SEND areas of need in early years

Information about different types of need for children aged 0 to 5.

The SEND code of practice categorises SEND into 4 broad areas of need – children may have difficulties in one area, or may have a range of needs (sometime called complex needs).

You should not aim to fit the child strictly into the categories but should be flexible in understanding the whole child, using whichever parts of the different areas are relevant.

The 4 areas of need are:

  • cognition and learning
  • communication and interaction
  • sensory and/or physical needs
  • social, emotional, and mental health

It is important to remember that whilst these are some of the identified needs within the 4 broad areas of need, they are not the only needs or areas of support a child may require.

Not all children with special educational needs are disabled. At the same time, a child or young person may be disabled but will only have special educational needs if the disability impacts on his or her learning.

Where a child or young person has a disability and/or special educational needs, there are laws and guidance to help ensure that their needs are recognised and supported.

  • Children are identified as having cognition and learning needs if they have difficulties with literacy and numeracy (which therefore impacts their ability to access learning across the curriculum), or if their levels of attainment are significantly below age-related expectations.

    Some children with cognition and learning needs may have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) which may be noticed in the early years.

    Detailed below are some examples of specific learning difficulties.

    Dyscalculia

    Children with dyscalculia have difficulty in acquiring maths-based skills. This can be especially clear if a child doesn’t experience challenges in other areas of learning. Children with dyscalculia can struggle with spotting patterns and making estimates.

    Dysgraphia

    Dysgraphia is a specific learning difficulty that can affect a child's ability to express themselves through writing. Dysgraphia affects fine motor skills. This means that it is often the case that children with dysgraphia can express themselves fluently orally but struggle when writing.

    In the early years, you may notice children struggle with their fine motor skills and be reluctant to access activities that target fine motor skills.

    Dyslexia

    Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that affects the way that someone processes information. This makes skills like spelling and reading difficult and can affect organisational skills and memory. These needs may not be noticed in the early years.

    Dyspraxia

    Dyspraxia is also known as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). For children with dyspraxia, fine and gross motor skills can be difficult to learn. This means that they can show signs of clumsiness and struggle with organisation skills.

    Children with dyspraxia may also have poor balance, coordination and spatial awareness, and may try and avoid certain actions like running, skipping and hopping. You may notice children with dyspraxia find physical activities challenging – it is important to note there are other reasons why children may struggle with balance and coordination linked to hearing.

    Other children identified as having cognition and learning needs may have more general learning difficulties or disabilities. These are known as global difficulties, sometimes referred to as ‘Global Developmental Delay’ and include moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

    MLD

    Children with MLD may have greater difficulty in basic literacy and numeracy. They may also have speech and language issues. Children with MLD are likely to need additional support outside of the curriculum. This may be speech and language therapy or targeted interventions.

    SLD

    Children with severe learning difficulties are likely to need substantial support in accessing all areas of the curriculum and may need support accessing the environment.

    Most children with SLD have other needs such as physical, sensory, communication and interaction needs, and social and emotional needs, as well as their cognition and learning needs.

    PMLD

    Children with profound and multiple learning difficulties have more than one disability, the most significant of which is a profound learning disability.

    Having a profound learning disability and other disabilities significantly affects an individual's ability to communicate and be independent.

    Children with PMLD may have difficulties seeing, hearing, speaking and moving. It is likely that they will have needs in all 4 areas.

  • Communication and interaction can encompass a lot of needs and challenges that a child may have, including Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC).

    Some communication and interaction challenges that can present themselves in autistic children include:

    • difficulties understanding and using verbal and non-verbal communication
    • understanding social behaviours and expectations, which can impact on a child's ability to interact with other children and adults around them
    • a reliance on structure and routine in their life

    As well as ASC, communication and interaction can also include Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).

    Children and young people can experience a range of difficulties that are linked with speech and language.

    SLCN can present themselves in a variety of ways, including:

    • the production of speech
    • struggling with finding the right word, or not being able to join words together in a meaningful way
    • problems communicating through speech, for example difficulties finding the correct language to express thoughts and ideas that they are having
    • difficulties and delays in understanding or responding to verbal cues from others
    • understanding and using language in specific social situations

    Useful links for communication and interaction support

    Key information to support the needs of individual children

    Speech and Language Setting Support (SaLSS)

    The Speech and Language Therapy Service and SaLSS therapists liaise with the early years and childcare advisors to ensure appropriate support is available to early years settings.

  • Sensory and/or physical needs may include a physical disability (PD) which hinders their ability to access standard provision. This may also include visual impairment (VI), hearing impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI).

    Support for these children is individualised, however there may be changes to the settings environment that you can make to allow children to access.

    Sensory needs

    In West Sussex the Sensory Support Team can provide advice and suggest equipment for early years and childcare providers to support children with hearing and visual impairments, and physical disabilities.

    For most children these needs are identified at birth and the team will already be aware of them. You can contact the team if you have queries or concerns about a child using the details below.

    New referrals from parent, carers and professionals should be made to either the Lead Advisory Teacher for VI or the Lead Qualified Advisory Teacher of the deaf by calling 01903 270430.

    Physical needs

    Keeping the layout of a room or space the same with furniture always in the same place can help a lot. It can help children to learn and give them confidence to explore safely if they can move around.

    Make sure there are ramps and grab rails available where needed.

    If a child requires specialist equipment to support them in your setting, their occupational therapist can send a request to our specialist team who will ensure the equipment is ordered and delivered to the setting.

    This equipment is owned by West Sussex, so if the child leaves or out grows their equipment, you should contact the Family Information Service who can arrange for the equipment to be collected.

  • SEMH needs may include a range of mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders or physical symptoms which are medically unexplained.

    This could include behaviour you may find challenging, as well as conditions such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

    Building relationships to feel safe and secure

    Attachment theory tells us that having a primary adult (or key worker in a setting) who meets a child’s needs will support them to feel emotionally secure, especially during settling in times.

    Consider introducing small groups where an adult is assigned to the small group, or regularly rotate staff to cover different routines or activities. This both supports the child to feel secure (knowing to which group they belong and which worker is supporting them that day) and can support the development of relationships.

    • Ensure any expectations and boundaries are clear and consistent.
    • Facilitate play with one other child or a small group.
    • Find common interests, likes and dislikes to support interactions.
    • Consider snack or meal times and how best to support the child; whilst a social time, these moments in the day can be overwhelming.
    • Use books and stories about friendship or relationships and model what ‘good’ relationships look like.
    • Create an environment of care and respect.

    Supporting social interactions and managing feelings

    • Consider how you will model positive interactions.
    • Use narration when a child is playing and comment on positive actions you observe.
    • Support children during shared play and provide opportunities for interactions with one other child, or in small groups.
    • Think about shared interests to support forming relationships with other children.
    • Organise activities where children can share likes/dislikes and interests. For example, bringing in photos or objects to share.
    • Support children to name emotions and provide the language, introduce language about emotions during calmer times of the day and through play.
    • Support and enable children to express themselves appropriately, if for example they are angry or anxious (help them to learn and use the names for feelings).
    • Provide activities which support children to develop emotional literacy; play games with puppets, read stories around feelings or emotions and use role play.
    • Provide regular outdoor play to support children who may benefit from more open spaces and opportunities to be ‘noisy’ when playing.

    Reducing stressful situations and supporting transition times

    • You might want to work with a Speech and Language Therapist and in partnership with parents around supporting children’s understanding, for example, using visual resources.
    • Use clear instructions and visuals where needed to explain what is happening. For example, objects of reference or photos; you might use a nappy at changing time; cup at snack time; book for circle time.
    • Be consistent with visual prompts used and consider using any prompts to support children if there are changes to the daily routine.
    • As a team, observe transition times and regularly review the routine; can you make any changes or reduce the number of transitions?
    • Think about the environment and how you can create one that is welcoming, feels safe and reassuring. For example, some children find busy displays difficult, bright rooms or certain noises unsettling and large groups overwhelming.

    Useful links for supporting SEMH

  • As an early years and childcare provider, it can feel daunting to take on the responsibilities of supporting children with medical needs. With the information on this webpage, support from early years SEND and health teams, with time you start to learn a lot about children’s medical conditions and how best to support them.

    You may feel overwhelmed and nervous at the start of the journey, but the top tips listed below should help you with supporting children to access your provision.

    Seek advice and support

    Our Early Years and Childcare Advisors (EYCAs) for SEND and Inclusion will be able to support you in accessing any medical training required to support a child in your care. This medical training has funding attached – an EYCA can advise you on the process and how to access.

    Ask lots of questions of healthcare providers supporting the child and take the time to chat to parents to find out all about their child’s condition and needs. Keep in mind that parents will feel anxious about leaving their child, so it's important you listen and offer as much reassurance as possible.

    Create a positive environment

    There can be a lot of worry and stress around a child’s medical condition but as a setting, you should make it a happy place for the child to be. The child should be always treated fairly and practitioners should use positive language about the child’s condition. This will create a happy environment for the child to attend.

    Practitioners should also adjust any activities to ensure the child is getting the best education and is being treated fairly. You should refer to the SEND Code of Practice and Equalities Act 2010 to ensure your practice is inclusive. Reasonable adjustments should be made to meet children’s needs and keep them safe.

    Ensure healthcare plans are in place

    Every child with a medical condition should have a full healthcare plan. This should be completed by healthcare professionals looking after the child, the child’s parents or carers and also the manager of the setting.

    The plan should outline the procedures that take place while the child is in the setting. It should be updated when necessary and be there to support practitioners.

    It is vital that all practitioners have a good understanding of the child’s needs. There should be a clear procedure that the whole setting follow in the case of a medical emergency.

    Funding support

    There is funding available to train staff to support children with medical needs. Speak to an EYCA for SEND and Inclusion for further information.

    If you are unsure how to contact your local EYCA for SEND and Inclusion, contact the Family Information Service who will provide you with these details.

    Settings may also be able to claim Disability Access Fund (DAF) and/or Inclusion Funding to help support children in the setting.