major issue in identifying and assessing his/her special needs will relate to the degree and nature of the functional vision and the student’s ability to adapt socially and psychologically as well as to progress in an educational context. Multi-Sensory impairment and Deaf blindness “A person is regarded as deaf blind if their combined sight and hearing impairment cause difficulties with communication, access to information and mobility. This includes people with a progressive sight and hearing loss” (Department of Health “Think dual Sensory 1995) Normal School Entitlement Provided from AWPU Provided from school’s delegated budget Exceptional Significant (and in sufficient quantity and with enough evidence) Exceptional Profound and specialist provision Curriculum access/ pupil participation Is able independently to participate in most classrooms/settings and activities. Progress requires some adult support or minor adaptations to the environment. There may be some deterioration in certain areas of academic performance e.g. deteriorating handwriting, slowness in copying from Is able to independently participate in some classrooms/settings and activities. Progress requires significant adult support. Curricular information requires repetition/rephrasing/visual framing. Classroom information and curriculum material require significant modification to enable access. This may include auditory and tactile Is only able to participate in limited classroom/ settings without extensive adult support. Classroom information and curriculum materials require extensive modification to enable access mostly using tactile and approaches. Student requires BSL interpretation to access much of the curriculum Student is totally dependent on adult support to meet all physical, medical care and educational needs. Student’s sole access to the curriculum requires BSL interpretation. Totally dependent on tactile approaches such as Braille. And will always need practical tasks activities and experiments modifying,
the board, increasingly asking for verbal instructions to be given verbally. Sometimes misunderstands instructions and needs reassurance or reinforcement before beginning a task. Apparent fluctuations in attention, responses to sound and spoken language. Frequent ear infections and hospital appointments have caused a higher than usual school absence as well as intermittent hearing loss. A student with monoaural hearing loss will have difficulties with location and approaches to learning to supplement visual stimuli, There will be appropriately high expectations curriculum achievement and of if grouping by ability care should be taken that cognitive ability is the criteria used rather than the impaired ability to access the materials. Withdrawal from the class group should be kept to a minimum and should only occur when meeting students’ needs and planned above all else as an aid to learning needs. Provision should be informed by flexible approaches to whole curriculum planning. It may be necessary to complete tasks made slower by visual impairment, prepare a student for a learning experience, reinforce and so will need to focus their attention for long periods of time. Visual impairment will have a severe impact on the learner’s ability to function independently in the school environment and in their everyday life. They may have difficulties with literacy and may not be able to benefit from the usual approaches to learning to read e.g. synthetic phonics. Supervision and support is required to navigate an appropriately adapted school building/campus and access to the curriculum. Will require significant 1:1 planned intervention. May require daily therapy and medical intervention to crucially avoid pressure damage and maintain joint integrity. If a wheel chair user will have severe physical difficulty with very restricted movement requiring hoisting/position changes during the school day and intimate self-care skills to be met by others. Will have minimal fine motor skills and may be at the early stages of developing mobility. May need the use of physical aids such a standing frame or moulded seating. May
communicating in background noise. Basic assessments will have been conducted and advice sought from PSIT to ensure that basic classroom strategies are in place including favourable positioning, management of background noise, repetition of instruction multi-sensory approaches to teaching and management of turn taking in discussion. Some concerns based on minor physical difficulties e.g. motor control problems, hand/eye problems causing difficulties in throwing, catching in P.E. There will be full inclusion in all statutory assessments, school assessments and tasks. mainstream work, provide additional hands-on experience of materials or provide additional experiences of the environment Specific skill development may be required. Extra time is provided to address opportunities and comprehensive motor resources for motor skill development offered within the school development. Additional access to IT, specialist aids and adaptations may be necessary to facilitate access to the curriculum. These would also include low power magnifiers, dark pens/pencils, dark lined books/paper, and large print materials. Printed material may need to be enlarged and the have restricted purposeful hand movement.
may have a personal and intimate care plan/manual handling plan have a personal and intimate care plan/manual handling plan Flexible support to include dressing, undressing and toileting. Will require mobility and independence programmes care or mobility needs. Some interventions will require support from more than one adult e.g. hoisting. Social Interaction Some difficulties in making and maintaining friendships and relationships requiring some additional adult support. Difficulties in understanding peers in group discussions or in the playground – may feel isolated or anxious at times. Significant difficulties in making and maintaining appropriate relationships requiring significant adult support. May have issues with self- esteem, emotional and social knowledge which may affect student’s social interaction. Social interaction with other students may be need to be encouraged through sensitive grouping arrangements, Extreme difficulties in making and maintaining relationships resulting in frequent social isolation and vulnerability with some disengagement requiring extensive adult support Little evidence of positive social relationships resulting in extreme social isolation, vulnerability and disengagement. Language and or written/ oral communication Communication/language difficulties requiring some specialist support and approaches. Communication/language difficulties requiring significant specialist support and approaches Communication/ language difficulties requiring extensive Student is totally dependent on specialist support and approaches.