Four areas of SEND needs
The Government’s SEND Code of Practice highlights four areas that children with special educational needs and disabilities often need extra support with. The four main areas of need are:
- Communication and interaction
- Cognition and learning
- Social, emotional and mental health difficulties
- Sensory and/or physical needs
These areas are not intended to label children and young people, but to provide schools and professionals with tools to better understand and support them. Many children’s needs overlap across these areas and change over time. Most needs can be met through the expertise and resources of our schools and early years settings, sometimes with support from outside professionals and services.
Communication and interaction
Some children and young people experience differences in how they communicate and interact with others. These differences may affect how they express themselves, understand others and experience social situations.
Many children and young people with autism experience differences with their communication and social interaction.
Cognition and learning
Everyone’s brain works differently and this affects how we understand information. ‘Cognition’ refers to our thinking, learning and processing. Some children and young people who learn at a slower pace than their peers may have a specific learning difficulty.
Social, emotional and mental health needs
Children and young people go through a wide range of social and emotional experiences as they develop, learn about themselves and interact with others. Sometimes, they may display challenging behaviours such as withdrawal, disruption or aggression, to indicate they are struggling with their emotions.
Sensory and/ or physical needs
Children and young people with sensory needs experience difficulties with one or more of their senses; sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste and spatial awareness and may require additional support. Sensory and physical needs may include a disability e.g. visual impairment or deafness.
Services and organisations
Lots of services and organisations in Camden provide support for young people across multiple areas of need:
- the NHS Waiting Room provides information about Neurodevelopmental Support in Camden, listing the services who support young people with Autism and ADHD
- the Children and Young People's Disability Service work with people with complex disabilities up to the age of 25
- our Educational Psychology Service aims to improve the learning and development of children and young people from birth to 25 years old
- Camden’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), OpenMinded supports children and young people with emotional health and wellbeing needs
- MOSAIC CAMHS service provides therapeutic support for young people with disabilities and their families
- Children's Centre & Family Hubs support young people with SEND up to the age of 25
- Speech and Language Therapy supports children from birth to 19 years old in Camden who have communication needs
- Camden Kids Talk provide language and communication resources for parents and carers
- our Health services for those with SEND page lists the universal and specialist services available in Camden who support with a range of needs
- our Wellbeing services for young people with SEND page lists organisations in Camden offering mental health and wellbeing support