Navigating the SEND world together.

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication): Tools and techniques that support or replace spoken language, such as gesture, sign language, picture boards, word boards or speech-generating devices known as Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs).

Academy: An academy is a mainstream school that receives funding directly from the Government and is independent from direct control by the local authority. The majority of academies are secondary schools, but some primary schools also have academy status.

Adaptive Behaviour: A collection of social, practical and conceptional skills and behaviour that allow people to cope in their everyday lives.

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder): A condition marked by persistent difficulty sustaining attention, sometimes combined with hyperactivity, impulsive behaviour and emotional responses.

ADOS (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule): An observational tool used by the NHS and private providers to assess for Autism.

Alternative Provision: An educational setting that teaches children and young people who are not able to attend a mainstream school due to behavioural difficulties, a short or long-term illness or who have been permanently excluded.

Annual Review: Under the Children and Families Act 2014, the review of an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) must be completed within 12 months of making the plan and then on an annual basis thereafter to assess progress and update the support needed. An interim review is held every six months for children in early years.

APD (Auditory Processing Disorder): A condition that affects the brain’s ability to process and interpret the signals it is receiving from the ear. It can result in a delay in processing what someone is saying, difficulties in differentiating between similar sounding words and being unable to filter out background noise.

Area of Need: Is the name for the four broad categories used to describe a pupil’s SEND. They are:

·        communication and interaction

·        cognition and learning

·        social, emotional and mental health

·        sensory and physical

ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): Is an eating disorder where food consumption is restricted or avoided altogether. There are three types:

·        Avoidant – food is excluded because of sensory issues such as smell, taste or texture

·        Aversive – eating certain food is distressing because of  an event such as choking, illness or pain associated with that food

·        Restrictive – where a person doesn’t feel hungry or is easily distracted from eating

AFL (Assessment For Learning): An approach to teaching that uses ongoing feedback to help students progress.

ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder): A developmental condition affecting communication, social interaction, and behaviour and may include restricted interests and repetitive behaviours, as well as a range of other symptoms that affect the ability to function properly in school, work, and other areas of life.

AT (Assistive Technology): Tools and devices that help individuals with SEND, such as speech-to-text software or adapted keyboards.

BRIEF (Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning): A questionnaire completed by the parent/carer and teachers that assesses executive functioning behaviours in children aged 5 to 18 years old in the school, home and other typical environments.

BSP (Behaviour Support Plan): A structured plan to help children manage their emotions and behaviours in school or other settings.

BESD (Behavioural, Emotional, and Social Difficulties): Now often referred to as SEMH (Social, Emotional, and Mental Health needs).

Braille: A tactile writing system used by individuals who are visually impaired.

British Picture Vocabulary Scale: Measures a child's understanding of spoken words by asking the child to select a picture that best represents a given word.

BOSA (Brief Observation of Symptoms of Autism): A diagnostic assessment for autism where a parent/carer engages with the child through structured games and discussions while being observed by a clinician, introduced when Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) assessments could not be undertaken due to Covid-19.

BSL (British Sign Language): A complete language using hand movements, facial expressions, and body language, primarily used by the Deaf community in the UK.

Breakout Space: A designated quiet area in schools for children who need time away from a busy classroom environment.

Barrier to Learning: Any difficulty that prevents a child from accessing education effectively, such as a disability, emotional challenge, or lack of appropriate support.

CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services): A specialist NHS service providing support for children and young people with mental health difficulties.

Carer’s Allowance: Is a benefit for people who care (by helping with washing and cooking, taking the person to appointments, and helping with household tasks) for someone at least 35 hours a week and can be applied for if certain eligibility criteria are met such as already receiving another type of benefit. It is means tested.

CDC (The Council for Disabled Children): Is part of the National Children’s Bureau family. It is the umbrella body for the disabled children's sector with a membership of over 300 voluntary and community organisations and an active network of practitioners that spans education, health and social care.  It provides a collective voice that champions the rights of children, young people and their families and challenges barriers to inclusion.

Children & Families Act 2014: Is a government reform that changed the law on special educational needs and disability support. Part 3 of the Act sets out the law on SEND. The Act is supported by the SEND Code of Practice.

Code of Practice: Is a guide for schools and local education authorities about the help to be given to children with special educational needs. Schools and local authorities must have regard to the Code when working with a child with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Cognition and Learning Needs: A category of SEND that includes difficulties with understanding, sustained attention, auditory processing, memory, or problem-solving.

Communication and Interaction Needs: A category of SEND covering difficulties with speech, language, and social communication, often linked to conditions like ASD.

Comorbidities: Are other conditions that are likely to exist along with the main diagnosis or biggest area of need.

Compulsory School Age: A child is of compulsory school age from the beginning of the term following their 5th birthday until the last Friday of June in the year in which they become 16, provided that their 16th birthday falls before the start of the next school year.

Co-Production: The process of professionals and parents working together as equal partners in planning support for a child.

Code of Practice: A government document outlining the legal framework for SEND support in schools and local authorities.

Continuous Provision: Learning opportunities set up in classrooms to encourage independent exploration, often used in early years education.

D-BIT (Divisional Based Intervention Team): The teams work with children and young people, aged between 8 and 17, and their families where there are family relationship difficulties and there is a risk of the child or young person entering care due to relationship breakdown.

Developmental Delay: When a child reaches developmental milestones significantly later than expected for their age.

DFE (Department for Education): Is responsible for children’s services and education, including early years, schools, higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and wider skills in England.

DFG (Disabled Facilities Grant): Can be applied for via the Local Authority to help towards the cost of making adaptations to your home.

DLA (The Disability Living Allowance): Is for children who meet all the eligibility requirements and may require help with the extra costs of looking after a child who:

·        is under 16

·        has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability.

Dyslexia: A learning difficulty that can cause problems with reading, writing and spelling due to problems with identifying speech sounds and learning how they relate to letters and words (decoding).

Dysgraphia: A term used for people with writing difficulties and can include having problems with spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting.

Dyspraxia (Developmental Coordination Disorder - DCD): A condition affecting fine and/or gross motor co-ordination, resulting in difficulties to perform well in daily physical activities, causing difficulties with balance, movement, and spatial awareness, sometimes also accompanied by difficulties in articulation and thought / perception processing.

EFA (Education Funding Agency): Is the government agency that funds education for learners between the ages of 3 and 19, and those with learning difficulties and disabilities between the ages of 3 and 25. The EFA allocates funding to local authorities, which then provide the funding for maintained schools. The EFA directly funds academies and free schools.

EHCP (Education, Health, and Care Plan): A legally binding document outlining the educational, health, and social care needs of a child with SEND up to the age of 25, along with the support required.

It is a legal document written by the local authority.

A diagnosis is not a requirement for an EHCP and nor is the permission or cooperation of the education setting to apply for an EHCP. An EHCP request can be made individually to the Local Authority and they must consider:

1) whether the child or young person has or may have special educational needs (“SEN”); and

2) whether they may need special educational provision to be made through an EHC plan.

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, the local authority must carry out an EHC needs assessment. This test is set out in the law (section 36(8) of the Children and Families Act 2014). These are the only qualifying criteria the local authority should be considering when deciding whether or not to carry out an EHC needs assessment.

EHE (Elective Home Education): Also known as Home Schooling is a term used to describe a choice by parents to provide education for their children at home. A child who is EHE will not be on role at a school.

Emotional Regulation: Refers to the way a person deals with feelings like anger, excitement, frustration, anxiety or low mood.

EOTAS (Education Other Than at School): Section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 makes specific legal provision for the education of children and young people, for whom education in a school or post-16 institution would be inappropriate. 

A child with an EHC Plan and under a formal EOTAS arrangement, will not be required to be on the roll of, or in attendance at, a traditional school. Instead, they will receive educational provision either at home, or within an external setting, for which the local authority remains legally responsible. 

EP (Educational Psychologist): A specialist who assesses children’s learning needs and recommends strategies or interventions.

Exclusion: A head teacher can issue a permanent exclusion in response to a child’s unacceptable behaviour that breaks the rules, in or outside of school. The local authority must arrange suitable education to begin from the sixth school day of the permanent exclusion, if they are of compulsory school age (between the ages of 5 and 16).

Executive Function: Refers to cognitive (thought) processes that provide the skills that help to organise, plan, monitor and successfully execute goals.

FASD (Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder): Conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth. FASD can have lifelong effects, including problems with behaviour and learning as well as physical problems.

Fine Motor Skills: Skills involving precise, coordinated movements of small muscles, such as using fingers to pick up small items, writing or doing up zips and buttons.

First Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disability): The Tribunal hears appeals from parents of children with SEN, and young people with SEN, about EHC needs assessments and EHC plans.

GDD (Global Developmental Delay): Refers to a child who takes longer to reach certain development milestones than other children their age in two or more areas of development. This might include learning to walk or talk, movement skills, learning new things, intellectual functioning and interacting with others socially and emotionally.

Graduated approach: The SEND Code of Practice (paragraphs 6.44 to 6.56.) says that schools should follow a graduated approach when providing SEN Support. This is based on a cycle of: Assess - Plan - Do – Review.

Gross Motor Skills: Skills involving large muscle movements, such as running, jumping, or balancing.

HFA (High-Functioning Autism): Is used to describe individuals that experience the core features of autism and have average or above average IQ (i.e. an IQ of 70 or above, de Giambattista et al, 2019). The term HFA is increasingly considered to be outdated as society’s understanding of autism improves.

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower: A visual aid by wearing a lanyard to voluntarily share that you (or people you support) have a disability or condition that may not be immediately apparent – and that a helping hand, understanding, or more time in shops, at work, on transport, or in public spaces may be needed.

Home to School transport: The Education Act 1996 states that local authorities must arrange free, suitable, home to school transport for children of compulsory school age who are eligible, to their nearest suitable qualifying school. Eligible children fall within four groups, (as set out in Schedule 35 of the Education Act):

·        Children with SEN, a disability or a mobility difficulty

·        Children whose route to school is unsafe

·        Children who live beyond the statutory walking distance

·        Children from low income families

Hyperactivity: Excessive physical activity, restlessness, or impulsivity often seen in ADHD.

Hyperlexia: A child starts reading early and beyond their expected ability. It's often accompanied by an obsessive interest in letters and numbers, which develops as an infant.‌ It can be part of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and considered as a “splinter skill,” a unique skill that doesn't have much practical application. Therapists can often use a child's hyperlexic skills as a tool for their therapy and treatment.  

IEP (Individual Education Plan): A personalised plan outlining targets and support strategies for a child with special educational needs.

Inclusion: Ensuring children with SEND have full access and equal opportunities within mainstream educational settings.

IPSEA (Independent Provider of Special Education Advice): Offers free and independent legally based education advice to parents of children with SEND. They also provide training on the SEND legal framework to parents and carers.

LA (Local Authority): Is the organisation that is officially responsible for all the public services and facilities in a particular area.

Learning Difficulty (or Disability): Relates to children who have levels of educational abilities which are significantly lower than children of a similar age.

Local Offer: All local authorities are required to publish a ‘local offer’ which outlines the support available for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and their families. It includes information about education, health and care provision. It also gives information about training, employment and independent living for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

LRE (Least Restrictive Environment): Is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). IDEA says that children who receive special education should learn in the least restrictive environment. This means they should spend as much time as possible with peers who do not receive special education.

LSA (Learning Support Assistant): Is a non-teaching support staff who works with children with special educational needs in the classroom.

Mainstream Education: Standard education provision available to all children, including those with SEND who may need additional support.

Makaton: Is a language programme that uses symbols, signs and speech designed to provide a means of communication to children and young people who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking alone.

Masking: Occurs when a person appears sociable, but is actually performing to appear ‘normal’ and suppress their autistic behaviours. It is a coping strategy driven by a need to blend in and hide differences. Individuals will have continually experienced but hidden their difficulties throughout the day, preventing them from meeting and regulating their needs. Meltdowns at home are common because this is perceived to be a ‘safe space’ where the individual no longer needs to wear the mask.

Meltdown: Occurs when a child is reacting to feeling overwhelmed and cannot control themselves. It is an involuntary response to overloads, it is not a choice and is neurological. It will continue without reaction or an audience and is not goal dependent. Usually results in a fight, flight or freeze response, and the child may shut down and get tired after the event.

MDT (Multi-Disciplinary Team): NHS and/or private assessments may be carried out by a multidisciplinary team of specialists, sometimes called a specialist team. The involvement of different specialists helps to make the assessment more accurate. The MDT may include a variety of professionals, such as:

·        Speech-Language Pathologists: Help with communication skills.

·        Occupational Therapists: Assist with daily living skills and sensory integration.

·        Psychologists: Provide mental health support and assessments.

·        Behaviour Analysts: Focus on behaviour modification and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA).

·        Developmental Paediatricians: Specialize in developmental disorders and medical care.

MLD (Moderate Learning Difficulty): Refers to significant but not severe impairments in a child’s learning capabilities particularly where children have a different pace of learning and understanding new concepts compared to their peers. Children with moderate learning difficulties often struggle with basic literacy and numeracy skills, understanding complex instructions, and maintaining concentration in a conventional classroom. They may also exhibit low self-esteem and social interaction challenges. 

Named Officer: A local authority officer who liaises with parents and coordinates an education, health and care assessment and final plan.

Neurodiversity: An umbrella term used to describe people with brains and thinking styles that work in a different way to ‘neurotypical’ people. Includes differences such as Autism, ADHD, dyspraxia, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome and literacy and numeracy difficulties.

OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder): People experience intensely negative, repetitive and intrusive thoughts combined with a feeling of doubt or anger (obsessions). To suppress the thought or lesson the anxiety people will often repeat an action, over and over (compulsion).

ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder): Is a pattern of unusually hostile, disobedient, and defiant behaviours directed at adults or other authority figures.

Off-site directions: To support a child with their behaviour, a school can decide that the child should be educated somewhere else for a limited period at another school or alternative provision setting. This could also include a child splitting time between 2 different locations. This should only be used when it is the best way to support a child’s behaviour.

OFSTED (Office for Standards in Education): Inspection team responsible for inspecting schools and local authorities.

OT (Occupational Therapist): A professional who helps children improve practical daily skills, sensory processing, and motor skills. They can advise on aids, equipment or home/school adaptations.

Paediatrician: A medical doctor specialising in children's physical, developmental, emotional, and behavioural health.

PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance): Is a pattern of extreme avoidance of everyday demands and expectations, often accompanied by high levels of anxiety and hostility.

PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System): A form of alternative and augmentative communication in which a child is taught to communicate with an adult by giving them a card with a picture on it.

PICA: Refers to the eating of non food items such as dirt, chalk, sticks, plaster from walls, which may become dangerous if someone eats potentially toxic or sharp objects. It is usually a sensory need for crunching or chewing, rather than a desire to eat non-food items.

PMLD (Profound and Multiple Learning Disability): Is when a person has a severe learning disability and other disabilities that significantly affect their ability to communicate and be independent. The person may have difficulties seeing, hearing, speaking and moving and may have complicated health and social care needs due to these or other conditions including help with some areas of their life, such as eating, washing or personal care.

Prosopagnosia: A condition that results in people having difficulty recognising faces that they have seen before, even many times.

Provision: Specific support or resources put in place to meet the educational needs of a child with SEND.

Reasonable Adjustments: Are changes made within schools or other settings to support accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities or special educational needs.

Regulation of behaviour/ Self-regulation: Is the ability to understand and manage behaviour and reactions to feelings and things happening around you.

RSD (Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria): Is an intense emotional response to perceived or actual rejection, criticism, or failure. It is particularly common among individuals with ADHD, autism, and other forms of neurodivergence, often leading to heightened anxiety, self-criticism, and difficulties with self-esteem and boundaries.

SALT (Speech and Language Therapist): A professional who assesses and treats speech, language, communication, and swallowing difficulties.

SEN (Special Educational Needs): Is a legal term. It describes the needs of a child who has a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder for them than for other children their age. Around one in five children has SEN at some point during their school years.

SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities): Refers to a person who has a learning difficulty and/or a disability that means they need special health and education support.

SENDCo (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator): School staff member responsible for overseeing support and provision for children with SEND.

SEND Code of Practice: This is the statutory guidance that supports Part 3 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It sets out the requirements for local authorities, early years settings, schools, colleges, heath and social care providers and others to identify, assess and provide for children and young people with SEN or disabilities.

Sensory Diet: A term used for a schedule or programme of activities to help a person to manage the demands from their sensory environment, which they may find overwhelming. A sensory diet is usually designed by an Occupational Therapist. There are eight senses:-

• Visual System (Sight)

• Auditory System (Sound)

• Tactile System (Touch)

• Gustatory System (Taste)

• Olfactory System (Smell)

• Proprioceptive System (Position in space)

• Vestibular System (Movement)

• Interoceptive System (Inner body)

Sensory Overload: A term that describes the point at which the sum of all the sensory input becomes too much for a person to process.

SLCN (Speech, Language and Communication Needs): Refers to difficulties in one or more aspects of communication and interaction. These needs can range from mild to severe and may include challenges with:

• Speech sound development: difficulties using clear and intelligible speech or pronouncing words correctly.

• Understanding and using language: difficulties understanding and processing words and sentences, grasping language concepts or expressing thoughts clearly.

• Interacting with others: problems using language and non verbal communication to interact and communicate appropriately in different contexts and for social reasons.

Smearing: Occurs when a person smears their poo on walls or objects.

Social Stories: Is a tool to help explain a new social situation or activity in a simple, visual way.

SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder): A condition where sensory input (sound, touch, movement, etc.) is processed unusually, causing discomfort or challenges.

Special School: A school which is specifically set up to provide education for pupils with SEND.

SSEN (Statement of Special Educational Needs): Is a legal document that sets out a child's educational needs and how the Education Authority will meet them. In England, as a result of the Children and Families Act 2014,  all Statements of SEN should have been replaced with an EHCP following a legally prescribed transition process by 1 April 2018.

Stimming: Also known as ‘self-stimulatory behaviour’ is a means of regulating emotions and processing sensory information. It is a repetitive performance of certain movements or vocalizations to calm/express feelings  such as tapping fingers/toes, twirling hair, head banging, stress eating etc.

Suspension: The Department for Education does not provide a list of specific behaviours which mean a child can or cannot be suspended. A head teacher can issue a suspension in response to a child’s unacceptable behaviour that breaks the rules, in or outside of school.

·        If a child has been suspended for 5 school days or less, the school should set and mark work for the school days they are suspended.

·        If a suspension is longer than 5 school days, the school must arrange suitable full-time education to begin from the sixth school day of the suspension, if they are of compulsory school age (between the ages of 5 and 16).

·        For the first 5 school days of a suspension or permanent exclusion, it is the responsibility of the parent/carer to make sure the child, (if they are of compulsory school age, between the ages of 5 and 16) is not in a public place during normal school hours unless there is a good reason, such as needing to attend a medical appointment.

·        There is no limit on the number of times a child can be suspended, but schools must not suspend a child for more than a total of 45 school days in one school year.

·        In circumstances where a child has reached the 45 school day limit in the current school year, the school cannot issue any further suspensions. They can only issue a permanent exclusion. School days when a child was permanently excluded also count towards the limit if they were later allowed to come back to the school.

TA (Teaching Assistant): Supports teachers in the classroom and help children with reading, writing and learning activities.

TAC or TAF (Team Around the Child or Family): Is a meeting or series of meetings that are put in place when a concern identifies the need for a multi-agency response to discuss how additional needs for a child or family can be met.

The main purposes of TACs/TAFs are to:

• bring together children, young people, parents and practitioners

• put in place a coordinated approach to support the individual and the family’s needs

• make sure everyone has an equal role in agreeing goals and actions needed to meet them

• make sure to recognise and acknowledge the needs of parents and carers and their role in meeting the needs of the child or young person

The parent/carer and, where appropriate, the child or young person should always attend the meeting.

Tantrum: Is typically the result of frustration and can occur more frequently if a child is tired, hungry or feeling unwell, but ends when the dispute is resolved and the child gets what they wanted and their goal is accomplished. It is not the same as a meltdown. Children will have some control over their behaviour and may use bargaining as a tactic. A tantrum can develop into a meltdown.

Tourette’s Syndrome: A condition that somebody has when they make movements and noises that they can not control. These noises and movements are called Tics.

Transition: The process of preparing and supporting a child with SEND when moving between different stages of education or life changes.

TSCYC (Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children): The Trauma Symptom Checklist for Young Children (TSCYC) is a standardized tool designed to assess traumatic stress and abuse-related experiences in children aged 3 to 12 years. It consists of 90 items and is completed by the parent/carer, allowing for a detailed evaluation of posttraumatic stress symptoms and potential PTSD diagnosis.

Unofficial Exclusion: A school requesting parents to remove a child from the setting to take children home to 'cool off', 'calm down' or suggesting a 'part-time timetable’ whether the parent agrees or not could be considered an ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusion and such requests are unlawful.

Visual Timetable: A visual schedule used to support children who struggle with communication, anxiety, or organisation, often beneficial for children with autism or learning difficulties.

Zones of Regulation: A framework teaching emotional awareness, regulation, and coping strategies, often used to help children manage their emotions and behaviour effectively.