A glossary of the most common SEN terms:

ADD Attention Deficit Disorder

ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

ASD Autistic Spectrum Disorder

AUTISTIC SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD): Autistic spectrum disorder is a relatively new term which recognises that there are a number of sub-groups within the spectrum of autism. Pupils with autistic spectrum disorder find it difficult to:

• Understand and use non-verbal and verbal communication

• Understand social behaviour — which affects their ability to interact with children and adults • Think and behave flexibly – which may be shown in restricted, obsessional or repetitive activities.

BEHAVIOURAL, EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DIFFICULTY (BESD) Pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties cover the full range of ability and a continuum of severity. Their behaviours present a barrier to learning and persist despite the implementation of an effective school behaviour policy and personal/social curriculum. They may be withdrawn or isolated, disruptive and disturbing, hyperactive and lack concentration, have immature social skills or present challenging behaviours. Pupils with a range of difficulties, including emotional disorders such as depression and eating disorders; conduct disorders such as oppositional defiance disorder (ODD); hyperkinetic disorders including attention deficit disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD); and syndromes such as Tourette's,

CAF Common Assessment Framework

CAMHs Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service

COP Code of Practice

CP Child Protection

DCD Development Co-Ordination Disorder

DISABILITY The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) defines a disabled person as someone who has: 'a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities'.

DISFIGUREMENTS Pupils with severe disfigurements are specifically covered by the DDA and do not need to prove that the impairment has a substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.

DYSPRAXIA: Pupils with dyspraxia are affected by an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement, often appearing clumsy. Gross and fine motor skills are hard to learn and difficult to retain and generalise. Pupils may have poor balance and co-ordination and may be hesitant in many actions (running, skipping, hopping, holding a pencil, doing jigsaws, etc.)

EAL English as an Additional Language

EP Educational Psychologist

EHCP Education & Health Care Plan

FSM Free School Meals

HEARING IMPAIRMENT (HI): Pupils with a hearing impairment range from those with a mild hearing loss to those who are profoundly deaf. Hearing loss may be because of conductive or sensori-neural problems and can be measured on a decibel scale. Four categories are generally used: mild, moderate, severe and profound. Some pupils with a significant loss, communicate through sign instead of, or as well as, speech.

IEP Individual Education Plan

IMPAIRMENT -in the DDA definition:

• 'Physical impairment' includes sensory impairment

• 'Mental impairment' includes learning difficulties and an impairment resulting from or consisting of a mental illness

LAC Looked After Child

LEA Local Education Authority

LONG-TERM AND SUBSTANTIAL

'Long-term' is defined in the DDA as 12 months or more. Clearly this rules out conditions such as a broken limb which is likely to mend within that time.

• 'Mental impairment' includes learning difficulties and an impairment resulting from or consisting of a mental illness
  
• 'Substantial' means 'more than minor or trivial'
  
• The definition can include a wide range of impairments, including hidden impairments such as dyslexia, autism, speech and language impairments, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Impairment does not of itself mean that a pupil is disabled. It is the effect on the pupil's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities that has to be considered.
  

MODERATE LEARNING DIFFICULTY (MLD): pupils with moderate learning difficulties will have attainments significantly below expected levels in most areas of the curriculum, despite appropriate interventions. Their needs will not be able to be met by normal differentiation and the flexibilities of the National Curriculum. Pupils with moderate learning difficulties have much greater difficulty than their peers in acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills and in understanding concepts. They may also have associated speech and language delay, low self-esteem, low levels of concentration and under-developed social skills.

MULTI-SENSORY IMPAIRMENT (MSI): Pupils with multi-sensory impairment have a combination of visual and hearing difficulties. Many also have additional disabilities but their complex needs mean that it may be difficult to ascertain their intellectual abilities. Pupils with multi-sensory impairment have much greater difficulties in accessing the curriculum and the environment than those with a single sensory impairment. They have difficulties in perception, communication and in the acquisition of information. Incidental learning is limited. The combination can result in high anxiety and multi-sensory deprivation.

NORMAL DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITY The test of whether impairment affects normal day-to-day activity is whether it affects one or more of the following:

• Mobility

• Manual dexterity

• Physical co-ordination

• Continence

• Ability to lift, carry or otherwise move everyday objects

• Speech, hearing or eyesight

• Memory or ability to concentrate, learn or understand

• Perception of risk of physical danger

OT Occupational Therapist

PHYSICAL DISABILITY (PD): There are a number of medical conditions associated with physical disability which can impact on mobility. These include cerebral palsy, heart disease, spina bifida and hydrocephalus, muscular dystrophy. Pupils with physical disabilities may also have sensory impairments, neurological problems or learning difficulties. Some pupils are mobile but have significant fine motor difficulties which require support. Others may need augmentative or alternative communication aids.

'Physical impairment' includes sensory impairment

PROFOUND AND MULTIPLE LEARNING DIFFICULTY (PMLD): Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties have complex learning needs. In addition to very severe learning difficulties, pupils have other significant difficulties, such as physical disabilities, sensory

impairment or a severe medical condition. Their attainments are likely to remain in the early P scale range (P1-P4) throughout their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum). (

PROGRESSIVE CONDITIONS Progressive conditions are conditions that are likely to change and develop over time. They include conditions such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and HIV infection.

SEN Special Educational Needs

SENCO Special Educational Needs Coordinator

SEND Special Educational Needs & Disability

SEVERE LEARNING DIFFICULTY (SLD): Pupils with severe learning difficulties have significant intellectual or cognitive impairments. This has a major effect on their ability to participate in the school curriculum without support. They may also have difficulties in mobility and co-ordination, communication and perception and the acquisition of self-help skills. Pupils with severe learning difficulties will need support in all areas of the curriculum. They may also require teaching of self-help, independence and social skills. heir attainments may be within the upper P scale range (P4-P8) for much of their school careers (that is below level 1 of the National Curriculum).

SLCN Speech, Language, Communication Needs

SLD Severe Learning Difficulties

SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES See DYSCALCULIA, DYSLEXIA, DYSPRAXIA

SPEECH, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION NEEDS (SLCN) Pupils with speech, language and communication needs cover the whole ability range. Pupils with SLCN may have difficulty in understanding and/or making others understand information conveyed through spoken language. Their acquisition of speech and their oral language skills may be significantly behind their peers. Their speech may be poor or unintelligible. Pupils with language impairments find it hard to understand and/or use words in context. They may use words incorrectly with inappropriate grammatical patterns, have a reduced vocabulary or find it hard to recall words and express ideas. They may also hear or see a word but not be able to understand its meaning or have trouble getting others to understand what they are trying to say. Please note that pupils whose first language is not English should not be recorded as SLCN unless they also have a special educational need in this area.

SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES SpLD

DYSCALCULIA: Pupils with dyscalculia have difficulty in acquiring mathematical skills. Pupils may have difficulty understanding simple number concepts, lack an intuitive grasp of numbers and have problems learning number facts and procedures.

DYSLEXIA: Pupils with dyslexia have a marked and persistent difficulty in learning to read, write and spell, despite progress in other areas. Pupils may have poor reading comprehension, handwriting and punctuation. They may also have difficulties in concentration and organisation and in remembering sequences of words. They may mispronounce common words or reverse letters and sounds in words.

Verbal dyspraxia: Articulation may also be immature and their language late to develop. They may also have poor awareness of body position and poor social skills.

VISUAL IMPAIRMENT (VI) Pupils should only be recorded as VI if it is the pupil's primary or secondary SEN and they are at School Action Plus or have a statement. Visual impairment refers to a range of difficulties from partial sight through to blindness. Pupils with visual impairments cover the whole ability range. For educational purposes, a pupil is considered to be VI if they require adaptations to their environment or specific differentiation of learning materials in order to access the curriculum.