Visual Support Assignment 3: Social and Curricular Inclusion for Students with SEN

Submission of Assignment:

1. Assignments must be submitted via Turnitin on Moodle by the specified date and time.

2. All participants must complete two submissions as outlined below,

3. Upload Written part of Assignment 3 to Turnitin on or before submission date and time.

4. Upload Photographic evidence of visual support/s to Assignment Submission Section,
on or before submission date and time. Please ensure that you have your student
number on the visual support/s and that this information is visible in the photograph.

5. Students are responsible for ensuring that:

• The Assignment Cover Sheet must be included.
• A completed Declaration Form must also be included stating the work is their own.
• A minimum of 2.5cm margin is allowed on the left-hand side of each page and at
the top and bottom of text.
• Paragraphs are double-spaced and justified. The font approved for use is Times
New Roman 12.
• Paginate the assignment.

6. Penalty for late submission: Where no extension has been granted to a student, a late
penalty of 5% of the mark awarded will be deducted per calendar day.

7. Extension to a deadline Procedure and Forms:

Click on the link below for information on requesting and applying for an extension to
an assignment submission date.

Exam Procedures and Forms – Atlantic Technological University Sligo (itsligo.ie)
Deferred Assessment Procedure and Forms:

Click on the link below for information on requesting and applying for a deferral from
a module or the programme.

Repeat/Deferred Exams or Other Assessment Types – Atlantic Technological
University Sligo (itsligo.ie)

8. Rules on Word Count

Students must adhere to word-count limits and any submission that exceeds the
word count by more than 10% will be subject to penalty. The penalties for exceeding
the word count are as follows:

• 10 – 20% in excess of word limit = a penalty of 5% of the mark awarded (e.g., a
mark of 60% would be reduced to 57%)

• 20 – 30% in excess of word limit = a penalty of 10% of the mark awarded (e.g. a
mark of 60% would be reduced to 54%)

• More than 30% in excess of the word limit = a penalty of 20% of the mark awarded
(e.g. a mark of 60% would be reduced to 48%)
Students will not be failed for a word-count infringement. Where an assignment is of
a Pass standard, no penalty will result in the student failing the assessment and
therefore 40% will be awarded in such cases.

9. Lecturers and external examiners may interview students in relation to their
submitted programme work and may request evidence of, for example, research
carried out, etc.

10. Programme work which contributes to examination marks is governed by the
University regulations.

11. It is the duty of each student to keep a copy of submitted programme work.

Case Study One

Mark
Mark is seven years old and attends a special school. He is in a class of six children with varying
needs and has the full-time support of a SNA. Mark was diagnosed with hemiplegia cerebral
palsy and mild general learning difficulties. His left side upper and lower body movements are
impacted. Mark also experiences athetosis, evidenced in involuntary twitching movements.
A speech and language assessment has indicated that Mark has difficulties with receptive and
expressive language. He communicates using three/four word sentences using mainly key
words. He is showing signs that he is struggling with understanding and processing language
especially more complex instructions. He finds it hard to recall and repeat back information.
He is struggling with concepts such as time, positions and directions and difficulties with
relationship between words such as opposites and synonyms. He often struggles to find the
words to describe how he feels, to describe objects and to describe what he wants. Mark
points and gestures very expressively. Mark needs physical assistance to exit the school bus
and he requires support with gross and fine motor activities throughout the school day, such
as accessing his seat in the classroom, eating, writing, and using the toilet. Due to fine motor
difficulties, Mark has difficulty with the physical act of writing, and paper and pencil activities.
Mark does not have a firm pencil grip and tires quickly. He finds it very difficult to write
independently and requires a lot of encouragement. Mark has recently shown signs that he
is ready to use the toilet with support. He does not have a full understanding yet of toileting
behaviours and hygiene and his class teacher intends on integrating this into his individualised
plan while simultaneously using a phased approach to learning to use the toilet.
Mark has a great sense of humour; he generally gets on well with his classmates and the staff.
Mark is the youngest of four boys and he enjoys observing and engaging in as much physical
activity as he possibly can. He lives in a household where all siblings engage in and play a
variety of sports. Mark has a keen interest in football and is an avid Manchester United
Supporter. Mark’s family is very supportive and work hard at ensuring that Mark is included
in activities with his siblings. Mark has begun to struggle with accepting the physical
restrictions he experiences due to his cerebral palsy, and this has resulted in some negative
talk and emotional reactions. Recently, Mark has begun to object loudly and shout out if he
is not allowed to leave the classroom first during break and lunch times. This has caused some
upset amongst some of his peers in the classroom, particularly one girl with autism who is
noise sensitive. After the event Mark is not able to articulate how he feels and finds it hard to
understand his behaviour. He often becomes cross and agitated with the adults in the room
when they try to explain to him what has happened and why he needs to manage his
emotions.

Case Study Two

Aoife
Aoife is nine years old and has bi-lateral moderate/severe hearing loss and mild gross motor
delay. Aoife is a hearing aid user from the age of two months, having been diagnosed as part
of the Newborn Screening process in hospital. She is an only child and spoken language is
used at home. Her family enjoy the outdoors and actively encourage Aoife to try new things.
She attends her local primary school and is in a 3rd/4th class split of 28, and she has the support
of a SNA. Aoife is described as a very happy girl with lots of friends and she is well liked by
all. Aoife has an active life outside of school, she attends art classes and speech and drama,
and has a keen interest in reading. Aoife particularly likes English story time and works hard
at her writing. Aoife gets on very well in school, although she is shy when introduced to
something or someone new. She does not speak up in class or volunteer answers and is
reluctant to approach her teacher. Her class teacher is extremely supportive. The teacher has
completed a two-day NCSE seminar on supporting deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH) children and
does try to incorporate deaf friendly strategies in the classroom. She discusses and shares
good practice techniques with the SNA. The SNA and teacher have a very positive
collaborative working relationship. The class teacher and the visiting teacher for the
deaf/hard of hearing have recently suggested that the SNA needs to foster more
independence in Aoife regarding her communication skills and self-care of her equipment and
technology. Aoife brings a small bag of equipment for the management of her hearing aids
and radio aid with her into school. However, the bag is often at the bottom of her school bag,
sometimes the equipment is scattered around her school bag. The teacher keeps a radio aid
in the classroom, but it is often not charged overnight for the next day. Aoife relies on either
her parents or SNA to complete the daily checks of her equipment and Aoife does not yet
know how to change her hearing aid battery, clean her hearing aid moulds or re-tube her
hearing aids. Ideally, an adult monitored daily hearing aid check would be completed by Aoife
before coming into school or going into class. Aoife often struggles with her balance in the
classroom, appearing at times, dis-orientated. Aoife has tripped over school bags while
entering and exiting the class. The classroom is too small for the number of pupils in the room.
The teacher favours a cluster seating of four pupils to a table and moves the children every
three weeks to encourage social interaction. Aoife finds the first few days of the new
arrangement challenging as she tries to get to know the others in her group. Aoife often
cannot find her place when she arrives in the morning or back in from the yard after break
times or PE/assembly. She tends to stand in the room until a classmate, teacher or the SNA
shows her, or guides her, to her seat. Aoife’s language and communication has developed
steadily, and she is just at her developmental level. She can listen to and respond
appropriately to staff and her friends within a range of two meters, when environmental noise
is reduced, and when a radio aid is used in the classroom. The SNA often must remind the
teacher to turn it on and off as appropriate. Aoife does not have the confidence yet to ask the
teacher to do this, or to repeat statements or questions or reduce classroom noise by closing
windows/doors. Aoife will request that the SNA does this for her. She is visited fortnightly by
her visiting teacher for the deaf/hard of hearing who is happy with the progress she is making
but has recently made recommendations to the teacher and the SNA about the support
provided for Aoife.

Case Study Three

James
James is a 2nd year student in a mixed post-primary school of approximately 500 students. He
attends the mainstream school for Home Economics, Materials Technology Wood (MTW),
Science and English, with the support of a SNA. All other subjects are held in the autism room
with 5 peers. The autism room has a fully functioning kitchen, sensory room, living/relation
space, shower and bathroom. James was initially assessed at the age of 3 years and met the
Diagnostic Criteria for Autism. A further assessment at the age of 4 years indicated that James
also presented with a mild general learning disability. James has epilepsy and is on a gluten
free and dairy free diet. James transitioned very well into post-primary.
James lives at home with his parents and his older sister, Anna (16). Anna attends the same
post-primary school. His parents are supportive and have expressed concern over James’s
lack of social skills with his peers and his lack of interest in making friends. He shows no
interest in socialising or meeting with students from his class outside of school but is cooperative when asked to pair work or engage in group activities at school. The school buddy
system has worked well for James. He is part of a paired reading programme with a senior
student, Patrick and he really enjoys and engages in the programme. The paired reading
system is working well for James because he loses concentration when reading independently
and just flicks through the pages. James is operating at a literal level; he can find some
answers in a simple text but struggles to comprehend what he reads and to answer related
questions. James can be very tactile. He needs to be reminded about keeping an acceptable
distance when interacting with his paired reading buddy, teachers and SNA.
James finds following verbal instruction difficult, and instruction needs to be kept short and
direct and often supported through visual cues. James struggles to express himself in more
than four/five-word sentences. He finds it very hard to initiate and maintain a conversation.
He will greet his teachers but only if he is greeted first. He will engage in a conversation with
the school principal, the school caretaker, students in the autism room, his buddy, SNA and
his support teacher but he will not seek this conversation out nor will he initiate conversation.
James really enjoys MTW, and he has a very good relationship with his teacher. He also gets
on very well with the school caretaker and is fascinated by the caretaker’s keys and key ring.
He often seeks the caretaker out to ask questions about his job and his work tools. James’s
teachers speak positively about him as a polite and pleasant young man. They are aware of
certain ‘triggers’ which will result in James becoming agitated and frustrated in class – noise
in class, the fire alarm. James will engage in hand flapping to show his anxiety and appear
distressed. If he is very distressed, he will try to leave the school. This was a greater concern
when he was in primary school and only one incident has occurred whilst in post-primary. He
has an excellent relationship with his SNA, who can predict possible moments of anxiety.
James has no real understanding of road safety. He must constantly be reminded about how
to watch out for traffic while on school trips to the local town, to the café, supermarket,
library, and train station. His teachers are hoping to develop his skills at road safety, ordering
food in the local café and school canteen, grocery shopping, using the library and using the
train station. In school James SNA assists in the organisation of his books and equipment for
class as he is dis-organised and forgetful. If left to organise his own books and resources, he
will invariably forget something or not have the right equipment and materials on the
appropriate day. James’s mother packs his school bag and prepares his uniform for him the
night before. James enjoys HE class and his SNA works as an assistant as a safety precaution
when the practical task requires the use of sharp utensils and the using the hob. James has
developed a fear of hot water and will not make himself a cup of tea or hot chocolate in his
base classroom kitchen. He will rely on a peer of the SNA to do this for him. He is also not able
to make himself a lunch as he is not able to select the right gluten free ingredients from the
fridge and press to do so. His HE teacher and the SNA want to increase James’ awareness of
safety in the kitchen and while making him less dependent on support from others.