Provision for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD)

Pupils with SLD experience ‘significant intellectual cognitive impairments’ having ‘a major effect on their ability to participate in the school curriculum without support.’ They may have ‘difficulties with mobility and coordination, communication and perception and the acquisition of self-help skills’ and need ‘support in all areas of the curriculum’. Some may use signs and symbols but ‘most will be able to hold simple conversations’. For much of their schooling, attainment will be ‘within the upper P scale range’ (DfES, 2005). SLD corresponds, in IQ range (20/25-50/55), to moderate to severe ‘mental retardation’ in the USA (APA, 2000). As well as IQ, functional assessment is important.

In the context of these levels of attainment, and provision requirements outlined below, the SENCO will need to consider with parents and others the amount of time that a particular pupil might be educated with pupils who do not have SEN and the time he might for example be educated in a within-school unit. This is likely to be informed by monitoring the pupil’s progress in these different settings.

Curriculum
The curriculum for children with SLD has a strong ‘functional academic content’ (Wehmeyer et al, 2002), offering flexibility to work at levels typical of much younger pupils, while ensuring activities are age appropriate. Schemes of work are structured in small steps with a particular focus on communication, literacy, numeracy, and personal and social development. Understanding and skills are assessed in small steps across different situations, at different times and with different people. ‘P scales’, commercially available packages, portfolios of achievement and individual learning targets may be used.

Visual inputs
For literacy, sight recognition tends to be preferred to phonological approaches especially where the pupil has poor phonological awareness, auditory memory problems and hearing impairment. Similarly, in mathematics visual approaches are linked to real-life contexts to help promote problem solving. Visual discrimination can be aided through skills based activities, such as guiding visual attention in tasks, supplemented by opportunities for practical use. Manual signing capitalises on visual strengths, enables educators to correct and refine communication, and can encourage verbal communication.

Communication
A behaviour chain interruption strategy consists of interrupting established behaviour so that the pupil is required to adopt new types of communication (Carter and Grunsell, 2001). Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) enables communication through single or combined approaches, according to pupils’ skills and preferences. It may include using signing, photographs, speech synthesisers, objects of reference and symbols. ‘Talking mats’ may be used to supplement AAC.

Developing autonomy and independence
Encouraging choice/decision-making, including planned lesson opportunities, contributes to developing autonomy and independence. At first, there might be only two options and adult support. More complex decision-making can be encouraged. When asked to complete three activities, a pupil can decide the order he will carry them out and why. Practical applications include garden planting (measuring) or reading a transport timetable (grid data). Related opportunities for problem solving are encouraged (eg ‘How will we know when to go and catch the train?’).

Vocational instruction
Vocational instruction (including community-based) has produced significant student gains for high school students with learning difficulties (McDonnell et al, 1993). The school can help the student develop work skills such as following directions, punctuality, staying on task and completing assignments by directly teaching these and providing settings where they are applied.

Resources
Regarding technology, three kinds of access have been identified as important. Physical access concerns using technology to eliminate or limit the physical barriers to learning. Examples are a communication aid speech synthesiser with the flexibility to create new words. Supportive access involves technology aiding a pupil in carrying out a task that is difficult for him, such as using a word processor to help with presentation where handwriting skills are poor. Technology for cognitive access helps present the curriculum in more manageable ways.

Therapy
As necessary, therapy will be provided perhaps for physical development, where the physiotherapist and occupational therapist may be involved. Speech and language therapy may be necessary to help phonological difficulties and other aspects of language development. Liaison between teachers and therapists needs to be close, perhaps involving assessing pupils, planning interventions and implementing them together.

Organisation
The classroom is organised to optimise pupils’ sight and hearing. For example, classroom acoustics can help ensure pupils can hear as clearly as possible and minimise distracting noises. The classroom is arranged so pupils can notice and respond to visual cues and this may need to be revisited in a busy ordinary school classroom as furniture is moved and different groupings are adopted for various activities.

References

• American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn text revision (DSM-IV-TR), Washington DC: APA.
• Carter, M and Grunsell, J (2001) ‘The Behaviour Chain Interruption Strategy: A Review of Research and Discussion of Future Directions’, Journal for the Association of the Severely Handicapped 26, 1, 37-49.
• DfES (2005) (2nd edn) Data Collection by Special Educational Need, London: DfES.
• McDonnell, J, et al (1993) ‘Impact of Community Based Instruction on the Development of Adaptive Behaviour of Secondary Level Students with Mental Retardation’ American Journal on Mental Retardation 97, 5, 575-584.
• Wehmeyer, ML, et al (2002) Teaching Students with Mental Retardation: Providing Access to the General Curriculum, Baltimore, MD: Paul H Brookes Publishing.