Every child is unique and a consequence of their genetics and environment. This means that although they usually go through the same developmental milestones, they may not go through them at the same rate. It is paramount that early years practitioners have a good understanding of typical patterns of child development, so if they have any concerns for a child in any areas of development, and believe the child may have special needs, the cause of this concern can be identified and the child and their family supported.
Children’s learning is holistic. A delay in one area of development can impact on other areas of development. Early intervention makes a big difference to the outcomes for a child. For example if we are worried about a child's lack of speech, we would look at their hearing and if we find there is a problem with their hearing, we could address the cause. If the delay is not noticed and dealt with it will have an impact on other areas of development, such as social and emotional development. It is imperative that if we have concerns about a child that we work in partnership with parents and other professionals to ensure that these barriers to learning are removed or lessened. Consistency of care is highly beneficial and when parents and practitioners work together, they can support a child to overcome any barriers to their learning.
It is important to support parents if their child has a special educational need. Too often parents are unaware of the influence of their actions and the environment on their young child and think that learning doesn't occur until they go to primary school. We need to help parents understand that the way they parent has a major impact on their child. It is good to show parents how to celebrate their children's differences and to embrace the positives.
However when seeking to identify a delay or a need, we must not label a child too early. Both the child and the adults will respond to a label and the child may then be viewed as ‘less able’ in some way. We should view all children as able and not from a deficit model. Often we seek to label a child with a special educational need when it would be better to give them the chance to develop their unique skills as they explore the world, monitoring and supporting their progress rather than applying a label too early. We must make the most of the flexibility of each day in early years to develop every individual’s interests and not seek to do what we have always done before. We must be open to change and children being different. We should be aware that there are many ways of achieving the best outcomes. Children don’t need to follow the same path to success.
An important factor in supporting the unique child is to be aware of the impact of the environment on their learning and development. There is a reason for a child's behaviour, they are trying to tell us what they need. In my experience in many early years classrooms, I have seen barriers to learning caused, unwittingly, by the adults. Adults do what they think is required rather than what is right for the child at that stage of their development. Sometimes, in an early years setting, adults do things that are more convenient for them rather than what is right to meet a child's needs.
In order to feel safe and secure a child needs to have routines and clear boundaries. They need adults around them who have appropriate expectations. Children should be active participants in their learning and be able to explore stimulating and engaging environments. They need to be given real choices, to be listened to and respected. They need frequent opportunities to be physically active every day. They need to be seen as competent and able and appreciated for who they are. When a child gets what they need, we often see undesirable behaviour lessen or go away. The need for early intervention and labelling is reduced. This is not to say that we ignore the needs of other children. All children need to learn to be considerate and aware of others needs too. However we need to professionally manage all children’s behaviour in a positive and proactive way.
For all children, before trying to change what the child does, we must look at what we are offering, in terms of both the emotional and physical environments, and change these first. Changing these will often result in a change in the child's behaviour as they respond to the environment around them.
While some children in the early years will have diagnosed and recognized special educational needs, for many of these children, giving them the time and space to develop at their own rate and in their own way will be positive for all. Under the guidance of professional educators, in partnership with parents, their needs can be managed in a positive, empowering way.
Dr Sarah Rogers set up Early Years Educational Services, (EYES) and Quest, to offer continuing professional training and UK qualification to all in the early years practitioners in the UAE. Her aim is to support the best outcomes for all children and raise the professionalism of the early years sector. She can be contacted at sarah@eyes-me.com
