Each one of us are pre-programmed to experience anxiety and this can be particularly high in SEN children. The limbic system, the primal part of our brain, will have an emotional reaction to a perceived threat and then engage in either a freeze, fawn, fight or flight response.

This can happen at any point: whether a child is made to feel inadequate in school, around exams or simply the concept of learning can engage this anxiety response. For SEN children this can present in particularly strong ways and is not always easy to spot. Such signs can include low mood, distracted behaviour, aggressive behaviour, complete withdrawal or even physical symptoms such as headaches.

It can be very difficult for parents to spot as many children will be very able to mask these symptoms by working excessively and appearing to be doing very well or be being labelled as misbehaving. Children, whether they are neurotypical or neurodiverse, will also often have trouble labelling their emotions.

Many parents wonder at some stage whether their child has ADHD/ADD. This often presents as behaviour that is impulsive, restless or as a strong inability to concentrate. These symptoms will often become more noticeable as a child becomes older.

If you have a child with ADHD/ADD you may find that they have issues with getting ready for school, time management, forgetfulness, organisations, focus and have many Executive function challenges (see below)

ADHD affects a very high number of individuals who struggle at school but given the right support can thrive later in life. The good news is that early intervention has been shown to significantly reduce these symptoms later in life. Provisions are far more equipped to recognise the symptoms of ADHD now as many adults are only now receiving diagnosis and have struggled for years.

Autism is a difficult learning difference to describe as everyone with an autistic profile will present their behaviour in different ways. Primarily we may see issues with social interactions with others, a strong need for structure, resistance to flexible thinking as well as high sensitivity to their environment such as light, sound, temperature as well as many other sensory factors. This means that a child with autism can find school an incredibly overwhelming place to be and sensory processing issues must be taken seriously and appropriate measures introduced.

Many children who have mild symptoms are often labelled as ‘difficult’ or ‘aloof’ as a result of their neuroprofile.It is key for whoever is working with an autistic child in an educational context to respect and appreciate these differences and work a plan to support them to learn in the context of their differences.

There is still so much to understand about PDA, which is experienced in some autistic people. This refers specifically to those who are very resistant to demands and instructions. This presents as very problematic, in the context of school, as many resistant behaviours will include refusals and withdrawing meaning that mainstream education will not work or will leave the child highly anxious. Many of those who receive this diagnosis tend to thrive in a self-directed learning environment. For those wanting to read more, Naomi Fisher has some wonderful books on this subject such as ‘A different way to learn: neurodiversity and self-led education’.

Dyslexia is an extremely common neurodiversity that affects a large number of students, despite this it is still quite poorly understood. Dyslexia commonly causes problem with reading, writing and spelling.

The British Dyslexia society defines dyslexia as:

‘a specific learning difficulty which primarily affects reading and writing skills. However, it does not only affect these skills. Dyslexia is actually about information processing. Dyslexic people may have difficulty processing and remembering information they see and hear, which can affect learning and the acquisition of literacy skills. Dyslexia can also impact on other areas such as organisational skills.’

If you have noticed there are issues with your child's handwriting, spelling, forgetting words, mispronunciation of words, poor grammar and many other issues relating to their executive functions (see below) this may be a sign that support is needed.

There are many terms, diagnosis and subcategories that fall under this category but there have been huge steps in the educational system to recognise that both neurotypical and neurodiverse students who are mistakenly labelled as being lazy or badly behaved may be going through a social or emotional issue affecting their studies.

This can be triggered by many different emotional, social and biological causes but can have a huge impact on a young person's ability to study.

It is of course important to distinguish those that have been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder and those that have a diagnosis which means certain considerations need to be made in relation to their social and emotional needs. These students need a nurturing approach as how this manifests can be out of their control and punishment can often cause the situation to worsen.

Most children struggle with maths but when this presents as significant then it may be that your child has dyscalculia.

The British Dyslexia society defines dyscalculia as:

‘a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics’

Children will often have no challenges in other areas but may be significantly underperforming in maths. This may present as not understanding processes involved in calculations, misunderstanding formulas as well as mixing up numbers or not having a basic grasp of concepts relating to numbers.

Dysgraphia essentially refers to issues with handwriting specifically and can also impact spelling and typing. This can be incredibly frustrating for students as they have no issues with the cognitive processes involved in expressing thoughts but can find them incredibly difficult to get down on paper.

Dysgraphia relates more to motor rather than cognitive issues and correct strategies and techniques can lead to huge improvements in their challenges.

Dyspraxia, also known as ‘Developmental coordination disorder’ affects a child's motor and physical skills. The key symptoms involve issues with motor coordination, visual perception, spatial awareness, short-term working memory and organisation of tasks and thoughts.

There will be a multidisciplinary approach to helping with this condition but this tends to manifest in difficulty with holding a pen and handwriting long essays as well as formulating and structuring arguments in essays.

Executive functions are a family of top-down mental processes that make it possible to mentally play with ideas; approach unanticipated challenges with flexibility; take the time to think before acting; resist temptations, and to stay focused. They affect many of the learning profiles on this list.

Our tutors target executive function challenges in their subject specific tuition but to find out more about executive function coaching please do visit our sister website - https://connectionsinmind.com/

This is a condition where a child may fail to meet their milestones and can be significantly delayed in areas of their development. This can include motor skills, speech and language skills as well as social and emotional skills.

This is another learning profile that affects a large portion of society but given the right support from a young age these children can thrive and reach their full potential.

Borderline personality disorder is a condition that causes extreme emotional dysregulation, feelings of low worth, impulse control and a fear of abandonment. In an educational setting, if this is not properly managed, then this can lead to significant issues. A mental health professional will be the primary source of support but educators and tutors can provide significant support in managing triggering situations such as group projects, essay deadlines and a consistent plan of revision that fits around their needs,

Other challenging behaviours seen in adolescents, aside from BPD, also require a compassionate approach. Ensuring that self worth is raised through consistent support and educating young people on theories such as a growth mindset can help those with challenging behaviours to lower anxiety and thrive in educational settings.

There are many different special educational needs and learning differences, some diagnosed and some undiagnosed leading to further mental health issues for both students and parents. Some issues can be hard to pinpoint or diagnose but if any of these sound familiar it may be that you need some specialised help.

This is not an exhaustive list of the SEN children we work with so do book a call even if your child diagnosis is not included here.