STAGES TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISORDERS AND SPECIAL NEEDS

In  England  there are four stages:

1. Assesment.
1. You are put in a waiting list.
2. A team of specialists will assess the child in order to find out what is the problem and to  make a correct diagnosis.
2. A plan
1.  A specific plan is made for the child
2. Which are their needs, and supports in the class. 
1. It must be decided if it is preferable to attend to a special school or  to attend  an  ordinary school with some extra supports such a speech therapist or a support teacher, a special computer, a braille machine or a microphone.
3. Determine which contents are more suitable for this person.
1. For example, if there is a person with a Down syndrome, there are some contents which must be prioritised such as to increase independent skills such as to take the bus or to dealing with money in a shop.
3. To carry out the plan
4. To  review the results

SENCO  means Special Educational Needs Coordinator.

In Spain, the process is similar. There is a first assessment before starting in a primary school. Sometimes the recommendation is to attend a special school but most of the time the preferable option is the choice of an ordinary school in order to facilitate social inclusion.

Then there is a counselor in primary and secondary schools who coordinates all the needs of these children. Most of the time these chilcren are in the classroom with their classmates, but sometimes  they attend special lessons with a support teacher in small groups.

But, talking about inclusion, the question which apears over and over again is: 

• Is a French or mathematics teacher, por instance, prepared to really teach these students?
• And even in this case, have they really the time to take care of them in a proper way without neglecting the rest of the class?

To end this post, click  here  to watch a little comic.