| There are many different reasons why a child can have additional support needs and they can last for a short period of time, long-term or lifelong. For example, a child who has experienced bullying may only have additional support needs for a set period of time until the difficulties come to an end. On the other hand, children or young people with a disability or health need, such as an ADD, may have additional support needs throughout and beyond their education.
Additional support needs can also occur at any stage in a child or young person's education. For some, these needs may only become evident through assessment and development. Some needs may be simple to identify and assess while others may be complex and concealed. |
| A person who has learning disabilities cannot cope up with the standard curricula being used in the classroom for students. The student can try but her/his pace of learning will suffer at some stage. In order to help the child take things at her/his pace and for her/him to be taught effectively, the additional support needs ought to be assessed and identified. A teacher, who has knowledge of such problems, can better help the student than a teacher who is unaware of the child’s predicament and treats her/him harshly for poor performance. Also, when needs are identified the school can provide the relevant facilities for the student, such as prescribing extra hours with the teacher, or recommending a different style of teaching. Finally, it is important for children's additional support needs to be identified as early as possible so that appropriate support can be put in place. This can prevent further difficulties developing later on and in maximizing learning opportunities for all children.
Education for All – Going Inclusive
All children have the right to a good quality education and inclusive education ensures that the children are given that right. Parents, whose children need additional support, should not automatically assume that their child needs to go to a special school. The concept of inclusive education is being widely promoted and many schools now try to accommodate children with varying levels of additional support needs in the mainstream classroom. Studying in an inclusive classroom is beneficial, since it leads to greater interaction with the students and reduces the feeling of being discriminated for the students who are challenged.
Identifying Needs - Staged Intervention
In Scotland where a law has been passed on Additional Support Needs, a method called staged intervention is used to assess the needs of the children. Staged Intervention is used as a means of identification, assessment, planning and review to meet the learning needs of children and young people, and provides a solution-focused approach to meeting needs at the earliest opportunity and with the least intrusive level of intervention. It provides schools with structured planning and record-keeping procedures for those pupils who have additional support needs as well as a format for evaluating the strategies developed to support the pupil.
Children and young people will be placed on a Stage of Intervention depending on how their needs impact on their learning. The system is designed to be very flexible and to enable movement between stages depending on progress made.
The 3 Stages of Staged Intervention
Stage 1
- The class teacher will have taken into account the pupil's learning style, will have differentiated the curriculum and tried a variety of classroom strategies.
- If support in class does not address the difficulty, the teacher will consult and work with the support staff (if available) in school. Proposed targets are agreed.
- If the intervention is successful the child or young person would come off the Stage 1 list. If the additional support needs continue to be unresolved further interventions could be put in place.
- If difficulties persist a review meeting should be called and a move to Stage 2 be discussed.
- Most children and young people’s needs will be met at the classroom level by the class teacher’s observations, assessments and planning for the class as a whole, for groups and for individuals.
Stage 2
- The lead teacher will contact specialized institutes e.g. speech and language therapist, psychologist to discuss difficulties and to help devise strategies to meet the child/young person's needs.
- Observation and consultation may be used at this stage
- A meeting of parents and professionals would discuss the results of this work and suggested strategies put in place.
- At the Stage 2 review joint decisions would be made as to appropriate next steps based on the progress made towards addressing the additional support needs.
- This could include - a move to Stage 1, remain at Stage 2 or a move to Stage 3.
- Where your child has needs identified which cannot be met wholly by the class teacher’s planning then assistance from support staff if available within the school will be requested. Observations and further assessment will help the staff plan for and monitor how your child is achieving.
Stage 3
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 Targets are set, needs are fully evaluated, strategies are put in place and monitored.
- Children who require substantial adaptation of the curriculum will discuss the possibility of an individualized education plan.
- Should your child continue to have difficulties in moving forward with his/her learning help, advice and direct involvement may be requested from specialist organizations and people. At this stage, a record of your child’s needs, the support required to meet those needs, the learning outcomes and the planning needed for the programme will be drawn up.
While in Pakistan, a proper method has yet to be designed and formalized but teachers and parents can always use the method of “Staged Intervention” to determine the level of additional support required by children.
Reference: www.stirling.gov.uk/asl
About the Writer:
Ms. Riffat Rashid is presently working as an Advocacy and Publications Associate at the Sindh Education Foundation.
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