Final Exam

Final Examination

In your own words summarise the major learning points from the whole study programme with particular reference to:

Child and young person’s development
Support of disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements
Support children and young people to achieve their learning potential
Working with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs

With reference to your own learning summarise how you will be able to utilise these theories when working in everyday situation.

Children and young person’s development

“All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” Albert Einstein.

All children are different and develop at their own pace. The rate of development varies in children even though the pattern in which they will develop will be the same; the areas of development are:

Physical
Social and emotional
Intellectual
Language

Physical development

Physical development from birth to three years is a rapid process. A child by the age of six months is able to move their head when hearing sound and movement and able to reach for their feet when lying on their back. They try and grasp objects, when given a rattle they hold and shake it. From six months onwards a child learns to sit up using support until they can manage without any support and eventually learning to crawl or shuffling on their bottoms. They are able to rollover from their tummies on to their backs and vice versa. They start to hold on to furniture learning how to walk along or by using the aid of a baby walker, up until they gain the confidence to walk alone. Their hand and eye coordination improves as they learn to pass an object from one hand to another, and begin to show preference for one hand. They learn to play with bricks. Firstly banging them together, to then being able to build towers, eventually building larger towers.

By the age of two children will have learnt how to sit, walk, feed themselves and they will have moved from eating soft mashed food to eating solids, as sign of their teeth will be clearly visible. They will have learnt to kick and throw a ball. They will be able to grasp a pencil to make scribble on paper.

From three to seven a child is more independent. Learning how to jump, climb, catch and walk up and down stairs confidently. They learn to pedal and eventually ride a bike without support. Using their fine motor skills to hold and use a pair of scissors, able to gain control of a pencil. Increasing in their writing skill, they can also fasten and undo buttons and shoe laces.

From the age seven to twelve years a child will progress in running, jumping skipping and enjoying playing games as a team, even though they may misjudge their ability until the age of nine.

Between twelve and nineteen a child goes from childhood into adulthood. This is referred to the adolescences stage. This starts from the age of 11 up until the age of 19 or 20. It’s the stage that teenagers learn to detach from their parents and become more independent. Every child rate of growth is different.

Boys normally begin adolescence around the age of 14 year, which is later than girls, even though by the end they are usually bigger than girls. They will develop body hair as their body shape changes, their muscles begin to grow, increasing their strength. Their voice will change and become deeper. In the early stages to mid stages of puberty testicles and scrotum will begin to grow. Penis growth starts later but continues for longer.

Girl’s breasts start to swell from around the age of 10. They will also develop hair in the pubic region that will become dark and curly. Their body shape will change. Some girls may be physically mature by the age of 13. This is dependent on the age at which she begins puberty, which varies, ranging from 8 until late teens. The average age for girls of menstruation is around 13.

Social and emotional development

From birth to about one year old a child mainly communicates through facial expressions such as smiling at familiar faces. A child of this is very dependant and requires comfort from an adult. They recognise familiar faces and get distressed when separated from a parent. They enjoy interacting and playing games such as peek-a-boo and they gradually develop a sense of identity and want to do things for themselves. They easily get jealous when attention is not given to them and try to please adults. Temper tantrums start when not being given what they want or not wanting to share toys.

From three to four years a child is more self-motivated and is able to cope with unfamiliar settings and adults. They know how to share, becoming considerate and caring of other feelings. They enjoy playing with other children. Between four and seven a child is able to make friends but still finds it difficult to take turns and needs help resolving problems. By this age a child should have a stable environment and routine, they need to have limits set.

By the age of seven a child becomes less dependent, starting to enjoy playing with other children. They become aware of their gender and develop understanding between right and wrong. By the age of eight they develop close friendships and enjoy playing with the same sex. By twelve they can start to show arrogance and bossiness and are uncertain sometimes.

By the time a child reaches the teenage years they are very self-conscious. As their body shape is changing and odours may occur, acne may develop due to oily skin. They begin to follow peer groups in the way they dress; having labelled clothing, collecting the same things, playing the same games. They turn to their friend and not to their parents for approval. They begin to question certain aspects of life, such as parental and community values and beliefs.

Intellectual development

A child between the ages of birth to three is more confident but still needs an adults support. They enjoy copying others and trying out different ways of behaviour in play. They realise that others are spate people from themselves.

From three to four a child learns to understand two or three simple tasks, that they are given to do such as pick up the toys put them in back in the box and put the box where it belongs. They begin to realise the difference between objects, size and type and are able to group these together.

From five to seven they learn to understand that there are differences and sameness in various aspects in life and that differences can co exist side by side and are able look at things from different perspectives.

By the age of seven, children are able to read to themselves and will take a lively interest in certain subject by the age of nine.

During the adolescence stage the mind is maturing as young people begin to develop a sense of responsibility for their thoughts, words and actions. They begin to plan their future and what line of work they want to be in? Do I want to get married and have children? They gain the ability to make a link between different pieces of knowledge, and the ability to make links of these with the world from their perspective. This stage depends on the guidance given to young people in respects to helping the brain. A young person learns to take the responsibility for his or her own fiancés, accommodation, employment and personal relationships. This reaches completion as the responsibility from parent transfers to the young person.

Language development

From the early stages in life a child is able to make a lot different sounds. They begin to babble. Laughing and squealing when they are happy and cry to show emotion. They respond to music and sounds. They try to imitate a parent’s face, especially the mouth.

Between one and two years a child learns to use single words to joining them up to make phrases. They begin to understand parents and try and copy them. By the age of two a child’s vocabulary can be anything from 30 to 150 words. By the time they are three a child can use words to form a sentence and begin to ask questions. They are able to memorise rhymes and songs and are able to join in and are able to scribble on paper.

From three to four a child starts to use past tense and is able to use a different pitch or tone of voice. Their vocabulary extends between 1000 to 1500 word.

From five upwards their questions become more complex as they use language to communicate their ideas. The pencil control improves. As they copy shapes and letters. By the age of seven they are able to speak fluently and make up stories. They begin to understand letters and link them to sounds.

A child of twelve years is able to describe complicated scenarios. They need help in tackling complex spellings and learning the different tense of grammar. They are able read out aloud.

From twelve on to nineteen years a young person begins to use sarcasm, joking and mockery as it is new and sophisticated language for them. They are maturing and enjoy using their thought to debate whether it is formal or informal.

Having become fully aware the theories of children and young person’s development, I have learned that all children develop at different rates. However they all develop in the same sequence, i.e. they could not learn to run without first learning to walk. Knowing the sequence and understanding development I can now confidently notice where a child or young person may be having difficulties, this in turn could indicate a disability, and with early intervention will help them to progress to next development stage.

With the child that I am working, 1 to 1, with has issues with letter formation. Given my new awareness, of development, I was able to recognise this as an issue with fine motor skills. In order to help him develop these have chosen an area he enjoys, drawing and art, as this will enable him to progress in this are in a fun way, so he can use his improved fine motor skills in his letter formation.

“It is with children that we have the best chance of studying the development of logical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth.” Jean Piaget.

Support of disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements

“Know me for my abilities, not my disability.” Robert M Hensel.

By adjusting the environment to suit the needs of the child, or young person, and if appropriate resources and facilities that are provided, it allows the child to be confident. Those who are working with the children should focus on what the child can do, and not on what they can’t do. If there was a child in school that had a hearing impairment we could provide visual aids or a member of staff who was trained using the Makaton, this would enable them to feel positive and confident about making progress.

Social Model, Medical Model and the Biopsychosocial Model of disability

The social model of disability looks at ways to address issues to enable people to achieve their potential, by looking at ways to adapt the environment so the child can feel included this is very important. The social model has been constructed by disabled people and by listening to what disabled people want and to remove any barriers, which may be in their way. By removing barriers and adapting the environment you are allowing children and young people chances to achieve and learn which promotes confidence and self-esteem.

Under the Medical Model, disabled people are defined by their illness or medical condition. The Medical Model regards disability as an individual problem. It promotes the view of a disabled person as dependent and needing to be cured or cared for, and justifies the way in which disabled people have been systematically excluded from society. The disabled person is the problem, not society. Control resides firmly with professionals; choices for the individual are limited to the options provided and approved by the 'helping' expert.

The Biopsychosocial Model of disability focuses on functioning at the level of the whole person in a social context. The person is more or less disabled based on the intersection between themselves and the many types of environments within which they interact. The new definition emphasizes function over diagnosis and establishes equity between physical and mental types of functional limitation. The who ‘mainstreams’ the experience of disability as an ordinary part of experience for all people.

To aid and guide us in the support of disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements, there are legislations and guidelines such as:

The Children’s Act 1989 - The Children Act 1989 recognised that the welfare of the child is paramount and set out an overarching system for safeguarding children and the roles different agencies play. It introduced the concept of parental responsibility rather than parental rights. A key principle is that Local Authorities have a duty to provide services for children and their families and all children and young people should have access to the same range of services. The act is important because it stresses the importance of putting the child first.

The Children’s Act 2004 - Lord Lemmings report, on the death of Victoria Climbié in February 2000, brought into force The Children’s Act 2004 which requires all local authorities across England and Wales to set up a local safeguarding children board. This states that each area should promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people. An assessment is carried out annually to make sure all agencies are working to promote safeguarding and welfare of children. EVERY CHILD MATTERS.

The Education Act 2002 - This act sets out the responsibilities of the Local Educational Authorities (LEAs), governing bodies, head teachers and for others working in the schools to make sure the children and young people are safe and away from harm.

The Equality Act 2010 - The Equality Act 2010 was brought in to replace previous anti-discriminatory laws, to remove any inconsistencies and to make the law simpler and easier to understand. It identifies nine ‘protected characteristics’.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SENDA) Act 2001 - This establishes legal rights for disabled students and those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in pre- and post-16 education. The Act introduces the right for those students not to be discriminated against in education, training and any services provided wholly or mainly for students, and for those enrolled on courses provided by ‘responsible bodies’, including further and higher education institutions and sixth form colleges.

United Nations (UN) Convention on Rights of a Child 1989 - The Convention says that every child has; the right to a childhood, the right to be educated, the right to be healthy, the right to be treated fairly and the right to be heard.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 - Health and safety legalisation places overall responsibility for health and safety with the employer. However, as an employee working within a school, you also have responsibilities with regard to maintaining health and safety.

Safeguarding Children - All education professionals who work with children, young people and families should be able to; Understand risk factors and recognise children and young people in need of support and/or safeguarding, recognise the needs of parents who may need extra help in bringing up their children, and know where to signpost those to access support appropriate for them, assess the needs of children and the capacity of parents/carers to meet their children’s needs, ensure that children who have been abused or neglected and parents under stress have access to services to support them and as part of generally safeguarding children and young people, provide ongoing promotional and preventative support, through proactive work with children, families and expectant parents.

SEN Code of Practice - The SEN Code of Practice provides practical advice to LEAs, maintained schools, early education settings and others on carrying out their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational needs.

Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012 - The Practice Guidance for the EYFS uses four principles these are; a unique child, every child is a competent learner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. Positive Relationships, children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or a key person. Enabling Environments, the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning. Learning and Development, Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates and all areas of Learning and Development are equally important and inter-connected.

We should not think of children as special needs, but think of them as children with specific or additional needs. In my setting we aim to give all children the same opportunities and children are not singled out because they have different needs, for example; I work 1:1 support for a child we don’t remove him from his peers, he still works in his group but gets extra support. Low expectations about the potential of a disabled child or being over protective can limit what they achieve. It’s important that we have positive attitudes about what requirements we provide so children can have opportunities for making developmental progress.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that its stupid”, Albert Einstein.

Support children and young people to achieve their learning potential

“We know what we are, but know not what we may be”, William Shakespear.

All children and young people with a learning disability (LD) have the same rights as any other child or young person; this includes the right to an education and the ability to achieve their full potential. If a child needs help at school, beyond what their teachers can provide, a ‘statement of special needs’ (‘Statement’ for short) will ensure they get the right help. A statement is only necessary if the school is unable to meet a child's needs on its own.

If a Statement is made, it will be in six parts. These are:

Section 1 - Introduction giving details of the child's name, parents etc.
Section 2 - The child's Special Educational Needs. A full description of the child's strengths and weaknesses and any test scores. It should start with a general overview and then go on to specifics. It should reflect the finding of all the reports, especially the Educational Psychologists. It is extremely important that all the child's difficulties are noted in this section, as it informs the provision set out in the next section.
Section 3 - Special Educational Provision, this is the legal part of the Statement. The Provision should, legally, be quantified and specified. This means how much support should be given by and by whom, including the qualification of the teacher etc. There should be no woolly words, such as opportunity to or even help to, access to or a programme for literacy without giving specifics. It is important to state what, when, how often and by whom.
Section 4 - Placement and other arrangements, such as a specialist dyslexic school.
Sections 5 & 6 - Are concerned with non-educational needs and provision that fall into the health rather than educational orbit, such as speech and language and occupational therapy.

The child or young person should, where possible, participate in all the decision-making processes in education including the setting of learning targets and contributing to their Individual Education Plan (IEP). An IEP pinpoints areas where a child with learning disabilities is experiencing difficulties. It contains targets designed to help the children who require extra support. IEPs are only used where a child needs something extra or different from others in the class.

Often targets will be set to cover not only a variety of objectives but different situations too, including working with and without support, in and out of class. A successful IEP should be;

Easy to understand
Simple to use
A working document
Carefully monitored
Regularly reviewed

In developing an IEP to support a child I would use the following planning sequence to ensure that optimum learning potential can be reached;

Step 1 Understanding the student.
Step 2 Set goals.
Step 3 Develop the plan.
Step 4 Implement the plan.
Step 5 Monitor and evaluate the plan.

Targets should be SMART, that is, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. The end goal should; Lead to the child’s inclusion in all school activities, be individualised in terms of the child’s needs (both short-term and long-term), be based on the child’s strengths. The IEP should outline who will help, where and how in the classroom, in a small group or in a one-to-one setting, for instance.

To reach targets in the IEP we must tailor it to their unique learning styles. Is the child a visual learner, an auditory learner, or a kinaesthetic learner?

Children with learning disabilities must be assured that they are not dumb or lazy. They are intelligent people who have trouble learning because their minds process words or information differently. Focus on the child's talents and strengths.

“Change your thoughts and you change your world”, Norman Vincent Peale.

As well as I there will be both internal and external professionals to assist in the support of the child or young person, each with their own role, these include;

School governors - They will make changes to school policies that they see necessary and they will update parents via letter or email.

Senior management team - These teachers will meet regularly to discuss any issues with students/curriculum that they have encountered. They can advise how they may have adapted lesson that had a positive outcome.

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) - These look into what support and resources children and young people with special educational needs whilst at the school. They will meet with various outside school practitioners like speech and language therapists and physiotherapists.

Teachers - The role of a teacher is to ensure that every child reaches their full potential. They need to follow the National Curriculum and do all the planning and preparation for their class. Teachers are expected to attend weekly meetings with the rest of the teachers to discuss any updates of the curriculum or any issues that may have arisen.

Teaching Assistances - The TAs and one to one TAs roles is to assist the teacher where necessary, help plan and implement learning activities for the children. They may run their own intervention groups e.g. reading, comprehension and spelling they would do their own planning and recording achievements and understanding.

Educational Psychologist - They are allocated to the school by the local Special Educational Needs Department & they will support the SENCO providing assessments & observations on individual pupils helping to identify special needs.

Speech and Language therapists - The purpose for the speech and language therapist is to come into the school for regular visits to meet with certain pupils and to work with the pupils and teaching staff/T.As together to assess how the pupil is doing and if there are any issues the pupil may have encountered.

Physiotherapist / Occupational Therapist - May support a child outside of school & be asked to attend school to provide advice to help with supporting a child who may struggle in a normal school environment.

Councillors - Councillors come into the school for varies different reasons but their ultimate purpose is the same. To help the pupil to come to terms with issues that they may have and to give them tools to help on a day to day basis to deal with their emotions.

For all the agencies to work together to best support the child good communication is important. Communication is not just about words it is also about our facial expressions, body language and gesture. When communicating with the child there may be communication barriers, breaking sentences down into 2 word syllables may help as well as using simple sign language such as Makaton.

If communicating with different cultures, as these may be working within the agencies, we need to be aware of our body language and how we speak. Many cultures have different views and values on personal space as well as on non- verbal behaviour which may include; hand gestures, body language and eye contact.

Sharing information between ourselves and other agencies is a must to support the child or young person, but we must remember the importance of confidentiality, only share what is relevant (Data Protection Act 1998). Work as a team, we all wants to create a positive outcome for the child.

Since starting this diploma, in my settings, we no longer carry out a statement of needs. North Yorkshire County Council has changed to an Educational, Health & Care Assessment Request (EHCAR). This is completed in a meeting with the SENCO, the child and parents and all the professionals involved in their learning, i.e. teachers, social workers and support staff. This form is only requested after a person centred meeting with the child and their family to gather their views and their goals and aspirations and complete a Comprehensive Assessment of Needs (CAN-Do).

Working with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs

“Be a craftsman in speech that thou mayest be strong, for the strength of one is the tongue, and speech is mightier than all fighting”, Maxims of Ptahhotep, 3400 B.C.

Many children or young people with learning disabilities have some difficulties with communication, this may be in understanding what other people are saying or in being able to express themselves. Challenging behaviour is very commonly associated with such difficulties and an understanding of the issues around communication may help to explain why challenging behaviour occurs. Improving communication may be helpful in reducing or preventing challenging behaviour.

Children or young people who have more severe learning disabilities are more likely to have more difficulties in communicating, and those who have less communication skills seem more likely to have more frequent challenging behaviour. Communication is one of the most important ways in which we control our environment and influence other people. If a child's communication skills limit this control, frustration is likely and challenging behaviour may follow. If such behaviour is effective at getting what the child wants or needs, it may be more likely to occur again in the future.

The causes of speech and language disorders may range from hearing loss, neurological disorders or brain damage, physical impairments, or psychological trauma. Often, however, the cause is unknown.

It is estimated that communication disorders, including speech, language, and hearing disorders, affect between 5 and 10 per cent of children in the UK. This estimate does not include children who have speech/language problems secondary to other conditions such as hearing impairment or language disorders related to other disabilities such as autism, or cerebral palsy. Language development - Learning is done mainly through language, so it is critical that children develop a language for learning, through intensive and specialised help.

Specialist provision - Some children may require specialist assistance from a resourced school such as a language unit with speech therapy. Others may need a special school environment with a curriculum geared to children with severe communication difficulties.

Specialist equipment - Some children with speech and language difficulties may require alternative means of communication, such as sign language like Makaton, symbols, or voice boxes. Technology can help children whose physical conditions make communication difficult. The use of electronic communication systems allows those with no speech and a child with severe physical disabilities to express themselves. Children may be referred for speech and language therapy for a variety of reasons, including:

Mild, moderate or severe learning difficulties
Physical disability
Language delay
Language deprivation
Specific language impairment
Specific difficulties in producing sounds
Hearing impairment
Stammering/dysfluency
Autism/social interaction difficulties
Dyslexia.

“The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words”, George Eliot.

Speech and language therapists assist children who have communication disorders in various ways. They work to assess, diagnose and develop a programme of care to maximise the communication potential of those referred to them; they may consult the child’s teacher about the most effective ways to facilitate the child’s communication in the class setting; and they work closely with the family to develop goals and techniques for effective therapy in class and at home. Therapy varies, but usually involves individual sessions with the parent and child.

In some cases, perhaps where a child has a learning difficulty or where a severe and specific speech and language problem makes following the curriculum difficult, their education may be adversely affected. Some useful strategies are:

Speak in clear, short, simple sentences
Simplify instructions
Support speech with visual prompts, signs or gestures
Use pictures/symbols to aid understanding
Encourage regular, constant reinforcement of skills introduced at speech and language sessions. Strategies for or those with language impairment/delay, it helps to:

Use simple sentences and instructions, reinforcing key words
Ask a child to tell you in their own words what they have been asked to do
Reinforce learning by repeating answers (from the child or others)
Encourage ‘good listening’
Encouraging the child to (learn to) read
Use visual timetables/prompts gestures, signing i.e. Makaton or written instructions to reinforce the spoken word provide visual clues, don’t just talk about a cylinder, let them see it, feel it, play with it, find different cylinders
Teach word association skills
Teach the nuances of language, meanings of jokes, idioms, body language, facial expressions etc
Make use of books, role play, drama, singing, social stories to explain social situations and develop social skills and understanding
Play games that encourage listening and/or social skills
Plan the careful use of computers and ICT to facilitate learning. Speech disorders involve difficulties producing speech sounds or problems with voice quality. They might be characterised by an interruption in the flow or rhythm of speech, such as stuttering, dysfluency. Speech disorders include problems with articulation, the way sounds are formed, or phonological disorders, or difficulties with the pitch, volume or quality of the voice. There may be a combination of several problems. Experiencing difficulty with some speech sounds may be a symptom of a delay, or of a hearing impairment. It can be difficult to understand what someone with a speech disorder is trying to say. Language disorder is the impairment in the ability to understand and/or use words in context, both verbally and non-verbally. Characteristics of language disorders include improper use of words and their meanings, problems with sentence structure, inappropriate grammatical patterns, reduced vocabulary and inability to express ideas, or follow directions. One or a combination of these may occur in children who are affected by language-learning disabilities, dyslexia, or developmental language delay. Children may hear or see a word, but not be able to understand its meaning. Often, being unable to communicate frustrates them. The effects of language difficulties vary from mild and transient, perhaps requiring some short-term specialist intervention, to severe and long-term, requiring continual specialist input.

My setting is an enhanced mainstream school (EMS) for communication and interaction which means that we look closely at everything we do to make sure that we take account of those children and young people who find it difficult to find schools welcoming and accessible.

We use Makaton each day in assembly and have a sign of the week; I have also enrolled in a Makaton course to aid me in being better at communicating with those with a learning difficulty. I have also purchased Widgit Communicator so I can print off daily routines and timetables for those who have difficulty with Makaton, I also use it to get the children to express how they are felling without the need for them to have to speak about emotions.

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”, Nelson Mandela.