As I listened to an excellent series of radio programmes on the experience of children with special educational needs (SEN) in the UK in the last two weeks, I felt a growing sense of impotence.
I have dedicated the last 37 years of my professional life working in private practice with children presenting with SEN's and under-achievement. On an individual basis, we have made a significant difference not only to their immediate presenting problems but also to their life opportunities.
My work has not focused on the obvious difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, attention or emotional regulation, but in looking at the developmental status of the child, identifying areas of immaturity and devising physical programmes to improve the physical basis for learning.
While physical factors are not "the whole story" - every child has a unique developmental history - immature physical abilities can have an impact on every aspect of learning and behaviour from the ability to sit still and sensitivity to sensory stimuli, to control of the eye movements needed to support reading and visual-perception, and hand-eye coordination (writing). Many children enter the school system with under-developed neuromotor skills and research has shown a correlation between less mature physical skills and educational underachievement (1).
Despite a growing body of evidence indicating that immature physical skills are a significant factor in many neurodevelopmental disorders (dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit disorder (ADD) and developmental coordination disorder (DCD)), there is currently no national system of screening children who might need referral. As a result, children, parents and schools can wait up to three years for referral during which time vital "windows" for acquiring specific skills are lost and follow up tends to focus on symptoms versus underlying mechanisms.
In 1996, I adapted part of the assessment procedures we use in private practise to compile a simple screening test, which teachers could use in the classroom. This screening test is not intended to replace specialist investigations or to form the basis for a diagnosis, but to enable teachers to identify children who might benefit from a daily physical programme. The publication also comprises a developmental movement programme designed to be used in schools with a whole class of children, targeting those most in need but also supporting those who are the hidden under-achievers in the system.
Reports from schools in the UK and other countries where the screening test and programme have been implemented can be found at: https://www.inpp.org.uk/inppschoolprogrammereports
After a professional lifetime of working in the area of SEN, I share the frustration of parents and children today who continue to wait for referral, assessment and effective intervention to help them overcome their special educational needs.
Forty years ago, every child was assessed by a school medical officer at the time of starting school. Basic tests were carried out for balance, coordination, hearing and vision. As the drive to focus on evidence based medicine gathered momentum, it was suggested that as the system had no remedy for children who under-performed on the tests, routine assessment should be discontinued.
The stories of today and the plethora of diagnostic categories used to describe educational under-achievement are partly the legacy of this decision and an unwillingness to explore simple processes that could make a significant difference to many lives.
References:
NEELB 2004. An evaluation of the pilot INPP movement programme in primary schools in the North-Eastern Education and Library Board (NEEL), Northern Ireland. Final Report. Compiled by Brainbox Research Ltd. Leeds.