We have a child at our school with NF until now he has had relatively few problems (occasional external growths which unusually self rectify).He is now in year 4 and is suffering with headaches, balance problems and SEMH needs.
Parents are proactive and have booked an MRI.
What extra help and support can I provide as SENCo?
Any advice welcome
Hi Selina
I think that you might be doing lots of things as a SENCo but these are some to be going on with:
managing headaches - he probably should have a healthcare plan so that you can identify if/when he needs pain relief - find out what makes him most comfortable and is it impacting on his concentration and ability to focus in class. You might have to give him some time out to relax.
in terms of his balance - you should complete a full risk assessment for the different areas of school that he goes to, eg any steps or stairs, uneven surfaces, PE lessons, swimming, toilets. Some adaptations may be helpful to prevent falls - moving ahead of lesson changes, handrails, safe routes - if it is very bad a referral to physio might be helpful
SEMH - daily or weekly check-in times to talk about what has gone well and what made it successful, what has not gone well and what could have been done to improve it might be helpful. Are his headaches affecting his attainment and does he need modifications to his work/method of recording to take account.
hope this is helpful
Julie
