Case Study And Report On Case Study Child
Introduction and background of Global Developmental Delay
This report aims to recommend the best educational support for Errol, a reception pupil with a diagnosis of Global Development Delay. It will explain what global developmental delay is and how the UK government, as well as the Department for Education can aid students who suffer from global developmental delay, and help educate teachers as well as parents the signs of global developmental delay and how to assist students in and out of school. Mencap (2019) describe “the term ‘developmental delay’ or ‘global development delay’ is used when a child takes longer to reach certain development milestones than other children”. Similarly British charity ‘Contact’ clearly define global developmental delay as “if they have not reached two or more milestones in all areas of development (called developmental domains)” (Contact, 2019). According to the Children with Disabilities Factsheet from Tower Hamlets Council, 1-3 percent of children suffer from global delay development (Tower Hamlets Council, 2013).
Sources used within this Report
The two main sources used within this report on global developmental delay are: Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2015) and Contact (2019).
The SEND Code of Practice (2015) is a statutory report written by the Department for Education and the Department of Health for organisations who will have young children and adolescents, as well as young adults who have a special educational need or disability (DfE and DoH, 2015).
Contact (2019) is a website which provides information and support for families who have a child with a disability or educational need. It offers services such as; educational support, financial support, legal advice and family support for the child’s disability.
Causes and consequences of Global Developmental Delay
Contact (2019) states that “the most common causes of GDD are problems with the child’s genes or chromosomes”, furthermore premature birth and childhood infections can also contribute to Global Developmental Delay – which is often abbreviated to GDD. Errol is currently in reception – being either four or five years old – which has a three-form entry, when he attended pre-school there were some concerns raised about his global development, especially after he completed assessments before starting his first term in reception; despite this there has not been a solid confirmation stating that Errol has global developmental delay itself.
Educational implications
The areas of concern that were highlighted in regards to Errol were; his communication, speech and language development, his attention and concentration, and his social development in school. Errol rarely uses more than two words at a time, and his language is extremely repetitive in the classroom, in spite of this he can recognise his own name and name everyday objects around the house and school. In regards to Errol’s attention and concentration, it was noticed that Errol would only focus on adult-led activities for a short amount of time. As previously mentioned above, global developmental delay can be a possible result from a premature birth, however attention deficit is also linked to prematurity. Additionally Errol struggles to sit still in the classroom whether to complete an independent activity or for story time, and will wander about in and out the classroom, this could be linked to the spinal galant reflex which may be inhibited or retained (Mountstephen, 2011). Socially, Errol interacts with adults positively and shows a great amount of affection to his teachers; on the other hand he rarely plays alongside his classmates, however there are two children in Errol’s class that he will play with, and he tends to follow them and repeat their actions. The lack of outdoor opportunities may be hindering Errol’s social skills, as he is very hesitant to go out of the classroom.
Within Errol’s age bracket of four to five years old, the gross motor skill milestones he should be reaching are; standing on one foot for ten seconds or longer; can stand, run, walk or run on tiptoe; can hop and climb; can walk/run up and downstairs putting one foot in front of another; can control a tricycle well, making confident turns. On the other hand, the fine motor skill milestones for a four to five year old are; building a tower of ten or more bricks; can steadily hold a pencil with a three finger grip; draw a person with head, legs and body; dress and undress without assistance. Errol has strong gross motor skills which have been proven through his ability to peddle a tricycle and ride a three-wheeled scooter, as well as playing on apparatus such as climbing frames – with assistance from an adult. Yet tasks such as writing and drawing – which are at scribbling stage – are contributing towards Errol having weak fine motor skills.
Relevant policy frameworks/guidance for inclusive teaching contexts
The Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice is a statutory document for institutes to have readily access to; such institutions include educational settings from early years up to further education and organisations relating to the National Health Service (DfE and DoH, 2015). Albeit, the SEND Code Practice document is a compulsory report for these organisations to have access to, it can also be available for parents, in order to gain a better understanding of what support can be accessed for their child.
To help support Errol’s development within school as he transitions from primary school all the way through to secondary and further education, local authorities should be working alongside the school to provide Errol with the best educational care. DfE and DoH (2015, p.79) mention “All those who work with young children should be alert to emerging difficulties and respond early” this has been proven with the assessments that were carried out during Errol’s first term in school. In terms of assisting Errol in school, the SEND Code of Practice report includes “the local authority must engage other partners it thinks appropriate to support children and young people with SEN and disabilities”(DfE and DoH, 2015, p.42), this may include voluntary organisations, CAMHS, local therapist and leisure and play services. Having contact with extra services can prove beneficial for Errol as well as the school.
Involvement of specialist professionals
DfE and DoH (2015, p.84) mention “A delay in learning and development in the early years may or may not indicate that a child has SEN, that is, that they have a learning difficulty or disability that calls for special educational provision”. This supports the notion that Errol’s global developmental delay has not been confirmed, only issues regarding it have been raised. Nonetheless, involvement of specialist professionals can help in diagnosing Errol as well as supporting him in and out of the classroom. A main area for concern regarding Errol’s global developmental delay is his communication, speech and language, specialists such as a speech and language therapist can be involved in encouraging Errol’s language development, this can be a weekly session introduced either inside or outside of school grounds.
Interventions for home and the classroom
In order to aid and support Errol’s learning in the classroom as well as at home, specific interventions must be put in place not only to assist him now but for the future as well. The interventions addressed should be working towards Errol being in an inclusive classroom.
Intervention One: Inside the classroom
The first intervention introduced can be a specific SEND teaching assistant to work alongside Errol in the classroom. The SEND assistant can take Errol into a quiet corner of the classroom or even take him out of the classroom (to enhance his confidence) and do speech and language exercises to increase his vocabulary. The SEND assistant must ensure that they are speaking clearly and slowly for Errol, in order for him to repeat and converse back. Likewise to support Errol, a designated learning buddy can be introduced to help Errol feel more comfortable in the classroom whilst he completes his independent activities – having a familiar child around Errol may help in keeping him in the class, instead of him wandering off. Having a SEND assistant and a designated learning buddy for Errol will strengthen his communication, speech and language development as well as social development as his vocabulary increases.
Intervention Two: Outside the classroom
The second intervention presented can be outdoor facilities and trips for Errol. Errol has proven to educating staff that he can go outside through his enjoyment in using the tricycle and the big apparatus. Nonetheless Errol is sometimes reluctant to leave the classroom. Offering incentives such as extra golden/play time or rewards like stickers can help prise Errol out of the classroom, likewise physical educational trips like visits to the trampoline park can aid in getting Errol out of the classroom. Having this specific intervention outside the classroom will contribute greatly towards Errol’s social development and his physical development, the more he ventures outside with the rest of his classmates; in turn the more comfortable he will feel whilst being social.
Intervention Three: At home
The third and final intervention is to be used at home with Errol’s guardians and any extra family members that are in contact with Errol. It has been identified that Errol’s parents work irregular hours and he is often in the care of extended friends from their local church. To highlight the learning Errol is completing in school; family and friends who are around Errol should be helping enforce skills that he can already do, as well as encouraging him to try new ones. Errol’s writing and drawing are currently at scribbling stage, to help strengthen his skills with a pen or pencil, exciting ‘learning to write books’ and ‘easy grip’ pens can be purchased for Errol to practise, and this will positively reflect on his work in the classroom. Additionally, the use of portage workers can cooperate with the progress Errol is making in school, at home. National Portage Association (2019) explain “Portage is a home-visiting educational service for pre-school children with SEND and their families”, having access to portage workers at least once a month will be beneficial for Errol’s learning at school (National Portage Association, 2019).
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/b?_encoding=UTF8&tag=readaarticl0c-21&linkCode=ur2&linkId=4ba330c677101ae0eee2d442659f704e&camp=1634&creative=6738&node=364061031">Baby & Toddler Toys</a>
Conclusion
As mentioned above in the report, 1-3% of children are affected by GDD (Tower Hamlets Council, 2013), despite this low statistic there is still more research to be undertaken to find out how to closely diagnose children as well as what specific interventions need to be put in place for certain children, so their experience in the classroom and society is inclusive.
Due to Errol’s young age, his global developmental delay may be something he can grow out of as he gets older, in the meantime until a fixed confirmation of diagnosis is established, provisions must be put in place for Errol. Ensuring appropriate systems, services and support for Errol’s and his parents should be the main priority, introducing portage workers into Errol’s home life would be my first recommendation. Errol has a strong support system at the school with teaching staff and is very affectionate with them; however he needs this same consistency in his home environment too. The second and final recommendation I would propose is an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan for Errol. Glazzard, et al., (2015, p.9) explain an EHC as designing “special educational provision to meet the needs of pupils whose needs cannot be met by SEN Support”. The use of an EHC plan should be the last provisional resort for Errol; after all other interventions have been explored and tried.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=vtech+505603+baby+walker%2C+multi-coloured%2C+multicolor&crid=JQ2SPFCGBVBX&sprefix=vtec+505603%2Caps%2C133&linkCode=ll2&tag=readaarticl0c-21&linkId=15e0e25f251794348f5ad5adcaad1f3a&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl
https://amzn.to/3LIaoax