SEN and D
Special Educational Needs & Disability
COVID-19 has led to a significant and unprecedented period of time for children to be at home with their families. Vulnerable children including those with Education, Care & Heath plans may have access to educational provision, this is not an automatic right but requires individualised decision making by stakeholders (IPSEA, 2020; Council for Disabled Children, 2020; Unicef, 2020). “However, the key message remains: if it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be” (IPSEA, 2020).
Children with SEN/D may be at greater risk of being infected with COVID-19 for a number of reasons including ability to maintain effective self-care e.g. handwashing, care needs require close contact with carers, underlying health conditions may make them more susceptible (WHO, 2020).
Disabled children are at significantly greater risk of being abused than those children without additional needs (Miller & Brown, 2014) and with the current need for social distancing and isolation more vulnerable children can be at an increased risk. As the NSPCC (2020) explain, being home with demanding children, with potentially less support than usual, can increase tension and abuse occurrences, furthermore the signs of abuse could go unseen by communities.
Educators need to consider the mental well-being of children as a priority at this time and to develop an understanding of how to support children and families through the crisis. The resources outlined below provide theory, information and practical ideas to: support mental well-being of children and parents, promote positive behaviour and enable individualised engaging, fun learning to continue.
BBC Bitesize: Parents' Toolkit: SEND
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zh9v382
This website provides resources to specifically support the ‘lockdown period’ although these obviously have use well beyond this period. Themes include:
- Supporting metal well-being e.g. mindfulness, keeping calm
- Activities and Learning e.g. music, reading, Makaton
- Tips and advice e.g. supporting children in times of uncertainty, specific advice for specific impairments
- Personal stories. How families are managing and succeeding at home
Point: Additional Needs and Disabilities
https://www.point-send.co.uk/at-home-resources
“POINT have compiled a list of useful educational, creative and activity resources that will be helpful for families to access from home” (Point, 2020). Point have sourced a wide variety of ideas and engaging activities from various websites. Themes include:
- Harry Potter
- Phonics
- Maths
- David Walliams audio stories
- Coronavirus: a story for kids
University College London
UCL have made “a series of information resources to help parents, carers and families support pupils with SEND at home during the period of school closures” (UCL, 2020). Themes include:
- Managing the transition to home learning
- Communication and interaction
- Social, emotional and mental health for young people and families
- Real life learning
The Challenging Behaviour Foundation
https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/information/covid19information.html
This organisation recognise the challenges that COVID-19 may present some families in terms of managing children’s behaviour. They have created downloadable leaflets that cover a number of topics including:
- Challenging Behaviour - Supporting your Loved One at Home
- Supporting Children with Severe Learning Disabilities at Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Coronavirus – restrictions placed on family contact
Learning Disability Wales
https://www.ldw.org.uk/project/coronavirus/
“We have gathered together useful resources about Coronavirus (COVID-19), including some good easy read guides, for people with a learning disability in Wales” Learning Disability Wales (2020).
- Easy read guides and posters e.g. about the Coronavirus, social distancing
- Death and bereavement e.g. gref and isolation, coping with death
- Mental Health and well-being e.g. good days & bad days during lockdown
- Children and families e.g. the sensory projects – educational resources
Department of Education (2020) Psychosocial Support Recreational Activities Resource Guide. Amman: UNRWA.
- A booklet containing recreational activities for children living in challenging contexts to support their mental wellbeing. The activities include games, crafts, visual arts, music, drama and relaxation activities, each lasting 10 to 40 minutes, and are tailored to different age groups from 5-16 years old. The activities are based on 3 themes: ‘myself’, ‘my peers’ and ‘my community’. The ‘myself’ theme strengthens personal skills such as concentration, self-confidence, empathy and emotional awareness; ‘my peers’ activities aim to strengthen social skills; and the ‘my community’ theme strengthens awareness of the wider community, with a particular focus on conflict resolution.
BBC. (2020). BBC Bitesize: Parents' Toolkit: SEND. [online]. Available from: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zh9v382
Council for Disabled Children. (2020). Coronavirus Spotlight: What does the Coronavirus Act 2020 mean for children and young people with SEND. [online]. Available from: https://councilfordisabledchildren.org.uk/news-opinion/news/coronavirus-spotlight-what-does-coronavirus-act-2020-mean-children-and-young-people-send
IPSEA. (2020). IPSEA update on COVID-19, school closures and SEN provision. [online]. Available from: https://www.ipsea.org.uk/news/ipsea-update-on-covid-19-school-closures-and-sen-provision
Learning Disability Wales. (2020). Coronavirus: resources for people with a learning disability. [online]. Available from: https://www.ldw.org.uk/project/coronavirus/
Miller, D., & Brown, J. (2014). ‘We have the right to be safe’ Protecting disabled children from abuse. [online]. Available from: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/globalassets/documents/research-reports/right-safe-disabled-children-abuse-report.pdf
NSPCC. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) and keeping children safe from abuse. [online]. Available from: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/reporting-abuse/coronavirus-abuse-neglect-vulnerable-children/
Point. (2020). At Home Resources. [online]. Available from: https://www.point-send.co.uk/at-home-resources
The Challenging Behaviour Foundation. (2020). COVID-19 - Information and resources. [online]. Available from: https://www.challengingbehaviour.org.uk/information/covid19information.html
UCL. (2020). Home schooling children with SEND. [online]. Available from: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/centre-inclusive-education/homeschooling-children-send
Unicef. (2020). COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities. [online]. Available from: https://www.unicef.org/disabilities/files/COVID-19_response_considerations_for_people_with_disabilities_190320.pdf
UNRWA. (2020). Psychosocial Support Recreational Activities Resource Guide. [online]. Available from: https://www.unrwa.org/sites/default/files/content/resources/recreational_activities_resource_guide.pdf
WHO. (2020). Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak. [online]. Available from: https://www.who.int/who-documents-detail/disability-considerations-during-the-covid-19-outbreak
