What are Special Educational Needs

SEN

Children or young people who have Special Educational Needs (SEN) will be those who have learning difficulties or disabilities that will make it difficult for them to learn as other children of the same age do. Many children and young people will have SEN at some point in their education without this requiring a major problem throughout their lives. 

It is necessary that educational institutions can assess these needs in children to be able to attend them correctly, as well as other institutions or families. Children must learn to overcome the barriers of their difficulties quickly and easily with the help of the appropriate professionals. Some children will need extra help and others will need all of their time or adjust the first years of school or even college.

Types of special educational needs

There are many types of special educational needs

Here is a presentation of some of the cases that may occur in this context:

  • Educational needs may be related to the sensory or physical realm. For example, visual or hearing impairment. Communication is very present in the learning process since the student accesses different materials that offer information on each topic. For this reason, students with visual or hearing difficulties must have the necessary resources for the study. However, it should be remembered that beyond any assessment, the service is always personalized. The characteristics of each student are always individual since, for example, the degree of hearing loss is specific to each case.
  • Motor disability. The educational center must offer a safe and obstacle-free space for the child. In this way, the environment enhances the autonomy of the student to move comfortably from one point to another. This type of difficulty can occur permanently or temporarily. This disability influences the performance of some daily activities. Therefore, it is convenient to adapt the learning scenario so that the student encourages its discovery and can access the resources available to them. Student integration is holistic. In other words, communication and the emotional well-being of the minor must also be taken care of.
  • Chronic diseases. A health diagnosis and its corresponding treatment, produces changes in the patient's life. For example, during an admission to the hospital, the student cannot go to class. And sometimes the hospital stay can last for many days. A hospital admission changes the previous routine. But the most important thing is that the patient can recover and, in turn, continue with their learning process. This is evidenced by hospital pedagogy. School is much more than a learning environment, it is also a space for fellowship in which students share significant moments. For this reason, the education that is promoted in the field of hospital classrooms improves the quality of life of children.
  • Learning disorders such as the dyslexia. It poses a difficulty in learning to read from different points of view: reading comprehension, verbal fluency and rhythm. Dyscalculia, a learning disorder, refers to the difficulty associated with studying mathematics. The student shows some kind of obstacle in the realization of calculations such as a sum of several numbers, a division, a subtraction or a multiplication.
  • Transitory educational needs: this type of difficulty manifests itself during a specific period as a consequence of different factors. The student requires greater attention during a specific time of his academic life. Transitory needs are therefore temporary in nature.
  • Permanent educational needson the contrary, they remain for the entire school period.
  • High capacities. When a student presents a need for educational support it is because, among other factors, the usual classroom routine is not aligned with what is required at that time. In this case, the student shows high academic performance or has great potential. The person stands out in one area or several. The student soon assimilates new information and integrates it with what was previously learned.
  • Anxiety disorders. This factor has a negative influence on concentration, and motivation and in school performance.

It is very important that there is close communication between the educational centers and the families of children with special educational needs. School is a reference environment for the student, but so is the home. For this reason, fathers and mothers also guide their children in this learning process. The educational center accompanies families to answer questions, offer support and accompaniment tools. The family's commitment to their child's education is very important, but it is also necessary that they have realistic expectations of the child's own learning process (without comparing its pace with that of other classmates).

In addition, it must be taken into account that also may have educational needs of a social nature, such as reinforcement classes, or being in a class with few students. If so, the school tutor plays a fundamental role, since the child will need someone with whom he can express himself with confidence, and also someone to guide him in the process of socialization with other children.

Scholarships for students with special educational needs

Scholarships and grants for students with a specific need for educational support are convened by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. To be informed of the publication of the next call you can consult the BOE. In past calls, these grants offered direct support for students affected by Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD.

As a consequence of this disorder, the student requires specific monitoring. These direct aids also offer support to students with autism spectrum disorder. This convocation offers, on the one hand, aid and subsidies for students who have a need for educational support as a result of a disability or conduct disorder.

Moreover, the grants are also aimed at students whose specific need for educational support is related to high abilities. When applying for a scholarship of these characteristics, it is necessary to carefully consult the bases and, also, check what are the requirements that applicants must meet.

In this case, it is essential to prove the specific need for educational support that the student requires when you apply for said scholarship. The academic center in which the student studies can also offer information of interest to the family in relation to the subject discussed in this point: scholarships and grants.

Difficulties of Children with Special Educational Needs

When a child, youth or adult has Special Educational Needs (SEN) they will show difficulties in:

  • Learning difficulties, in the acquisition of basic skills in a normalized environment, in school or other educational institutions.
  • Health difficulties, social, emotional or mental.
  • Specific learning difficulties (reading, writing, understanding information, etc.)
  • Sensory or physical needs (hearing impairment, visual impairment, physical difficulties that may affect normal development)
  • Communication problems to express yourself or understand what others say
  • Medical conditions or health

SEN

Children and young people can progress at different rates and have different ways to learn better. Professionals in education and psychopedagogy They should take this into account in order to organize their classes, their sessions and thus be able to teach in a suitable way to the personal needs of children or young people. Children or young people who progress more slowly or who have particular difficulties in an area, should have additional help to be able to achieve success in their learning.

Special Educational Needs: basic principles

There are a number of basic principles that everyone involved in the education of children with SEN should consider. When working with children with SEN it is important to keep the following points in mind:

  • If a child has SEN, the teaching should be taken into account and adapted to the child's personal needs, to his rhythm and to his learning style. It should be a broad, balanced and relevant education.
  • The views of the parents should be taken into account and the wishes of the child listened to.
  • The needs of children with SEN will have to be attended to by external specialists in some cases.
  • Parents should have the utmost voice in all decisions that affect their child.
  • Parents are the most important people when it comes to raising their children.

Get proper help

The first years of the children, as soon as SEN are identified, it will be necessary to obtain help according to the child's needs. The first years of life are a crucial time for the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development of children. If you think that your child may have a developmental problem, don't let it pass, You should go to your doctor quickly to assess your child's situation and obtain the necessary help.

SEN

Then you should go to your child's school to talk with their teachers and assess if they have also noticed any problems in the classroom. The school must take responsibility for helping children with SEN. You can ask questions at school like:

  • Do you think my son is having problems of some kind?
  • Is my son able to work at the same level as the rest of his classmates?
  • Does my child need extra support?
  • Are there enough resources at school to be able to help children with difficulties? Which?

If the child's school with SEN agrees that they may have SEN in some areas, steps will need to be taken to discover it and take the appropriate steps. They will probably send you to the school psychologist to take some tests to assess your ability or to diagnose, together with other professionals, possible difficulties. In addition, the help of a educational counselor It will be essential for the child, since it will help them to study at their own pace.

Children with SEN should be cared for in such a way that they can enhance all their capacities to the maximum, without comparisons with other children of his age, but taking into account his potentialities and all that he can achieve.

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  1.   Roxana said

    Thank you for this information presented in a concise and clear way.