Physical Difficulties
A wide range of physical skills may be affected, with associated difficulties in other areas, depending on the causation, extent and severity of the condition.
Learners with physical difficulties may have a wide range of needs. This could be a difficulty with fine motor skills in a number of specific classroom tasks, or a severe mobility issue where they require assistance with all aspects of their lives.
Usually the cause of the physical difficulty is present at birth or emerges during childhood. Occasionally the difficulty is the result of injury or illness later in life.
Physical Difficulties may result from conditions such as;
- Cerebral Palsy (CP)
- Degenerative conditions such as Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy
- Accidental physical or brain damage
- Tumour
- Perthes disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Epilepsy
- Heart conditions
- Incontinence
- DCD (dyspraxia)
- Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS)
A physical difficulty should be considered a Special Educational Need if the learner:
- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others the same age; or
- has a disability which prevents / hinders him or her from making use of facilities generally provided for other learners.
A medical condition does not always equate to a special educational need, and can often be best met by an Individual Healthcare Plan. In these cases an Individual Healthcare Plan (IHP) will be written jointly by health and education professionals. The IHP sets out what arrangements should be made and how to manage risks associated with the medical need or medical technology involved.
Physical difficulties can present in many forms including:
- Severe physical difficulties impacting on fine and gross motor skills, mobility and functional independence.
- Moderate levels of physical difficulty or delays in fine or gross motor development.
- Progressive conditions.
- Those affected by cognitive development
- Those associated to sensory impairment or communication difficulty
Printable version of PDF tables
Websites/sources of advice and guidance
Hull and District Cerebral Palsy Society