This presentation was developed for a staff training day for Rainbow Nursery, Tel Aviv to support staff in developing their understanding of working with children with special and additional needs. It is appropriate for anyone working in early years and delivering the EYFS

1. And additional needs
December 2017 | Staff training
Sammy Fugler BA (Hons), PGCE, MA, MBA

10.  The Medical Model holds that disability results from
an individual person’s physical or mental limitations,
and is largely unconnected to the social or
geographical environments.
 The medical model looks at what is ‘wrong’ with the
person, it sees their impairments as problems – that
need to be fixed, if they can

11. The Social Model of Disability suggests
that disability is the discrimination
experienced by those perceived to have
an impairment. Rather than the barrier
or difficulty being the responsibility of
the individual disabled person, it is seen
as a barrier created by society.

12.  The social model of disability says that disability is caused by the way society is
organised.
 The medical model of disability says people are disabled by their impairments or
differences.

13.  Children with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental,
intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers
may hinder their full and active participation in society on an equal basis with
others

14.  Every child is a special person, but some children may need special care due to
physical, emotional, health, or development needs. The kinds of special needs vary
greatly. They may be simple allergies, developmental delays, a diagnosed
disability, or a serious illness

15.  Match the ‘type’ of special need
to the definition…
 Help us familiarise ourselves
with some conditions and
impairments to inform the
discussion
 5 minutes (or so...)
 Go!

16. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a term for a group of developmental disorders
described by:
 Lasting problems with social communication and social interaction in different
settings
 Repetitive behaviors and/or not wanting any change in daily routines
 Symptoms that begin in early childhood, usually in the first 2 years of life
 Symptoms that cause the person to need help in his or her daily life

17. The term “spectrum” refers to the wide range of symptoms, strengths, and levels of
impairment that people with ASD can have. The diagnosis of ASD now includes
these other conditions:
 Autistic disorder
 Asperger’s syndrome
 Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified

18.  Observing children will help us
understand them and their needs.
 You MUST be clear that this is an
observation, not a diagnosis.
 Observation can help plan activities
that the child will enjoy, match
activities to the child’s skills and
abilities, and may serve to signal
that a referral for formal assessment
is needed
 Whatever the family decides, we may
have planted the seeds that will help
them observe their child more
carefully and think about what we
have said

19.  Try to be as objective as possible.
 Date all observations so you can
better look for changes and patterns.
 Write down exactly what the child
does or says.
 Observe each activity more than
once.
 Be sure to look for both strengths
and weaknesses.

20. With your talking partner, have a
quick think about all the different
ways you could observe, how you could
record and keep a clear record of these
observations
3 – 5 minutes.
Go!
Feedback ;-)

21.  Write down notes right after something happens.
 Collect the child’s drawings and other creations.
 Jot down stories about the child shared by others: the parents or other staff
 Be sure to keep the notes in one place; in the child’s folder
 Journal method - Write something down about the child every day in a special
notebook so you have an ongoing picture of what she does.
 Checklist method: Make up a list of categories and watch the child’s behaviour or
reaction in each category.
 Incident Log – what happened before, during and after – helps to spot patterns
over time
 List support strategies – what do you notice that helps or supports the child; how
can this be shared across the team

22.  In groups… spend a few
minutes reviewing the
key points and prepare
a short presentation, to
tell the rest of the group
about key points to look
out for

23.  Repeat certain behaviors or have unusual behaviors
 Have overly focused interests, such as with moving objects or parts of objects
 Have a lasting, intense interest in certain topics, such as numbers, details, or facts
 Be upset by a slight change in a routine or being placed in a new or
overstimulating setting
 Make little or inconsistent eye contact
 Tend to look and listen less to people in their environment
 Rarely seek to share their enjoyment of objects or activities by pointing or showing
things to others

24.  Respond unusually when others show anger, distress, or affection
 Fail or be slow to respond to their name or other verbal attempts to gain their
attention
 Have difficulties with the back and forth of conversations
 Often talk at length about a favorite subject but won’t allow anyone else a chance
to respond or notice when others react indifferently
 Repeat words or phrases that they hear, a behavior called echolalia
 Use words that seem odd, out of place, or have a special meaning known only to
those familiar with that person’s way of communicating
 Have facial expressions, movements, and gestures that do not match what they
are saying
 Have an unusual tone of voice that may sound sing-song or flat and robot-like
 Have trouble understanding another person’s point of view, leaving him or her
unable to predict or understand other people’s actions

25.  Have above-average intelligence
 Be able to learn things in detail and remember information for long periods of
time
 Be strong visual and auditory learners
 Excel in math, science, music, and art

26. Some babies with ASD may seem different very early in their development. Others
may seem to develop typically until the second or even third year of life, but then
practitioners parents start to see differences.

27.  Has the child made progress over time, or is he or she “stuck”?
 Is the child ignored by other children because he or she can’t keep up with them or
doesn’t understand the rules of the game?
 Are your expectations for the child realistic, given everything you know?
 Does the child have trouble at specific times of the day, such as meal times, nap time
or bedtime, or during a specific activity?
 Is the child able to concentrate and become involved with an activity?
 Is the child creative when playing with toys and games, or does he or she always play
with them in the same way?
 Does the child have a good energy level, or does he or she always seem tired?
 Does the child have a lot of allergic symptoms, such as coughing or sneezing, rashes or
itchy eyes?
 Is the child able to make choices about activities, and act independently?
 Does the child seem confused at nursery?

28.  In groups… spend a few minutes
reviewing the support startegies and
prepare a short presentation, to tell
the rest of the group about some key
points you can use to support
children

29.  Key ways to support
 Short and sweet
 Audience focus on the person who is
talking – completely
(Active Listening)
 Quick, smooth and easy transition
between the groups

30.  Following the child’s lead, seeing what interests them, sitting beside them, then
gradually sharing the activity
 Slowly introducing other children, one at a time, to the activity – modelling and
prompting turn-taking
 Structuring activities so that the child’s role is obvious
 Specifically teaching imitation skills
 Giving clear visual clues to help prepare the child for changes
 Different expectations
 Support in social situations

31.  Thinking back over all those support
strategies…
 Look at your handout...
 Which of those would NOT be
appropriate for children without
special needs, disabilities or
impairments?
 Each person to highlight one or two
things…

33.  Real Rainbow Children
 What strategy or strategies could
you apply to support these children?
 What are the challenges?
 How could you overcome these?

34. 1. Observation
2. Record keeping
3. Clear and consistent
communication
4. Discussions (ongoing) with your
team, team leader and manager
5. Consultation with parents, and
regular updating
6. Reflective practice