Special Educational Needs & Disabilities

There are many specialist associations and charities in the field of SEND which cater for
the more than fifty special needs of learners that a teacher may come across during their
career. The entries below provide a starting point for finding specialist advice.

All good teachers have a commitment to their students beyond simply being instructors
of known facts and processes. Understanding the cognitive and physical diversity of your
pupils and the types of interventions that may be useful in addressing particular areas
of SEND will help you plan effective and enjoyable lessons to help individual learners
overcome the barriers to learning that they are experiencing in negotiating pathways
across the threshold concepts in your subject. (Threshold concepts are those areas of
knowledge which provide the foundations for further learning in a subject).

Much advice you will find is good practice for all students, take for example
the BATOD Foundation’s advice on checking the acoustics of your classroom
www.meshguides.org/guides/node/138?n=137.
The National Institute for Clinical and Health Excellence (NICE)
(www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/informationforpublic) and the NHS (www.nhs.uk)
may be good starting points for understanding some special needs as both provide quality
assured research based advice on a wide range of areas of health and development
including many of those below.

This page signposts charities and not-for-profit organisations providing support in specific
areas of SEND. Please be aware, these organisations are not CfSA members so they have not been subjected to the usual CfSA quality assurance processes.

Alphabetical list of organisations providing advice on a variety of specialist needs of pupils:

Arthritis: Versus Arthritis for information on juvenile arthritis www.versusarthritis.org
Arthritis Action for advice for schools www.arthritisaction.org.uk/living-with-arthritis/what-is-arthritis/other-types-of-arthritis

Aspergers: National Autistic Society www.autism.org.uk/about/what-is/asperger.aspx

Asthma UK: Advice for Schools www.asthma.org.uk/advice/child/life/school

Attention deficit disorder(ADD) and Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) the ADHD Foundation www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/information/schools

Autism and Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD): National Autistic Society www.autism.org.uk/about/in-education.aspx

Body dysmorphic disorder: MIND, the mental health charity www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/body-dysmorphic-disorderbdd/about-bdd

Behavioural emotional and social difficulties: Most local authorities and many schools
publish advice. (National advice for England is www.sendgateway.org.uk/download.idp-supporting-pupils-with-behavioural-emotional-and-social-difficulties.html)

Cystic fibrosis: Cystic fibrosis Trust www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/what-is-cystic-fibrosis

Chronic fatigue syndrome: NHS provides advice www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronicfatigue-syndrome-cfs

Deafness: British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD) www.batod.org.uk,
BATOD Foundation (see Deaf entry www.meshagain.meshguides.org/articles)

Downs syndrome: Downs Syndrome Association www.downs-syndrome.org.uk

Dyslexia: British dyslexia Association www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

Dyspraxia: Dyspraxia Foundation (for development coordination difficulties) www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Gifted and talented: national advice is here – https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/6659/7/312_DFES_identification_document-4_Redacted.pdf

Eating disorders: see NHS advice for England www.nhs.uk/conditions/eating-disorders

Emotional and behavioural difficulties: SEBDA www.sebda.org

Epilepsy: Epilepsy Action www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/what-is-epilepsy

Looked after children: advice should be available from your local authority

Mental Health: see NHS advice www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/helpingothers
MIND www.mind.org.uk

NASEN (National Association for Special Educational Needs) www.nasen.org.uk

National Sensory Impairment Partnership www.natsip.org.uk/cpd-for-specialistteachers/3699-batod-foundation-mesh-guides

Physical disabilities: Council for disabled children www.sendgateway.org.uk/organisations.council-for-disabled-children.html
SCOPE www.scope.org.uk/services

SEND Magazine – www.sendmagazine.co.uk

Speech, language and communication difficulties: AFASIC www.afasic.org.uk

Tourettes syndrome: Tourettes Action www.tourettes-action.org.uk

Visual impairment: RNIB www.rnib.org.uk/eye-health/registering-your-sight-loss/criteria-certification

Note: The British Assistive Technologies Association www.bataonline.org.uk,
www.bataonline.org.uk/groups/educationalists-registration provides support on
Assistive Technology solutions.