Disability and health

Health needs

At some point in their life your child might need additional support in school due to physical or mental health needs.

Deaf and hearing impaired

If your child has a loss of hearing, they might not need a lot of support, but their progress will be monitored. For other children, a lot of support and planning may be needed to make sure they achieve to the best of their ability.

Visual impairment

If your child has a visual impairment, their development before school may have been limited because of the sight loss. When your child goes to school, their teacher will make sure their development is improved.

Autism spectrum disorder

If your child has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), they will have difficulty making sense of the world. They may have difficulties in: social communication; social interaction; social imagination and flexible thinking.

Language or speech disorder

If your child finds has difficulty with speech, they could have a speech disorder. If they have trouble understanding others or sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings, then they have a language disorder.

Physical and motor impairment

If your child has an injury or disability that hinders normal physical functioning, they have a physical impairment. If your child has a loss or limited function in their muscle control, movement or mobility, they have a motor impairment.

Selective mutism

If your child has selective mutism they will speak freely to only a small number of people with whom they feel comfortable.