Ataxic Children with SEND??

[gizmo0910]

Hi ya

Just wondering for those of you who have children with Ataxia. Do all children have SEND needs??

[wobblybee]

🙂 I didn’t know what this stood for, so for anybody else who wonders..

A child or young person aged from 0 to 25 years has special educational needs or disability (SEND) if they: have a learning difficulty or disability which makes it much harder for them to learn than other pupils of the same age. they require special educational provision to be made for them.

dorsetcouncil.gov.uk › what-d...

[Frambly in reply to wobblybee]

Our two have SEND but it could be due to many reasons.

[gizmo0910 in reply to Frambly]

Thanks for replying 😊

[Sphinx21 in reply to gizmo0910]

I have a daughter with cerebellar ataxia inherited from me I have no educational needs but she has autism and mild learning disability and dispraxia however she is improving with age and it’s like a miracle to see and is a beautiful girl now seventeen a real gift x

[MaryRH]

I would have thought that, depending on the severity of the ataxia, their needs would always come under the ‘physical and sensory’ category of SEND (in the same way as something like visual or hearing impairment - it’s not a learning difficulty but a young person is likely to require adaptations to access the same curriculum as someone without). Being highlighted as having SEN or SEND isn’t a negative thing, it can flag and provide access where a young person is likely to need support to access the same activities as their peers. My guess is that your question is about someone in particular, and I do know it can be an emotional thing to get your head around. All the best.

[SueMillman Partner Ataxia UK]

Any child with Special Educational Needs or a Disability (SEND) can be assessed for SEND designation. An assessment which finds that a child is covered by 'SEND' unlocks additional resources for a school to support them. It does not automatically mean that they have a learning disability - in the case of a child who only has physical disabilities the support might be for practical issues.

It can be a battle to get the Local Authority to do the assessment in the first place (there's often a long waiting list), the assessment itself can be a long process; and often parents end up appealing a decision. There is support available to parents in this situation from charities that specialise in this area. We know several parents of children with ataxia who have been successful in obtaining a SEND assessment which has brought extra resources to enable their child to continue in mainstream education.

[MaryRH in reply to SueMillman]

Thanks Sue, I’d advise any parent to contact SENDIASS for free, expert, impartial (and usually local) advice on any SEND assessments.