Moderate and Severe Learning Difficulties (Early Years)

Information, resources and training to support children with moderate or severe learning difficulties.

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)

Websites

Supporting children with Cognition and Learning needs.

Supporting children with Down Syndrome

Self-help resources

Resources for supporting children with Cognition and Learning needs

Resources for supporting children with Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome, like all children, benefit from exploring their environment and engaging in hands-on learning experiences.

Language and communication

Children with Down syndrome are usually eager to engage with those around them; however, their communication skills may develop at a slower pace.

Physical and self-help 

Children with Down syndrome may have delayed motor development, which requires thoughtful planning when creating activities for them.

Personal, social and emotional 

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.

An introduction to supporting Early Years children with Down’s Syndrome This training session is available to Early Years settings where a child with Down’s Syndrome is about to start. It aims to develop a better understanding of a child’s learning profile with Down’s Syndrome, strategies you may consider to promote inclusion and development through play, partnership working with families and additional sources of support. If you would like to request this training for your setting, please contact the SENDCO helpdesk 

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 

The Early Years SEND Advisory team work with individual children under 5 years of age who have complex learning, communication and/or social interaction differences. Individual children can be referred using an Early Support SPORFI form (docx format, 585Kb). Support is given to the family and/or the child’s early years setting or nursery class in collaboration with other agencies from education, health and social care.

The Early Years SEND Advisory team also provides universal and targeted support to Oxfordshire early years settings and schools in order to promote effective inclusion of children with SEND. Settings and schools can use the SENDCO Helpdesk to ask for ‘no names’ advice and targeted setting support.

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
  • Speech and Language Therapy (feeding)
  • Physiotherapy
  • Occupational Therapy
  • Early Years SEND team
  • SENSS – Physical Disability

Health Visiting Services offer support to families at home and in the community from pre-birth until the child turns 8 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 here.

Children’s Integrated Therapies in Oxfordshire include:

The Occupational Therapy service helps children participate in everyday life and become as independent as practically possible at school and at home. The service provides assessments, advice, activity programmes and therapy for children with a range of physical or developmental conditions that affect their daily life.

The Down’s Syndrome and Complex Needs team work with children and young people with Down’s Syndrome and complex learning needs from when they start Reception until the end of Year 11 at a mainstream school. This includes children and young people with a wide range of needs and significant difficulties in cognition and learning which impact on all areas of the curriculum.