Present from birth Often accompanied by hydrocephalus (water on the brain) Spina Bifida This condition is caused by a defect in the neural tube which forms the spine, spinal cord and brain.  A gap is left in the vertebrae.  It can present in variations in severity from mild, where only a hair or dimple is …
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Speech and language difficulties usually fall into three categories, (though there may be other speech/language disorders such as those caused by physical deformities, e.g. dysarthia); expressive disorders, receptive disorders and phonological difficulties. A child with an expressive disorder finds it difficult to express his/her thoughts and feelings through speaking and writing. He/she may find it …
Read More Speech and Language Disorders

In the past pupils with severe learning difficulties or complex needs would have been placed in special schools. This is not always the case now and increasingly pupils with severe physical disabilities are joining mainstream classes. It might be reasonable to suggest that the SENDA legislation will make this much more possible in many cases. …
Read More Severe or Complex Learning Difficulties

Three times as many males as females affected Three types of dyslexia; motor, visual and auditory Dyslexia is usually diagnosed by a psychologist based on data gathered by teachers and parents. In order to decide whether a child has SLD/dyslexia a picture of the whole child needs to be developed. It is likely that there …
Read More Specific Literacy Difficulties (Dyslexia)

Genetic Ranges from mild to life-limiting Progressive condition More common in boys A disorder of the nerves connecting the brain and spinal cord to the muscles.   The disease leads to a breakdown of muscle fibres causing weak and wasted muscles.  The disease usually begins to show itself in childhood.  The disease can range in severity …
Read More Muscular Dystrophy

This is likely to be the most common difficulty present in the pupils in your class.  Pupils with this problem are usually performing at a significantly lower level than their peers in reading, writing, spelling and sometimes numeracy.  A learner with MLD is likely to be struggling with both the content and the presentation of …
Read More Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)

Gifted children are quite rare.  It is important to distinguish between children of high ability and those who are exceptional. What to look for: Gifted children often have emotional or behavioural difficulties also.  They can have excessive energy, short attention spans and get bored easily.  They can resent authority, flout the rules regularly and be …
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About one in 1000 babies are born with hearing loss Other trauma throughout the first 10 years of life causes the numbers to rise to 2 in 1000 with hearing loss ‘Glue ear’ can cause temporary hearing loss to some children resulting in delayed learning. A condition in which one of the parts of the …
Read More Deafness/Hearing Problems

The behaviour of children with problems of this kind is likely to vary from situation to situation and from day to day.  One day the child may seem quiet and withdraw and refuse to engage in conversation, answering only with a grunt.  Other days they can seem friendly and sociable.  They may seem unable to …
Read More Emotionally Disturbed/Behavioural Problems

Often known as ‘clumsy child syndrome’ May be mild to severe Can affect speech Can cause child to have low self-esteem and later mental problems. This condition is a lack of development in planning of physical movement and organization.  The affected motor problems result in difficulties in academic learning and also in daily life skills.  …
Read More Dyspraxia