Special Educational Needs Overview

Self as "I" and "Me"

• William James's theory of self proposes two parts: the "I" and the "Me."
• The "I" is the subjective self, the self that thinks, acts, and experiences.
• The "Me" is the objective self, the self as an object of knowledge. This includes a person's thoughts, feelings, social roles, and recognition from others.
• The "Me" is further divided into material, social, and spiritual aspects.

Theory of Self

• The material self consists of a person's possessions, such as body, family, clothes, and money.
• The social self encompasses a person's actions, thoughts, feelings, words, and mannerisms in various social situations.
• The spiritual self is the core of a person's identity, including personality, values, and conscience.

Self-Attribution

• This involves the reasoning an individual uses to explain their success or failure in a task.
• Rotter's locus of control theory examines whether success or failure is attributed to internal (individual) or external (environmental) factors.
• Weiner's attribution model explores the stability and locus of causality of an event.
• Stability refers to whether an event will change over time.

Self-Image

• Self-image is how a person perceives themselves.
• Actual self: realistic view of oneself.
• Ideal self: desired view of oneself.

Self-Esteem

• Self-esteem is how much an individual values themselves.
• There is a link between self-image and self-esteem, as it is based on self-perception.
• A large gap between the ideal self and actual self could lead to low self-esteem.

Bandura's Factors Influencing Self-Efficacy

• Enactive/Performance Outcomes: Success or failure from experiences affects self-efficacy.
• Vicarious: Observing others' successes or failures can influence self-efficacy.
• Persuasory: Encouragement from others influences self-efficacy.
• Emotive/Physiological: Bodily or emotional feelings about a task affect self-efficacy.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

• A child with special educational needs has learning difficulties requiring specific educational provisions.
• A child with a disability has significantly greater learning difficulties compared to others of similar age.

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

• ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting social and emotional interactions.
• Symptoms vary significantly between individuals.
• Repetitive thoughts and behaviours are common characteristics.

General Indicators of ASD

• Repetitive play is common.
• Social isolation often occurs.
• Children may mimic other children's social responses inappropriately,
  • Difficulties with change.
  • Other symptoms such as language, fine/gross motor coordination disorders, extreme mood (excitement/ misery) anxiety and depression.
• Teachers should refer to special educational needs coordinators, SENCOs in cases where they suspect a child has ASD.

Support Strategies for ASD

• Use simpler/clearer language. Allow sufficient time between sentences.
• Use visuals for support.
• Encourage the use of visual aids to break up or simplify tasks such as a checklist, task lists or timetable.
• Avoid figurative language.
• Use specific choices or questions, not multiple-choice responses.

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)

• Dyslexia is a learning disability affecting accurate word decoding, reading fluency, and comprehension.
• Writing, spelling and grammatical difficulties are common.
• Auditory processing difficulties and sequential ordering problems could also manifest.
• A variety of factors can cause SpLD, including neurological development issues, genetics and environmental factors.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder involving sustained attention, hyperactivity and/or impulsivity.
• It's more prevalent in boys than girls.
• Symptoms include difficulties focusing and sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and/or impulsivity.
• Effective Interventions include Medical intervention, Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), homework-focused interventions, and classroom-based functional assessment practices, as well as strategies to develop specific learning skills.

Gifted and Talented Learners

• Gifted learners are those who excel in one or more areas exceeding expectations.
• Talented learners display proficiency in practical skills like art or sports.
• Support is essential to ensure success from gifted and talented learners.