Glossary

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

ADHD See Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Asperger’s Syndrome. Part of the autistic spectrum disorders, Asperger’s children differ from truly autistic children in having few, if any, speech and language problems.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A label used to describe children who have exceptional difficulty with maintaining appropriate levels of concentration, screening out distractions, containing their impulsive behaviour, and/or moderating their levels of hyperactivity.

Autism. A pervasive developmental disorder that starts within the first 3 years of life and is characterised by three main features: marked disturbance in social interactions, delayed or disordered speech or language, and repetitive , restricted or stereotyped patterns of behaviour or interests. In the majority of cases, autism is also associated with moderate or sever learning disabilities.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Children who show some, but not all, of the features of classical autism.

Code of Practice. There are a number of Codes of Practice, issued by the Department for Education, that cover various aspects of schooling. Copies of these, including those for special educational needs, can be requested from the LEA. These codes outline the minimum standards for LEA’s, schools, and other bodies, but do not prescribe the details in which these standards might be implemented in specific situations.

Core subjects. The most essential parts of the National Curriculum around which the rest is built. The three core subjects are Maths, English and Science. In Wales, Welsh replaces English as a core subject The remainder of the National Curriculum consists of Foundation Subjects.

Corpus Callosum. The large bundle of nerve fibres that connect together the two hemispheres of the brain.

Disapplication. Every child in a state school is expected to be engaged in the entire National Curriculum. If part or all of the curriculum is removed or temporarily lifted for a particular child, this is called disapplication (see also Modification)

Dyslexia. A specific learning difficulty with reading, usually defined as being more than two years behind compared with what would be expected for a child of the same mental age.

Dyspraxia. Difficulty with fine and/or gross motor coordination, whether that be problems with the actual control of the muscles or with the brain’s ability to plan and organise a complex motor task such as tying shoelaces.

Education Welfare Officer (EWO). A person employed by the LEA to help parents and schools meet their statutory obligations with regard to school attendance. In other words, their main function is to make sure that children either get to school, or else have some alternative education structure in place. Sometimes known as Education Social Workers.

Education Other Than At School (EOTAS). Children who are unable to attend school by reason of a medical condition, must be offered an education that is tailored to their situation. This might include home tutoring, or attendance at a special pupil referral unit. This is normally arranged by a division of the LEA known as EOTAS and falls under the provisions of the SEN Code of Practice.

Education Social Workers. See Education Welfare Officer.

EOTAS See Education Other Than At School.

EWO See Education Welfare Officer. Someone, usually with social work training, whose job it is to ensure that children attend school as they should. If parents unlawfully withhold their children from school, the EWO may press for prosecution. More commonly, however, they try to help sort out problems, such as bullying or school refusal, that might keep children from attending.

Figure-Ground Discrimination. The ability to separate out the important sensory information (the figure), such as a picture or someone’s voice, from all the background clutter and noise, such as the smeared dirt on the paper, or all the other voices in the restaurant. Poor auditory figure-ground discrimination makes it very difficult to hear what the teacher is saying in a noisy classroom.

Foundation Subjects. The essential blocks of the National Curriculum that are built around the three core subjects. The foundation subjects are: Design and technology, Information Technology (IT), History, Geography, Music, Art, Physical Education (PE), and a modern foreign language (secondary school only).

Grapheme. A written symbol, such as a letter, or group of letters, that is used to represent a single phoneme. For example the grapheme d represents the phoneme /d/ as in the word "dog", and the grapheme ph represents the phoneme /f/ in the word "phantom". Not that although ph is made up of two letters, it is only one grapheme, representing just one phoneme. This is in contrast to a consonant blend, which consists of two or more graphemes that represent two phonemes, e.g. bl is actually two graphemes, b and l, representing two phonemes, /b/ and /l/, that are blended together into what sounds like a continuous sound.

IEP (Individual Education Plan). A document drawn up for every child on Stage 2 or above of the SEN Register. This specifies certain targets for the child and the strategies that the school will use to help the child to achieve those targets. It is reviewed regularly by the SENCO and, ideally, should also involve the parents.

Key Reporting Stage. The end of the Key Stage, at which time children are assessed to see if they have progressed academically as they should.

Key Stage. The section of the National Curriculum that is to be taught to various age groups. The success of the teaching is measured at the Key Reporting Stage by means of the Standardised Assessment Tasks (SATS). In primary school the key stages are Key Stage 1: ages five to seven (years R to 2) and Key Stage 2: ages seven to eleven (years 3 to 6).

LSA (Learning Support Assistant). see SNA.

MLD See Moderate Learning Disability (or Difficulty).

Modification. The amendment or alteration of parts of the National Curriculum in order to make it more accessible to a pupil (see also Disapplication).

National Curriculum. A structured learning programme that consists of a number of compulsory subjects, along with the standards at which these subjects should be taught at each of the key stages. It consists of three core subjects plus eight foundation subjects. Every child aged 5 to 16 attending a state school should be taught according to the National Curriculum, unless there are clear reasons for dissaplication or modification. Students being educated privately need not follow the National Curriculum. However, their education must still satisfy the local education authority as to its completeness.

Note in Lieu. After a statutory assessment the LEA may decide not to issue a statement. In such a case they would normally issue a Note in Lieu, which contains the same information as a statement as well as an explanation of why a statement has not been issued. The suggestions on the special help the child needs are, however, merely recommendations and do not carry the same legal authority as a statement.

NTA (Non-Teaching Assistant). see SNA.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). A disorder in which children or adults are plagued by intrusive thoughts or impulses (obsessions) that cause great anxiety. Often the individual feels under such stress that he has to repeatedly complete various tasks or actions (compulsions) in order to relieve (temporarily) the anxiety. For example, someone plagued with an obsessive fear of dirt and contamination might spend hours compulsively washing and scrubbing their hands in the vain attempt to remove every last germ. It can be treated by cognitive behavioural therapy and/or medication.

OCD See Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Phoneme. One of the basic units of sounds of which a language us built. English has just 44 phonemes. For example, the phonemes (sounds) /k/, /a/, and /t/ , when blended together, produce the spoken word /cat/. To produce writing, the phonemes are represented by written symbols called graphemes.

Primitive reflexes. Reflexes, such as the startle (Moro) reflex, that are normal in newborns and infants, but which should disappear and mature as the child grows up. The persistence of primitive reflexes into childhood may lead to various developmental difficulties, including dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Proprioceptors. Sensors that tell our brains about the positions and movements of our joints and muscles.

Pupil Referral Unit (PRU). Special education unit for a small number of pupils who are not in school - either because they have been excluded, or because they are emotionally vulnerable (e.g. those with social anxiety and school refusal).  Usually run by Education Other Than At School (EOTAS).  Typically staffed by excellent highly trained and motivated teachers.

Reticular Activating System. The widespread network of nerves throughout the brain that control how awake and alert or, conversely, how drowsy or asleep we are at any time.

SATS See Standardised Assessment Tasks (SATS).

SEN Register. Each school maintains a record of those pupils that it recognises as have special educational needs and at what level these needs are.

SEN See Special Educational Needs.

Severe Learning Disability (or Difficulty) (SLD).

SLD See Severe Learning Disability (or Difficulty).

SNA. Special Needs Assistant. Known by various names including LSA (learning support assistant) and NTA (non-teaching assistant). This is someone, usually not qualified as a teacher, who helps a teacher by giving special assistance to individual pupils. This might be done, for example, by helping them to find their place in the book, or to get organised, or to take them out of class for some extra reading or writing practice. The amount of time an SNA can spend with an individual will usually be determined by their IEP or Statement of Special Educational Needs

Standardised Assessment Tasks (SATS). Tests set by the government at the end of each Key Stage to determine if the children in Britain are learning at the rate they should be. They are therefore (supposedly) a very broad test of how well the school is teaching rather than a detailed assessment of how well any one particular child is learning.

Statement. More fully a "Statement of Special Educational Needs". This is the legal document, issued by the LEA, that spells out the nature of a child’s difficulties and how they interfere with his ability to engage with, and make use of, the normal educational provisions. These difficulties may include intellectual (e.g. general or specific learning difficulties), social (e.g. autism and Asperger’s), physical (e.g. chronic illness or physical disability), emotional or behavioural, or developmental (e.g. speech and language problems). The statement will also spell out the amount and nature of special help that the child should receive, and also in which school or other setting the child should be educated. The school will be legally required to provide the help as specified.

Statutory Assessment. Also called a Stage 4 assessment, this is the process of gathering together the evidence of all those involved with a particular child (parents, school, educational psychologist, doctor, etc) in order to make a decision on whether the LEA should issue a Statement. A statutory assessment may be formally requested by a parent or by the school.

Tactility. The sense of touch.

Vestibular System. Part of the inner ear that detects the direction of gravity and any movements of the head.