Cambridge Education Guide Spring/Summer 25 Web

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

Supporting special educational needs Children with special educational needs (SEN) deserve schooling that recognises how they learn and helps them appreciate their young lives

s adults, we might struggle to concentrate or forge social and work relationships. If we manage

SEN covers a range of learning differences, including processing speed, reading accuracy or comprehension and writing difficulties. Students might also have more than one diagnosis, such as attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in addition to autism, for example. These technical terms might sound daunting – but our schools’ SEN specialists stress that getting a diagnosis isn’t about trying to label children, but instead identifying how best to help them. Finding a way of learning that helps them

to live our lives and do just fine, that might be something we never get around to investigating. However, when it’s our children who seem to struggle in a way that’s markedly different from their peers, it might be wise to think about identifying the cause of their challenges. If your child is diagnosed with special education needs, or SEN, then it’s time to get help. That’s where the specialist schools and colleges in our area come in.

22 SPRING/SUMMER 2025

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