Physical and Sensory
Sensory and/or physical
Children and young people with a diagnosed physical or sensory impairment do not necessarily have SEN although they may be considered as disabled. Some children or young people with a sensory or physical impairment may have special educational needs if their access to the full curriculum or educational attainment is impeded by their impairment. Some children and young people with physical or sensory impairment may require specialist adaptations and equipment to ensure full access to the curriculum.
Sensory needs
For pupils with a diagnosed sensory impairment, hospital-based health professionals will make a referral to the Sensory Impairment Service if appropriate. Personalised advice on appropriate strategies, adaptations and interventions will then be provided by an advisory teacher. The referral criteria used by the Sensory Impairment Service can be found within the 'our content' section on Right Choice: Sensory Impairment, Physical and Medical Needs resource page (opens new window).
For pupils with a diagnosed mild sensory impairment who do not meet the criteria for referral to the Sensory Impairment Service, schools, colleges and settings may find the information below useful.
Physical needs
Fine motor skills development:
- use SPARK pack (not for use with children with a diagnosed physical disability)
- use alternative equipment, e.g. different scissors, writing slope, pencil grips, different pen/pencil
- alternative methods of recording, e.g. scribe, highlighting pre-produced notes, pre-produced work sheets which only requires small amounts of writing on, IT (laptop, tablet)
- adapt the task (depending on the learning objective)
- adult assistance with some of the task providing the child meets the learning objective
- allow more time for the activity
Gross motor development:
- use SPARK Pack (not for use with children with a diagnosed physical disability)
- use alternative equipment
- adapt / modify the task (depending on the learning objective) or activity
- seek advice on alternative equipment/ resources from OT (if already involved) or SSENS
- reduce the frequency of mobility around the classroom/school
- consider the position of key equipment and the child in the classroom to reduce mobility but aid independence
- enable the child to sit on a seat rather than the floor
- encourage personal autonomy
- target the development of independence
- allow more time for movement or an activity for whole group or create more time for some pupils by providing extension activities for others
- increase the accessibility of the environment; ensure the classroom is clutter free
Sensory processing:
- adapt tasks
- consider positioning of child at desk, on the carpet, in the changing room
- provide opportunities for additional practice of new skills
- use prompt lists/ learning mats for tasks
- ensure parents are also targeting the same skills at home
Social and emotional development:
- provide rest breaks during the day
- provide opportunities for homework to be done during the school day
- provide specific input for development of age appropriate social skills, e.g. SEAL
Medical Needs
Plans:
- complete a risk assessment of the child's needs in school to identify actions needed
- where a child needs support or assistance with toileting an Individual Personal Care Plan must be in place, agreed between the child or young person, parents and school
- an Individual Healthcare Plan should be in place if the child needs additional assistance with a specific area of healthcare, which is not covered by an existing policy
Adaptation:
- identify specific times for the pupil to have rest breaks during the school day
- develop an individual timetable for the pupil which allows them time to do 'homework' in school as they may be too tired to do it at home
- allow the pupil to leave lessons early so they do not miss the start of the next lesson
- provide regular opportunities to review school work commitments with a member of staff
- provide social and emotional support either as part of a group or individually
- the frequency of any intervention needs discussion to try and minimise the amount of time the child or young person is out of the classroom
Training:
- sufficient staff should be trained to ensure there is always one trained member of staff available to carry out the care identified in the Healthcare Plan
- ask the School Nurse for advice on training available to meet a specific healthcare need
Resources
| Resource | Description | Intended audience | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busy boxes | Super simple and fun, busy boxes are for busy people! Take low prep activity ideas and put together resources to do them for your kids. Look at what you already have, and you will see how easy it is to put together busy bags and busy boxes for kids! | 2 to 8 years | Read "25 busy boxes for toddlers and preschoolers" articles... |
| Playdough | Playdough can be a great sensory activity for children to develop fine motor skills or to support pupils who engage in sensory seeking behaviours. They can squish, squash, pound and roll playdough to provide tactile feedback. | 2 to 8 years | Go to official Play-Doh website... |
| Tackle bags | Tackle bags are designed to help rugby players improve their tackle technique during training sessions. They are great for energetic children who enjoy engaging in rough play, in a safe way. | over 2 years | |
| Sensory Chews | Many children with additional needs find sensory relief in chewing. They may begin putting their hands in their mouth, or their clothes, or other items, if this continues and becomes a source of sensory relief it is safer, more hygienic and purposeful for the child to have a specific item for chewing. | All ages | Purchase sensory chews... |
| Therapy dog and animals | School Therapy Dog Association is here to help, support and guide schools who are thinking about or already have a dog in school. We aim to provide peace of mind to staff, pupils, governors and parents that our members have reached approved standards. We believe in a high level of animal welfare, coupled with a purposeful role for the dog within the school community. We have a desire to educate the children into understanding canine communication. | 2 to 12 years | No website available for this organisation currently. There are other similar local provider who may be able to assist Your care Your support: Dogs for Health (opens new window) |
| Weighted blankets | Weighted blankets are a safe and effective therapeutic solution. They help sensory seeking children and adults to calm themselves and get a peaceful night's sleep. Extra weight can help to relieve anxiety and stress, ease transitions, prevent melt-downs and repetitive behaviour. Weighted blankets can help people with autism, associated sensory processing disorder and of all ages. As well as being used at night, they can be used in a sensory room, classroom or simply chilling out at home. | All ages | Available from many shops/organisations online and in stores. |
| Fiddle and fidget toys | Good fidget toys keep hands busy whilst supporting development of fine motor skills, concentration, tactile awareness, visual perception skills, colour and size discrimination. Sensory fidget toys encourage focus, help to reduce self stimulatory behaviour and can help to calm and reduce stress. | All ages | Purchase fidget toys... |
| Ear defenders | Ear defenders are great for children with autism and sensory processing challenges or are sensitive to noises and sound. Ear protectors block out sounds, and can be used when a child gets over-stimulated. | All ages | Purchase ear defenders... |
| Writing aids and pens | A variety of pens, pencils and other writing aids such as writing grips, specifically designed to assist children and adults who find it difficult or tiring to write neatly. | All ages | Purchase writing aids... |
| Writing frames and templates | A writing frame is a worksheet which sets out the structure of a particular text type. Kids can learn to organise their writing correctly by filling in sections and using certain key words and features. | EYFS and KS1 | |
| Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) | The Wiltshire Parent Carer Council is an independent organisation which is managed and run by parent carers, by parent carers. They have a membership of 3000 parent carers across Wiltshire whose children range in age from 0 - 25, and in the type of special need they have. These include mental health, physical, sensory, learning, communication, challenging behaviour, autistic spectrum disorders and health conditions that require complex care. | 0 to 25 years | Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) (opens new window) |
| Physical and Sensory support teams | The Sensory Impairment, Physical and Medical Service is part of the 0-25 SEND Service made up of the Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment and Physical and Medical Needs teams. The Service is comprised of qualified teachers of the visually impaired, qualified teachers of the deaf, specialist advisory teachers for physical and medical needs, specialist support assistants and Visual Impairment rehabilitation workers. We work to promote the educational inclusion and achievement of children and young people with a significant visual or hearing impairment or physical /medical needs. | 0 to 25 years | Right Choice: Sensory Impairment, Physical and Medical Needs resource page (opens new window) |
| Hearing loops | A hearing loop is a special type of sound system for use by people with hearing aids. The hearing loop provides a magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by a hearing aid when it is set to 'T' setting. A hearing loop consists of a microphone which picks up the spoken word; an amplifier which processes the signal which is then sent through the final piece; the loop cable, a wire placed around the perimeter of a specific area i.e. a meeting room, a church, a service counter etc to act as an antenna that radiates the magnetic signal to the hearing aid. | 0 to 25 years | Read a better definition of a hearing loop... |
| BBC Dance mat typing | Build and test primary computing skills with different levels of touch type challenges. Learn and practise
| KS2 | Go to BBC bitesize - Dance mat typing... |
| Englishtype | Touch typing is one of those skills that has been over looked or gone out of fashion. Most kids are familiar with computers almost as soon as they get to school, so it's assumed they know how to use the keyboard by "hunting & pecking" at the keys. This means the slowest part of the computer is the human using the keyboard - learning to touch typing increases efficiency by 200-800% or more. | All ages | Go to Englishtype webpage... |
| PE, Sports, gymnastics, balance and coordination groups | Balance and coordination are two of the most important gross motor skills in a child's physical development. It allows children to participate in sports and physical activities, it reduces their risk of injury and improves their ability to perform everyday tasks. Poor development in these areas can cause physical limitations, which can lead to social issues - like social isolation or low self-esteem - due to their inability to keep up with their peers. | All ages | Read "7 Fun Games and Activities That Promote Balance and Coordination" article... |
| Dance interventions | Dance for motor skills | 4 to 8 All ages 15 to 24 | Access free "Mother goose time - Dance builds motor skills" resources... Read "Sport and dance interventions for healthy young people" article... |
| Wobble cushions | Wobble cushions (sometimes called disc cushions or instability cushions) are small round inflatable cushions, strong enough to sit or stand on. When sat on the inflated cushion creates instability (a wobble!) encouraging the user to engage their back and core muscles. The cushion can be used on a chair or on the floor. | All ages | Available from many shops/organisations online and in stores. |
| App name | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Dragon Anywhere | Dragon Anywhere The most accurate professional-grade dictation service available on the market. Create templates, add custom words, and instantly dictate your documents Dragon Anywhere will automatically adapt to how you speak. - Dragon Anywhere is the only mobile dictation app that enables continuous dictation of documents, with no length or time limits. This means, you can dictate documents of any length, edit, format, and share them directly from your mobile device. | Go to Dragon Anywhere on the Apple App Store... Go to Dragon Anywhere on Google Play...
|
| Speechnotes | Speechnotes - Minimalist audio recorder for lectures, meetings, or interviews with low energy impact. The app uses Siri's advanced AI speech recognition engine for transcriptions. Record, playback and transform your voice notes into text using SpeechNotes+. Ideal for recording and transcribing interviews, meetings, lectures, podcasts, as well as your voice notes, with excellent accuracy (subject to audio quality) using the Apple Speech recognition framework. SpeechNotes+ is a great tool for boosting productivity, sharing and organising your files, allowing for effortless syncing across every device. | |
| Talkbox | Talkbox is a chatting app made with heart <3. We started as the world's first voice messenger, and since then we are passionate about building a fast and intuitive messenger for people to connect. Today we have brought to you a brand-new experience of using Talkbox. Much simpler, much modern way for you to chat with your friends, acquaintances, loved ones. Simply log in, find/add your friend and start building relationships again. | |
| Google voice search | Voice Search uses the power of speech recognition to search the web! Instead of typing use voice input to quickly and easily search for the things you care about. Dictate your essays on Google Docs in record time and comment on social media with ease -- using just your voice! Search by speaking: just click on the microphone and say "kittens" to search for kittens. If you specifically want pictures of kittens, say "Google images kittens". Want to learn more about World War II? Say "Wikipedia world war two". Voice Search comes pre-loaded with the following default services: Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo and Wolfram|Alpha. You can also add your own user-defined search engines. | Go to Google voice search on the Chrome Webstore... |
| Siri | Siri is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations, and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Internet services. With continued use, it adapts to users' individual language usages, searches and preferences, returning individualized results. | Go to Apple Siri webpage... |
| Cortana | Cortana is Microsoft's personal productivity assistant that helps you save time and focus attention on what matters most. To get started, select the Cortana icon on the taskbar. If you're not sure what to say, try asking, "What can you do?" Here are some things Cortana can do for you:
| Go to Cortana webpage... |
| Microsoft Word dictation | Dictation lets you use speech-to-text to author content in Office with a microphone and reliable internet connection. It's a quick and easy way to get your thoughts out, create drafts or outlines, and capture notes. | Find out more about MS Word dictation... |
| Microsoft Word transcription | The transcribe feature converts speech to a text transcript with each speaker individually separated. After your conversation, interview, or meeting, you can revisit parts of the recording by playing back the time-stamped audio and edit the transcription to make corrections. You can save the full transcript as a Word document or insert snippets of it into existing documents. | Find out more about MS Word transcription... |
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