Seek professionals’ advice:
Build on the child’s interests, fascinations and motivators to engage them in sustained play:
- Be fully inclusive in all activities and experiences.
- Have an established key person system in place where strong and loving relationships develop with the child.
- Accommodate equipment for posture, there needs to be adequate space within the classroom to use and access equipment easily.
- Make reasonable adjustments to the environment and facilities – ramps, handles, height adjustable furniture, technology.
- Provide adapted resources – scissors, writing equipment, wobble cushions, writing slope.
- Be skilled at gaining the child’s voice and adapting practice to support their needs. The child or young person will be able to identify what they need to be successfully supported.
- Always promote independence for the child or young person.
- Have systems in place to record information that can inform changes of need in the young person and be given time to liaise with colleagues to provide an holistic approach in meeting the child or young person’s needs.
- Feel supported in delivering any self-care or intimate care to young people who require support in this area.
- Take a multi-agency approach to supporting children and young people with sensory or visual impairments and consider the family’s social care needs.
- Develop fine motor skills – through offering tactile experiences the child enjoys. The child may prefer to wear gloves to explore initially or generally depending on their preferences.
- Gross motor skills –the child is supported to access outside provision and equipment indoors which develops large motor skills if available.
- Develop effective characteristics of learning – the child will develop preferences which can become motivators (playing and exploring) to encourage the child’s active learning and opportunities to create and think critically.
- Manage physical tiredness – the child will become fatigued easily owing to the intensity of processing the information around them.
- Support social situations to promote making meaningful relationships and support the child in maintaining their friendships.
- Ensure all adults consistently support and manage the child’s physical safety.
- Keep all adults within the setting informed of child’s current needs.
- Ensure access to specialist assistive technology such as: iPad/ tablet/ laptop with eReader and/or specialist software. e.g. magnification; recorded stories.
- Support the child to become familiar with daily routines e.g. through signing to support language, enlarged photographs, tactile visual timetables.
- Provide resources with large text format, clear layout, overlays, coloured paper, appropriate use of illustrations
- Ensure child has appropriate amount of exposure to the sun and shade
- Create an ILDP (Individual Learning and Development Plan – ILDPs (Individual Learning Development Plans) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)) to support child if they need support making progress across seven areas of learning and review it regularly with family and other professionals. If the child struggles with dysregulation, a regulation plan maybe helpful Developing an Emotional Regulation Plan – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk)
- Apply for ALFI (Activity Led Funding for Inclusion) if additional support is needed Early Years additional funding for children with SEND (ALFI and DAF) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk).
- Support an enhanced transition to next setting/school Enhanced transition planning (Early Years to Primary School) – Family Hub (torbayfamilyhub.org.uk).
