can
also be a factor to consider. This may lead to some parents feeling that their own child
who does not have special needs is not gaining the full attention of the class teacher /
TA. Resources for SEN children such as one to one support can also be barrier to
effective teaching of diverse needs within a class. K9
(appendix 2, diagram illustrating barriers to inclusion, as taken from The Teaching Assistant’s
Handbook, Louise Burnham)

It is important that you are aware of the level of expected development for the age
group and class that you are working with. The class teacher will be following the
Primary National Strategy, the strands for mathematics and literacy and in my case
the EYFS profile. Correct communication between the class teacher and TA may
identify any child within the class setting that you are concerned about and their
development or it might be that the child has come into the class with a recognised
SEN need.

In the case of children with SEN needs which have been recognised it therefore falls
to the class teacher and TA to adapt tasks accordingly and differentiate the class into
groups who are developmentally similar so that resources and specialist teaching help
can be utilised to the best of their ability in accomplishing set tasks. It is important
that a task is achievable, however it is actioned, so that the child in questions feels a
sense of accomplishment and positivity towards the learning process. If a child
consistently fails at something then they become despondent, negative and insular.
Encouragement and a positive attitude along with encouragement of independence are
also key factors, which must be taken into account when looking at the curriculum,
and tasks, which need to be actioned. K10

Points of reference used:-

The Teaching Assistant’s Handbook, Louise Burnham