Transcript Document

Links between
SEN and G&T
dual or multiple exceptionality
The term dual or multiple exceptionality (DME) is used to describe a
group of educationally vulnerable pupils whose profiles are often
underrepresented on schools’ registers for gifted and talented
learners. DME pupils are those who belong, characteristically, to both
the special educational needs (SEN) and gifted and talented groups.
In many such cases only one of either the gifts and talents or the
special educational needs is recognised. For example, a pupil who
has a specific learning difficulty in literacy may receive extra support in
phonics but not have the opportunity to express a special ability in
science.
Pupils with DME (dual or multiple exceptionality) are vulnerable pupils
who often never get onto the G&T register, and consequently their
needs are never fully addressed. They often feature on the
underachievers lists – pupils with ability who fall short of fulfilling their
potential.
In the field, commonly described
issues include the following:
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high ability with mobility and sensory impairments
high ability and learning difficulties
high ability and autism/Asperger’s Syndrome
high ability and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
high ability and social/behavioural difficulties
high ability and unseen illness (such as asthma, epilepsy, etc)
high ability and cognitive impairment
high ability and cultural disadvantage
high ability and socioeconomic disadvantage.
For all DME pupils you should:
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identify learning strengths;
involve them in all aspects of learning;
have high expectations;
consider their needs in all aspects of school
life;
• work with them and their parents and carers
to overcome potential barriers.
Key notes:
• There is considerable underachievement among this group of
pupils.
• Pupils with DME benefit from a focus on ability rather than
continual focus on additional needs.
• Pupils with DME are not a homogeneous group.
• It is not possible to meet all the needs of pupils with DME
without addressing their academic strengths and creating
opportunities for them to express their abilities.
• Pupils with DME benefit from inclusive approaches in all
aspects of school life including social, academic, cultural and
physical. Adjustments might be necessary to ensure that such
inclusion in the different facets of school life is possible.
There are several reasons why identifying
these children is not straightforward:
• Assessments tend to identify either high ability or
learning difficulties, but not both.
• Stereotypical views of what gifted pupils are like still
abound (eg they don’t stutter, write illegibly or
answer back).
• Social and cultural differences can mask ability and
sometimes limit opportunities for the child.
• Limited information and training for teachers results
in them overlooking pupils who are not precociously
gifted and talented.
A recent estimate suggests that 5-10% of gifted pupils
could have a learning difficulty and that 2-5% of
pupils with disabilities may also be gifted (think
‘Stephen Hawking’). Many of these will slip through
various nets and underachieve because their
abilities are masked by their learning difficulties,
or because their ability may enable them to
conceal their learning difficulty, for a time at
least. Able children can be skilled at task
avoidance and coming up with creative excuses for
not completing work.
Gifted children with learning difficulties can
be grouped broadly as those with:
• high ability acknowledged, but learning
difficulties unrecognised
• learning difficulties acknowledged, but
giftedness unrecognised
• both high ability and learning difficulties
unrecognized (each one ‘cancelling out’ the
other).
In order to address this situation and ensure that
children’s strengths and weaknesses are accurately
identified, all staff need to be aware of the
possibility that there will be DME children in their
classes. The SENCO and G&T coordinator can
support staff in this by helping them to develop a
better awareness of the signs to look out for.
A child who is gifted and talented may have:
• ability or expertise in (only) one specific area
(sometimes this may be an area not acknowledged
by school, eg speaking three different languages,
horse jumping, karate)
• a good imagination
• an extensive vocabulary
• excellent comprehension skills
• the ability to excel at tasks requiring abstract
thinking and problem solving
• excellent visual memory.
This child may not be recognized as G&T
because she or he has:
• poor handwriting and spelling which result in poor
written work overall
• difficulty in performing under pressure
• trouble completing tasks with a sequence of steps
but can take part in broad-ranging discussions
• a limited attention span
• low self-esteem
• poor communication or social skills.
A closer look:
• The child may also be disruptive in class, often straying offtask, and sometimes aggressive. She or he may be
disorganised, especially when not motivated, often leaving
work unfinished. Alternatively, the child may be withdrawn and
unresponsive.
• A useful starting point, then, may be for staff to consider
individual learners in their classes and determine whether any
of them cross over these two lists.
• Is the child dyslexic? Does she have hearing loss or visual
impairment? Is there a recognised disability such as cerebral
palsy which has overshadowed a particular talent?
G&T pupils with sensory and physical
impairment
These pupils often underachieve at school, their abilities underestimated by
teachers and peers alike. Obviously, a sensory or physical impairment does
not mean that a child’s cognitive functioning is in any way impaired, and
often these youngsters have to be incredibly resourceful just to be able to
function in everyday situations. Talk to parents, talk to the child; see beyond
the disability. Put into place as much support as possible to alleviate the
barriers to achievement caused by the sensory/physical impairment (large
print, magnifiers, Braille; sign language, sound field equipment;
communication/recording aids).
Find ways of unlocking the gifts and talents that are often buried inside
bodies that do not work in a ‘normal’ way: this might involve looking
carefully at the various tests you use to measure ability and being creative in
expanding the range of opportunities offered to pupils to enable them to
excel.
Hearing impairment
Key considerations
● Tasks should be presented clearly.
● Allow flexibility both in the type of response and in
the way the response is presented.
● Pupil’s attention and understanding should be
monitored frequently.
● Maintain a good lesson pace.
● Visualise the learning when appropriate and present
materials in a variety of ways.
Specific learning difficulties (dyslexia,
dyscalculia)
There is a much greater awareness these days of dyslexia (and to a lesser
extent dyscalculia) and the fact that individuals with these conditions, may
be extremely creative and excellent verbal communicators. It is still the
case, however, that many children come to the attention of educational
psychologists for emotional and behavioural problems rather than their
difficulties with reading and writing. This is perhaps a result of their
frustration with the lack of recognition of their ability, boredom with the
work they are given and disappointment with their levels of achievement in
school. Often, very able dyslexics are not identified until well on in their
education, as they are clever at disguising their difficulties. Again, look at
your tests – do they allow dyslexic children the chance to show what they
know, understand and can do? In the classroom, are there opportunities to
use mind maps and different ways of recording other than by handwriting? Is
there specialist (BDA trained teacher) support as well as the ‘Waves’
interventions?
Behavioural problems
Pupils with Asperger syndrome are on the autistic spectrum and need a lot of
support with developing social skills and coping with the rigours of everyday
life, especially when taken outside their comfort zone and subjected to breaks
in routine. They may be hypersensitive to sensory stimulation and have no
understanding of humour. However, these individuals may also have
extraordinary skills in one or more specific areas. They need to have all of the
support mechanisms in place for ASD, but especially need the understanding of
teachers and peers who will ‘cut them some slack’ when their behaviour is
inappropriate and see beyond the ‘weirdness’ to the often exceptional
talents.
G&T students with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be so
difficult to manage that their abilities are often overlooked, especially when
they end up in a lower set. Some system of ‘containment’ has to be devised
(sitting near the teacher, time-out, yellow card etc) but alongside this, there
has to be opportunities for some self-direction and freedom of pace in how
they approach learning tasks. The support and understanding of peers is also
essential – teachers need to get them ‘onside’ and help with positive
reinforcement when the child with ADHD is behaving well.
Support for teachers
There are some generic approaches to creating a
positive ethos that will be supportive to all pupils,
but especially those with gifts/talents and SEN:
What not to do to support children
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Ask children to read aloud in a large group – even if they are making
great improvements they are likely to be significantly less fluent than
peers.
Correct every single error in a piece of work – a better tactic is to
‘close mark’ a small section of the work and then pay attention to
ideas and not mechanics for the rest of the piece.
Compare with other pupils – inappropriate comparisons can affect
children’s self-esteem and embarrass the pupils whose work is being
held up as exemplary.
Give long spelling lists – shorter tasks are more manageable and
these can be distributed frequently resulting in the same outcomes.
Make children rewrite their work – this is the most disheartening task.
Using a computer is better as editing is less laborious, but sometimes
getting ideas down is sufficient and there is little merit in rewriting
without redrafting.
What to do to support children
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value and acknowledge a wide range of gifts and talents and create an
environment in which these can flourish
get to know students as individuals; talk to them about their strengths and
learning needs; talk to supporting TAs who will know individuals very well.
talk explicitly about different types of ability and ways of learning in the
classroom
use humour (laughing with pupils, not at them)
develop high quality thinking and questioning for all pupils: explore – discuss –
reflect – share
attend to weaknesses but also exploit and celebrate a pupil’s strengths; have
high expectations and encourage students to embrace challenge
model positive attitudes about disability and ‘difference’
help pupils to develop self-knowledge and a sense of self-worth
use positive role models – people with SEN/disability who have been
successful in different walks of life.
Credits
• Mary Pfeiffer G&T Consultant to Primary
Schools
• Linda Evans: She was a
teacher/SENCO/adviser/inspector, before
joining the publishing world. She now works
as a freelance writer, editor and part-time
college tutor.
• Oxford Brooks University