What really is the difference between SLD and MLD??

[Lettie99]

Hi. I have a 4 yr old DS who has learning difficulties, and I feel he is also on the ASD. He has been statemented, and and the paed made reference to him being SLD. My lovely DS has made great improvement over the last year, and we found his ideal school where they took MLD and higher SLD pupils. However, being complicated by my school choice being out of my local borough, they have not offered my DS a place as the paperwork says 'severe'. I strongly feel I want this reviewed, but for the life of me cannot see any reference anywhere of the definition of these terms: MLD or SLD.
Can anyone help me in providing a definition for these or it simply a subjective opinion???

Re ASD: son has had ADOS test but as it was in such a sterile environment, DS did not comply with the test and result inconclusive. Am fighting for a retest but paed resistant - which is SOOOOOO frustrating as this diagnosis is the whole basis of the choice of school I need to make...

I think it is subjective - it sounds like an excuse to avoid giving him a place out of your area. The MLD school I visited had children with no LDs but social problems and children with SLD - this was the staff opinion which I agreed with based on what I saw

Educational view, not medical diagnosis view, but try this.

Maybe the other thing to look up is the P scales. Many of the kids at DD1's (SLD) school start pretty low on the key scales and won't move up a whole lot by the time they leave school.

I found these definitions. I also remember reading that some children with MLD can attain up to level 4 of the NC at the end of their school years, whereas children with SLD normally remain on the P scales, My Dt2 was diagnosed with MLD last year (although the EP wasnt really sure) but he is now on level 3 for maths and english and his recent results wouldnt put him in the MLD category so I'm not sure these terms are set in stone

Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD): pupils with moderate learning difficulties will have attainments significantly below expected levels in most areas of the curriculum, despite appropriate interventions. Their needs will not be able to be met by normal differentiation and the flexibilities of the National Curriculum. They should only be recorded as MLD if additional educational provision is being made to help them to access the curriculum. Pupils with moderate learning difficulties have much greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in understanding concepts. They may also have associated speech and language delay, low self-esteem, low levels of concentration and under-developed social skills.

Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD): Pupils with severe learning difficulties have significant intellectual or cognitive impairments. This has a major effect on their ability to participate in the school curriculum without support. They may also have difficulties in mobility and co-ordination, communication and perception and the acquisition of self-help skills. Pupils with severe learning difficulties will need support in all areas of the curriculum. They may also require teaching of self-help, independence and social skills. Some pupils may use sign and symbols but most will be able to hold simple conversations. Their attainments may be within the upper P scale range (P4-P8) for much of their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum).
(Further information about P scales can be found in Supporting the Target Setting Process, DfES Guidance March 2001. Ref: DfEE 0065/2001)

There are medical definitions of mild, moderate, severe etc which relate very dately to IQ ( and IQ is not very helpful in assessing developing children with sn). However the school system seems to use the P scales and does not seem to coincide with medical definitions. SLD by medical definition is I think more severe than by educational definition.
The first thing is does the MLD school have a space? Has your son been assessed on the P scales? You could ask the MLD school you like what the typical Pscale achievment range on school entry is to see if your child 'fits' ( LEAs always seem to like figures). My gut feeling is to go for a private pych assessment if funds allow. Best wishes.

Thanks all. Magso mentioned getting a private psych assessment. Is this with a 'educational psychologist'?

Yes. It cost quite a lot but the ep came to our home (so got the best out of ds) and would have gone to tribunal with us should it have been needed. From our point of view an impartial opinion on what ds LD are and knowing his strengths is invaluable in fighting for him and planning for his future. We had the opposite problem of the paediatrician forgetting to mention ( amongst his complex assessment) that ds had LD at all!
It occured to me that in our area there is considerable crossover - some children at the SLD are more academically able than my ds at MLD, but have greater medical or physical impairments. ( The SLDschool has very good medical support) If your child is physically able and without medical disabilities and mild in the SLD classification perhaps that is an augument for the MLD to reconsider. We were able to get our chosen school to come and assess ds in his old school ( whilst visiting another child awaiting a place) - this was because on paper they thought he was too complex.
There are complications in employing an EP once the child has been assessed by the LEA EP.
We did not have to go to tribunal in the end. I wonder what others have done?

This is vair vair interesting...I've always been told that DD has GDD. No mention anywhere (even on her IEP's) of either MLD or SLD. She's in Y7, has been on SA+ since 3.5yo, and is just getting off p-scales in maths, and is working on Lvl 1 in english, needs help accessing all areas of the curriculum, and with self care has always needed YEARS of help to make any gains...(see my thread about her laces ). Why would a SenCo/school/LEA put down on paper any record of either thing?? Methinks I may be putting in a FOI request for her files, and see what the school and LEA have written down that I may not be party to...She also has various medical issues that interfere with her ability to access all the curriculum...

(although I've assumed for years that she would be classed as MLD). Methinks it's because as soon as they put in writing that she's MLD, I'd want her out of MS and have a bloody good reason.

My understanding of things is that GDD is often the term used before school and then terms like MLD and SLD are used to denote difficulties in school being more of an educational term

Thanks so much for the comments so far. My ds's proposed placement by teh LEA is in the only SLD in the borough. The alternative special school is for mild MLD only - so only one option for us according to the LEA. Our issue is that we know our son, being non verbal with development delay, requies specialist care, the SLD does have a strong focus on medical and disability needs. He would be the only able bodied child in the class, and in his current nursery environment, he seems to be interacting and starting to model the kids around him. I am very concerned he would not get this exposure or interaction in the proposed special school. Do you think this an argument for me to propose another school?

My boys both have gdd and are nearly 6 they are in a special needs unit within a mainstream school and i think they are classed as having mld one is on plevel 5 for everthing and 1 is on level p6 only just for everything i dont have a clue what any of it means tbh xx

Yeah, but if GDD is the term for pre-school, why in hells name has it not been amended for my DD yet, when she's almost 12yo and in Y7??

Methinks I will be asking quite a few questions of the SenCo on Friday when we fill in the cafs form....

HI,
I have just found these posts. I have a little girls who is classed as SLD and we have had to put her into a SLD school. She attends a MS primary two days and the SLD for two day and therapy for the other day(long story). She is 12 years old and learns because of peer gropu pressure. She is learning to read and really enjoying it. The new SLD school we not accept they she can read, evev though she has has shown this at MS school and her SLD teacher has been to the school and seen her read.
I explained that she was reading oxford reding tree, stage 1 and 2 and the SLD school has asked the MS school for books because, in the words of the SLD "we don't have anything that advanced here". Can someone give me some advice and where to go from here, other than shouting and screaming at the SLD to listen,
Kind regards
Kathryn

This is an old post but frod that cant be right surely? What that means is in the quote, that children who are SLD stay in the Ps for their school career really means its because basically the schools expectations of these children is that the children cant learn anymore and so dont bother with the provision to learn more

Change schools.

Or perhaps get a tutor in, your DD could be missing out on so much. Thats awful.

What about PMLD and SLD where is the difference?