The information below is particularly relevant for practitioners working with children in the early years or those at a similar developmental stage.
‘Practitioners need to decide what they want children in their setting to learn, and the most effective ways to teach it. Practitioners must stimulate children’s interests, responding to each child’s emerging needs and guiding their development through warm, positive interactions coupled with secure routines for play and learning.’ (Early Years Foundation Stage EYFS 1.16)
Self-help resources
- Ideas for developing auditory memory skills (pdf format, 144Kb)
- Using a visual timetable (pdf format, 162Kb)
- Developing visual perceptual skills (pdf format, 152Kb)
- Visual perceptual skills: What they are and how to help (pdf format, 155Kb)
- early-years-getting-ready-to-look-listen-and-play.pdf
- Activities Guide: Enhancing & Practicing Executive Function Skills links to a downloadable document full of activities to support and strengthen executive functioning in children.
- For children with social communication differences who are at a very early stage of development, this May I Join You? video clip explains how adults can adapt their practice to join a child’s play
- Attention & listening - Children’s Integrated Therapies attention and listening activities provided by the NHS
- Talking together (pdf format, 106Kb)
- visualperceptualskillsandstrategiestohelp.pdf
- Attention-and-Concentration.pdf.docx
- First words and little sentences: 1 to 2 years - NHS provides games and activities and top tips to support early language through play
- Chatting and building sentences: 2 to 3 years - NHS provides games and activities and top tips to support language through play
- Learning conversations and telling stories: 3 to 5 years - NHS provides evert day tips to develop using longer sentences.
- Attention Autism (docx format, 200KB)
The SENDCO Helpdesk is a free early advice service that can discuss concerns at an individual or whole school/setting level. It is aimed to help support SENDCOs (or practitioners supporting SEND in early years) to consider the next steps when implementing the Graduated Response so that the needs of children with SEND are met as early as possible.
Training
Supporting Early Years children with Cognition and Learning needs A training/information session developed in partnership with the Educational Psychology service and delivered by the Early Years SEND Team to understand more about how Cognition and Learning difficulties can be identified and supported in the Early Years as part of the Graduated Response.
Early Years SEND Advisory Team training offer The Early Years SEND Advisory Team provides a comprehensive range of training to assist settings in the identification and support of Early Years children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The training offer includes: Early Years SENDCO Core training, SEND training for Childminders, the Graduated Response, planning and reviewing SEN support and outcome plans, effective communication and partnership with parents and carers as well as specific sessions to address particular areas of learning need.
Specialist support in setting
A Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) is a multiagency form used to request support from various educational and health teams for children under 5 with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For further information see the Single Point of Request for Involvement (SPORFI) Flowchart.
Complete the SPORFI form to make a request. Services that can be requested include:
- Speech and Language Therapy service
- Speech and Language Therapy (feeding)
- Physiotherapy service
- Occupational Therapy service
- Early Years SEND Advisory team
- SENSS Physical Disability Team
Children & Young People (0-19) - Integrated community physical health Oxfordshire including Health Visitors, School Health Nurses, Family Nurses and other members of the team offer support to families at home and in the community from pre-birth until the child turns 19 years old. See information on how Health Visiting and early years settings working together.
Early Help Children’s Services Early help refers to the collaborative approach taken by all services working with children and families to provide support for a family before problems escalate. Accessing early help can address potential issues and improve outcomes for children, young people, and families. More information can be found on Early Help and the Locality Community Support Service.