What You Will Learn

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Course is set across the following six, incredibly in-depth, modules:
• Introduction
• Childhood Learning Disabilities
• Autism
• Behavioural, Social and Emotional Difficulties
• Specific Learning Difficulties. Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and Dyspraxia
• Speech, Language & Communication Needs (SLCN)
• Every Child is a Unique Learner

Every child is different and has their own unique pattern of how they learn about the world around them. Good classroom teaching should use a variety of teaching methods to reflect the different preferred learning styles of the children in the class, and to enable every child to be able to engage in learning.

When a child has special educational needs or a disability, learning can be much harder and it doesn’t always happen as easily as it does for other children. Different styles of teaching, resources, additional equipment, or adaptations to the classroom may have to be made to enable children with additional needs in order for them to reach their full potential.

SEND – Special Educational Needs and Disability

Special Educational Needs and Disability is abbreviated to SEND, and this term will be used throughout this and the following modules of this course.

SEND education takes place in the context of current legislation, so the way it is implemented will alter from one country to the next, however, many of the principles are similar and there are commonalities in terms of best practice regardless of location.

What is a Special Educational Need or Disability?

The term “Special Educational Needs” has a legal definition that is covered by both The Education Act of 1996 and the more recent Children and Families Act of 2014. To have a Special Educational Need, a child must have a learning difficulty or learning disability that makes it significantly harder for them to learn or to access education compared to most children of the same age.

The term “Disability” also has a legal definition under the Equality Act 2010. A person has a disability if they have a physical or a mental impairment that has a “substantial” and “long-term” negative effect on their ability to do normal daily activities.

The terms “Substantial” and “Long-Term” are also defined within the same Act as being:

Substantial – more than minor or trivial. For instance, it would take someone significantly longer to complete a normal daily task such as getting dressed.

Long-term – is defined as lasting for more than 12 months.

Altogether, around 16% of all children and young people will be identified as having some form of SEN at some stage during their education, although most of them will have their educational needs successfully met within the mainstream classroom. Just over 1% of children will have a level of SEN that is so significant that they may need a specialist educational provision, such as attending a special school.

The is a lot of cross-over between special educational needs and disability, and many children who have a disability will also have an additional special educational need. However, this isn’t always the case, and every child’s need should be addressed individually.

There are many different types of educational need, and even with children who have broadly similar needs, the approaches each child will benefit from may vary widely. Here are some of the types of need that the term SEN covers:

• A specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• A learning disability, which can be mild, moderate, severe or profound and multiple
• A Speech and Language Disorder
• A Sensory Processing Disorder
• An Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• A behavioural, emotional or social difficulty

There is sometimes confusion over the terms “Learning Difficulty” and “Learning Disability”. A learning difficulty normally refers to a specific aspect of learning, such as Dyslexia which affects the acquisition of reading skills. A Learning Disability normally refers to an Intellectual Impairment and there are different levels of Learning Disability depending on severity, ranging from Mild to Profound and Multiple.

However many children have both a Learning Disability and at least one Learning Difficulty, as well as other disabilities or medical conditions.

Who Would Enjoy the Course

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Course is primarily suited to educators, parents, and those who care for children with special needs or disabilities. The course is also excellent for those who wish to begin a career within the education industry or who are interested in teaching theories and practices.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Course will take you up to 150 hours to complete working from home. There is no time limit for completing this course, it can be studied in your own time at your own pace. The course comes with a course assessment in the form of quizzes, written questions and short essays, once you have completed your course assessment please email or post it back to us for marking, you will then receive your feedback and certificates.

This course is accredited by the CMA (Complementary Medical Association), which is internationally recognised as the elite force in professional, ethical complementary medicine by professional practitioners, doctors and, increasingly, by the general public. Upon completion of the course you can gain membership to the CMA, which in addition to supplying a professional accreditation, offers a number of benefits, all of which can be found here.

This course also is certified by the IANLPC (International Association of NLP & Coaching) and the IAHT (International Alliance of Holistic Therapists), both of which are internationally recognised organisations. The IAHT certify personal development, health, fitness and nutrition courses. The IANLPC is a global support network for NLP Professionals and coaches, including the fields of Life Coaching, Hypnotherapy Business Coaching, Leadership, Nutritional, CBT, Personal Development and Holistic Therapy.