To think that physical SEN are getting overlooked?

[TwinklyTornadoBear]

Before I get absolutely roasted on here, I want to be clear that I think that SEN support generally is completely underfunded, undersupported... under everything'ed! This is not in any way begrudging the support which anyone does (or should) receive.

DD has a visual impairment which is at the milder end of the spectrum but will have more of an impact as she gets older and text gets smaller, classrooms get bigger and the pace of learning increases. Her school are doing their best with limited resources, but it does feel like the support and training they are able to access is heavily weighted towards ND and/or behavioural issues. DD manages well but because she quietly muddles through I'm nervous that, despite requiring relatively small adjustments, these are missed as staff are spread too thinly and having to focus their limited capacity on the children who have the potential to disrupt the wider class (TAs are regularly having to take children out to the calm room, or outside to burn off some energy). Is this just my experience and has anyone found a way to successfully navigate/advocate?

I don’t think it’s it’s necessary physical vs ND, I think it’s severity and how it’s presented. A child with mild Learning Difficulties would be overlooked more so than a child with more severe needs.

If they’re quiet they’ll likely get overlooked too which is such a shame. The whole system needs overhauling so children like yours LG gets the attention they deserve and need

Does your child have support from the LA through a Qualified Teacher for Vision Impairment? Their involvement is often very good at flagging up to schools the level of support that should be provided.

But it's always the case that children with lower support needs can be lost when kids with a higher level of need are in the mix, whatever the difficulty is.

Hmm

I understand your concern and agree that, when someone is quiet they tend to get overlooked

But I wouldn't be thinking in the way you are, that all the support is taken up by nd children

I'd see it as there simply isn't enough support made available for disabled children

I think you'll have to advocate louder to be heard tbh 🥺 even though I'm sure you're doing a great job by dd x

In my dd's class of all sen kids, certain kids with loud shouty parents get the most help 🙄 and I think it's the same across society, unfortunately

Edited to add that I do my best to speak to all of dd's teachers and be friendly and approachable. I also try to give them tidbits about dd's homelife so that they remember her, if that makes sense

Local authorities often have specialist support for children with these sorts of issues.

I was a teacher up until 2 years ago and we had children who were partially deaf and support was provided from the local authority by a specialist teacher of the d/Deaf. I also worked with a girl who was severely visually impaired and there was a similar specialist service.

There are also specialist schools for visually impaired students which you can visit and speak to for advice - a colleague of mine did this and it was invaluable.

www.rnib.org.uk/living-with-sight-loss/education-and-learning/education-for-younger-children/how-your-child-will-be-supported-in-a-mainstream-school/

Yanbu to feel that way - especially if your child’s needs are quite low now. My child is nd but he doesn’t physically lash out, very popular with peers and teachers and does his work so is totally left alone. I think that his needs would have been taken more seriously if he’d been more physical or violent.

Just to echo what others have said, I don't think it is necessarily a case of physical diasbility vs learning difficulty and neurodivergence. Unfortunately, generally the children and young people who present with more challenging behaviours end up receiving the most support. This is even the case in special schools - quite often the compliant students get a lot less 1:1 time with staff due to the needs of the more challenging students being greater in the moment. My son is autistic and has a moderate learning difficulty and has been overlooked right through school (he is now in his first year at secondary) and this is because he internalises everything and doesn't present with outbursts of challenging behaviour. I had little to no support in primary school, however secondary school have written a very detailed IEP and have re-opened his early help to get other professionals involved in this support (ed psych, OT etc). An open and frank discussion with the school may help aleviate your worries so they can tell you what support they DO have in place currently.

Does your daughter have an IEP in place? An EHCP? As the support outlined in either or both of these documents should be being adhered to. (Apologies if you have already answered this question, I have not had chance to read the entire thread).

I used to teach in Secondary adjustments I've used with a child with VI: he used to have a (funded) iPad that he used to take a photo of the board / book and enlarge it to as big as he needed giving him independence.
A reading pen similar to those children with dyslexia used which read aloud any text too small for him to see.
Similarly we would print everything out on A3 for him instead of A4.

He had his normal book and then an Art style portfolio to keep his worksheets in.

I would go to the Senco and ask for those things to be put in place, she can then be independent with children generally prefer rather than sitting with a TA. If they won't fund it, you could look into self funding and their permission for her to use the devices although ofcourse you shouldn't have to.

Agree with the others, it’s not about physical disability v neurodiversity. It’s about whose needs are the highest at any given time. Children with behavioural needs are more likely to become unsafe, so it has to be managed quickly. Physical needs are easier to diagnose, so it shouldn’t take as long for support to be put in place.

I have children with different needs so I feel I can be objective. I find that when there is very little funding, schools will prioritise the children who are a danger to themselves or others, then the ones who can't/won't get anything done without someone constantly hovering over them. One of my dc has moderate learning disabilities so he shares a TA with another child. In an ideal world he would share the TA with his friend who has similar needs and they would get 50% of the TA's time each but funding is tight so he shares a TA with a child who really needs his own TA. So my son has to get on with it a lot of the time while the TA is trying to prevent the other child climbing on the roof. My youngest is 10 but is emotionally like a 3 year old and he has autism. He should be getting his own TA for secondary school for his own safety but the LA have agreed he needs one but have refused to fund one. No doubt he will end up sharing with someone who needs a TA 50% of the time but actually gets more like 15% because the TA will have to make sure my child isn't escaping or trying to lick the plants.

I think there is an element that support is directed to needs that impact on others over needs that only impact the individual - especially if safety is concerned.

I also think, realistically, if you have a training budget and you can only afford one course, its tempting to pick the course with the big impact. If every class has multiple ND children and numbers are growing, and there is only one VI child they pick that course. (Not saying that's right morally)

In terms of what to do, you need to advocate for your child and make sure that charities, LA teaams etc are involved and supporting and consider applying for an ehcp.

The issue isn’t about who is more or less deserving, it’s about poor SEN provision overall: lack of money, staff and resources.

It’s also, ultimately, about mainstream schools having to manage children with high support needs who would be better supported in a SEN school… only there aren’t enough of them.

They are not mutual exclusive.

I kind of agree OP but it is all down to the shite funding they get. I have a child with dyslexia and partial hearing. As they have created adjustments for themselves they get largely ignored (especially as they are very compliant and selectively mute in school (getting better but will only speak to certain people)) and left to get on with it. Where as other children with a very high level of academics but very poor behaviour get a 1-1 and all the attention.

We just get on with it outside of school as we know it is the way schools are funded and we try and do as much as we can at home.

I found quite the opposite! My DD has a moderate hearing impairement and wears hearing aids. This makes life tough in the classroom. She is also ASD which eventually has made things impossible. She found teachers to be far more understanding of the need to accomodate her deafness than her autism. She had a teacher of the deaf from the LA come and check in on her regularly and give advice to the teachers. For her ASD they did utterly diddly squat!

It depends on the school I suppose. DS has trouble with his hearing, and despite hospital letters, telling them numerous times we have to fight for each and every small adjustment (most of which cost them nothing in time nor money) ie having assigned seat near the front of the classroom etc. Difference is if he's struggling he's often too shy to say anything (we do our best to empower him) whereas another child with other needs probably needs to be managed as it affects the class.

I want to know which school this is that trains staff in, and has resources available for, ND students!? That’s the Holy Grail for thousands of families.

Mine’s at uni now with a physical disability but we opted for private primary. It was small and cost same as nursery fees (we are up north) There were other children with additional needs - just needed an extra eye. Small classes made it possible. She thrived. The NHS OT who went in to advise them/provide equipment said how lovely it was, was a really nurturing and supportive school.
She went into state grammar at 11. They only had a small number of kids with additional needs and so were guided by me. No real issues I can recall.

DS is autistic, just getting him sat at the front of the class because he can't filter out distractions was a monumental struggle.

You may find that secondary school is more equipped to support her - at primary school SENCO is often just another hat one of the teachers wears. Once she gets to the exam years she will certainly be able to have large print exams, may have a reader (if needed) and would probably be in a small room.

Definitely speak to school if you think there are any adjustments they could be making to help your DD though. She shouldn't have to just muddle through but she probably doesn't require a TA, just adjustments to enable her.

The children with the highest level of need are rightly prioritised, but reasonable adjustments should be made for your DC. Has she expressed that she’s struggling and that no one is helping? Then what you do is raise this issue with the school. If she doesn’t need a TA to sit with her 1:1 then there needs to be more regular input from the SENd.

Agree with @Lyn348 - secondary schools can often be much more accommodating, especially when it comes to sitting exams etc.

Why primary schools find it so hard to make small accommodations (or acknowledge that accommodations are even needed) I don’t know…

Thanks everyone and this is definitely not about pitching one against the other, the schools are doing their best in really challenging circumstances!
DD does have a QTVI who comes in once or twice a year and makes recommendations about adjustments but the school just doesn't have the funding to do this. When we're enquired about EHCPs we've been steered away but I wonder now if this is the route to go down (It seems very inefficient that the QTVI recommendations don't hold the same weight!).
As others have mentioned, it's often the little things which are overlooked such as where she sits, giving her time to acclimatise to new surroundings and making sure the lighting is right. She's only in Y1 so learning is still quite informal, but I'm just wary that if she starts to miss some of the basics now then it will become increasingly hard to catch up,
I think I'm going to ask whether there's a way we can have a really brief summary of what they have been doing at school so we can gently reinforce at home.

When we're enquired about EHCPs we've been steered away but I wonder now if this is the route to go down

More often than not they will steer you away because they can’t be arsed to give themselves more paperwork. Also probably labouring under the impression that your daughter is “fine”, but from your POV, quietly muddling along isn’t good enough.

You don’t need the school, LA or QTVI to agree an EHCP is required before you request an EHCNA. You can do it yourself. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use.

Im assuming she has an iep? If so her details should be listed on there of the adjustments she needs in the classroom. My first step would be to make sure her iep is detailed and that the school if following the recommendations.
There no harm in checking regularly that dd is sat at the front of the class and has a reading light on her desk?

You really have to advocate for your child especially if they are quiet. Ask for a termly meeting with the Senco and her teacher to see how the QTVI recommendations are working.
Make a note of all the issues your DD is facing and then start the EHCP process.

Unfortunately you need to be the squeaky wheel.