Children with Special Needs

Question 1

what is child development?

Answer 1

The process by which each child evolves from infancy to adulthood:
Gross motor skills
Fine motor skills
Speech and Language
Social, Personal, Activities of Daily living
Performance and Cognition

Question 2

features of normal development

Answer 2

a constant pattern
sequential acquisition of skills
median age vs limit age
genetic factors
environmental influences

Question 3

what is developmental delay

Answer 3

‘Developmental delay is present when functional aspects of the child’s development in one or more domains (motor, language, cognitive, social, emotional) are significantly delayed compared to the expected level for age’

Question 4

discuss global developmental delay vs learning disability

Answer 4

‘Global developmental delay’ (GDD)
Performance below 2SD below mean of age appropriate,
norm-referenced testing

GDD vs Learning disability
A learning disability is a significant impairment in intellectual functioning and affects the person’s ability to learn and problem-solve in their daily life.It has nearly always been present since childhood

Question 5

how may a child with a learning disability present?

Answer 5

routine health surveillance
children with identified risk factors
parental concern
professional contact: nursery
opportunisitic health contact
the UK health child programme

Question 6

how may you assess development of a child?

Answer 6

hx and exam
prenatal, perinatal and postnatal events
developmental milestones
the red book
environmental, social and family hx
video recordings of child
observation in clinic/other settings

Question 7

primary care assessment tools for learning disability

Answer 7

ASQ (ages and stages questionnaire)
PEDS (Parents evaluation of developmental status)
M-CHAT (Checklist for autism in toddlers)
SOGS-2 (Schedule of Growing Skills)

Question 8

how can you quantify developmental ablities?

Answer 8

all areas of development are age appropriate
delay - global or isolated
disorder - abnormal progression and presentation e.g. autism
regression - loss of milestones

Question 9

schedule of growing skills

Answer 9

information of child’s development across a range of areas
0-5 yrs
9 key areas
separate cognitive score can be derived

Question 10

secondary care assessment tools for development

Answer 10

Griffiths mental development scales
Bayley scales of infant development
Wechsler preschool and primary scales of intelligence

Question 11

red flag symptoms for development

Answer 11

Loss of developmental skills
Concerns re vision
Concerns re hearing
Floppiness
No speech by 18-24 months
Asymmetry of movement
Persistent toe walking
Head circumference >99.6th C or < 0.4th C

Question 12

Negative red flag symptoms for development

Answer 12

Sit unsupported by 12 months
Walk by 18months (boys) or 2 years (girls): Check creatinine kinase
Walk other than on tiptoes
Run by 2.5 years
Hold objects in hand by 5 months
Reach for objects by 6 months
Points to objects to share interest by 2 years

Question 13

common developmental problems: motor

Answer 13

delayed maturation
cerebral palsy
developmental coordination disorder

Question 14

common developmental problems: sensory

Answer 14

deafness
visual impairment
multisensory impairment

Question 15

common developmental problems: language/cognitive

Answer 15

specific language impairment

learning disability

Question 16

common developmental problems: social/communication

Answer 16

autism
asperger syndrome
elective mutism

Question 17

why investigate developmental issues in children?

Answer 17

The family gains understanding of the condition, including prognostic information
Lessens parental blame
Ameliorates or prevents co-morbidity by identifying factors likely to cause secondary disability that are potentially preventable
Appropriate genetic counselling
Accessing more support
Address concerns about possible causes e.g. events during pregnancy or delivery
Potential treatment for a few conditions

Question 18

MDT in child development issues

Answer 18

developmental paediatrician
SALT
OT/PT
psychologist
social worker
geneticist

Question 19

effects on the family of having a child with learning disability

Answer 19

emotional
social isolation
financial implications
implication for siblings
wider family

Question 20

evaluation of developmental problems

Answer 20

is there a problem?
global or single field?
delay, disorder or regression?
aetiology
co-ordinatioin of care and support
problem based approach

Question 21

local services for developmental problems

Answer 21

community paediatric clinics
child development teams
MDT assessment
therapy services

Question 22

what is additional support needs?

Answer 22

A child or young person is said to have ‘additional support needs’ if they need additional support with their education.
Additional support can mean any kind of educational provision that is more than, or very different from, the education that is normally provided in mainstream schools

Question 23

why ASL?

Answer 23

“To ensure the development of the personality, talents and mental and physical abilities of that child or young person to their fullest potential

Question 24

why may a child need ASL?

Answer 24

A child or young person may need additional support for a number of different reasons, for example:
Difficulties with mainstream approaches to learning
Disability or health needs, such as motor or sensory impairment, learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorder.
Family circumstances e.g. young people who are carers or parents.

Question 25

what is personal learning planning?

Answer 25

a way of thinking about, talking about and planning what and how a child learns. It’s also a way of assessing their progress and acting on the results of that assessment.

Question 26

what is individualised educational plane?

Answer 26

IEP is a detailed plan for a child’s learning. It contains some specific, short-term learning targets for the child and will set out how those targets will be reached.
Targets are:
SMART
In some areas these plans are called additional support plans or individual support plans.
Not legal documents

Question 27

what is a co-ordinated support plan?

Answer 27

A CSP is a detailed plan of how child’s support will be provided. It is a legal document and aims to ensure all the professionals who are helping the child, work together. It also helps ensure that everyone, including parents and the child, is fully involved in that support.
For children in local authority school education and needing significant additional support.
Complex or multiple needs
Needs likely to continue > 1 year
Support required by > 1 agency

Question 28

long term outlook for children with developmental issues?

Answer 28

depends on the nature of the problem
acquisition of skills
social and emotional needs
personal attributes, family, social surrounding and level of care received