After watching the videos, I can now better empathise with what students with these different learning disabilities are going through in school, and with this understanding, I can now better support them in school. I think teaching in a very explicit way is very important when working with these students with learning disabilities, For example, to teach the relationship between sounds and letters in a very explicit and structured way - giving direct instructions with clear modelling and visual supports. Furthermore, I also think that teachers in school often have this mindset that places responsibility on the student to adjust, rather than focusing on how we can adjust instruction, supports and the classroom environment. My mentor once told me “Wanting a child with autism to fit into the class nicely is like wanting a child who is on wheelchair be able to stand and walk with their peers” and that resonated a lot with me. Often we neglect changing the environment to better suit the child, and I think that is my job as a SEN officer to work with teachers on how we can modify the curriculum or have accommodations to help support these students with the learning disabilities to learn better and be in more supportive environment. 

1. Dyslexia (Reading Disability)

🧠 Main challenge: Reading fluency, decoding, spelling

🔹Accomodations/Strategies:

- Use multi-sensory instruction (e.g., Orton-Gillingham method – touch, sight, sound, movement)

- Teach phonemic awareness explicitly and repeatedly

2. Dyscalculia (Math Disability)

🧠 Main challenge: Understanding number concepts, calculations, math symbols

🔹Accomodations/Strategies:

- Use visual aids, number lines, counters, math manipulatives (e.g., base-10 blocks)

- Reduce the number of problems on a page

- Extra time for tests

3. Dysgraphia (Writing Disability)

🧠 Main challenge: Handwriting, spelling, written expression

🔹Accomodations/Strategies:

- Provide fine motor activities to build writing strength

- Reduced writing load

4. Language Disorder (Speech or Language Impairment)

🧠 Main challenge: Understanding or using language effectively (oral or written)

🔹Accomodations/Strategies:

- Use clear, simple instructions, broken into steps

- Check for understanding with visual aids or demonstrations

- Encourage peer modelling and social interaction

- Provide wait time for processing and responding

Regardless of which specific learning disorder a child may struggle with, multisensorial activities and scaffolding are critical to build the child's engagement in developing the skills they lack. The type of support should also be encouraged in contexts outside of pull-out sessions with the child (e.g. using pencil grips in class, doing theraputty/handwriting exercises at home) where possible to boost progress in honing those skills.

4. Specific Language Impairment

   • I was quite surprised at how direct the implications of SLI were on various domains of a child's life (e.g. social, academic, mental health, self-esteem). When working with a child with SLI, it would be important to prioritise the different concerns the child and people around the child (e.g. teachers) have and work on them accordingly.

5. Modifications, Accommodations and Differentiated Instruction

   • In SG mainstream school contexts, it seems that only accommodations (e.g. A3 exam paper with larger print, extra time) are made during exams, but modifications (e.g. differentiated spelling list) can be made for ungraded tasks for students with SEN.

   • The different types of access (longer, focused, closer and verbal) are also helpful to know in future what arrangements can be made for students with SEN

The videos reminded me to be more attuned to the various learning difficulties, as follow 

• Dyslexia: difficulty with reading, spelling, writing. Specifically, having trouble with phonemic awareness, matching sounds to letters/breaking words into sounds, rhyming, decoding and segmenting words which may come off as having vague/inexact vocabulary. 

• Dyscalculia: lack of understanding quantities and links/relationship between symbols and quantity. Has difficulty in basic arithmetic, number sense and math reason which affects ability to learn and apply math concepts BUT can have strengths in some areas of math e.g. geometry and algebra particularly if early targeted intervention is provided. 

• Dysgraphia: affects writing skills ie spelling, handwriting, organising thoughts on paper, often due to motor skills. 

Being able to identify these learning disabilities could be helpful in explaining some of the teachers’ challenges in managing the students in their classes, such as how they engage in disruptive, off-task behaviours, difficulty turning in homework, and thereby engage in further discussions to better support the students. 

There are neuromyths which I would also have to be mindful not to impose on the students such that it could negatively affect them. As future SENO, I could debunk such neuromyth like their “creativity”, by explaining the possibility that the students may develop compensatory strategies to deal with their learning difficulties which may enhance their creativity in some areas e.g. verbal and visual reasoning, intuitive problem-solving as shared in the video on Dyscalculia. I nonetheless also see value in tapping on students’ compensatory skills, to explore possibilities for the students. 

Understanding the difference between accommodation and modification provided more clarity in the inclusive approaches to support our students with SEN, where we can either change how (accomodation) / what (modification) the student learns. This would involve myself as future SENO to collaborate with the stakeholders (ie teachers, parents etc.) through use of APIE, to discuss what may be the strengths/needs assessed, and thereafter plan and implement possible accommodations to facilitate access to curriculum (ie longer, focused, closer, verbal access) or modifications for the student with SEN. This involves the belief in the students’ strengths and ability to reach their full potential within the mainstream school setting, and obtaining buy-in and support from all stakeholders in order to be carried out effectively. 

The videos were informative in sharing possible ways to support the students, such as Orton Gillingham reading program, tracing letters in sand while saying the letter and its sound or clap out syllables in words, rhyming game, reading nursery books, singing songs for students with dyslexia. Students with dyscalculia could get accommodations like extended time on tests or assignments, be able to use manipulatives such as base ten blocks and number lines to figure out problems, everyday activities like cooking or baking for parents to draw attention to numbers. In particular, play-based strategies for Dysgraphia inspired me to try out play-based multi-sensory strategies to motivate the students to learn, monitor progress and provide feedback and recommendations to teachers/parents for implementation beyond the school wherever possible. I believe in play as a medium for children to learn, and through engaging the students’ 5 senses, it could make learning more engaging and memorable for learning to occur. 

It is noteworthy that while the three learning disabilities are lifelong, they are not linked to intelligence. This leaves space for support to enter in terms of accommodation / modifications, and for the student/parents to come to terms and learn to adapt and thrive based on the students’ strengths and abilities. Moreover, learning takes place in various settings - school, home, and other settings the students is in - which I hope to be able to work towards collaborative support to meet the students’ needs with the team. 

As a SENO, I will do my best to ensure that I individualise my interventions for my students after getting to know them through thorough observations and interviews/discussions with their teachers/friends/themselves. I strongly believe that every child possesses their own unique ability to excel and it is my duty as a SENO to unlock their potential! I can see how intimidating it can be to seek help or even show "weakness", so I want to be the advocate and source of support that they can turn to, to ensure that their voices are heard within the school. I would also be eager to closely collaborate with the teachers and the school leaders so that they understand clearly what the SENO's roles are, reasons why we help our students in differentiated ways (in class support/withdrawal session) and how we can only effectively help our students if we work together as a school community.

A child with dyslexia has difficulties with word recognition, spelling and decoding. These difficulties are likely to have arisen from deficits in phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, verbal memory and processing speed. Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty affecting the ability to understand numbers, perform calculations, and grasp mathematical concepts, often leading to significant anxiety around math. Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder and specific learning disability that impairs written expression, making it difficult to write legibly, spell, or organise thoughts on paper. Sometimes, they can co-occur with other learning difficulties such as poor motor coordination, mental calculation, concentration and personal organisation.

As a SENO, my role is to ensure the student has the necessary supports and that teachers, parents, and the student themselves understand and use these effectively. Firstly, in terms of reading support, I will provide audiobooks or text-to-speech software (e.g., Learning Ally, Bookshare, NaturalReader). It is important to use simplified language in instructions when possible so that they can understand and not disengage. When doing a reading activity, let the student follow along with highlighted or large-print texts. In a classroom setting, I will ask the teachers to assign a peer buddy for reading or note-taking if appropriate. It will be good to provide visual aids, charts, and diagrams in the classroom or during withdrawal sessions as well. Next, to provide support for students with dyscalculia, we can allow extra time for assignments and tests and pair verbal explanations with visuals or concrete examples. It is good to allow the use of a calculator, even for basic math and provide multiplication charts, number lines, or formula sheets. Lastly, for dysgraphia, allow typing instead of handwriting (with keyboarding instruction if needed), use speech-to-text software (e.g., Google Voice Typing), allow oral responses for written assignments or assessments and accept bullet points, diagrams, or audio recordings instead of full paragraphs.

Having differentiated instructions across the three learning difficulties is a great strategy. Be it SENO or teachers, it is good to use multisensory instruction (e.g., Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading) and break tasks into small, manageable steps.

One piece of information that stood out to me was the research findings that people with dyslexia tend to be able to look at the big picture better than their non-dyslexic counterparts. This could be one factor why segmentation of sounds might be difficult because they hear the word as a whole, or the converse where they treat letters as individual entities hence dragging them out to form a word might be challenging. By knowing this, it encourages me to use more concrete objects to help represent the sounds. For instance, stacking 3 blocks of lego to represent the word with 3 sounds. Then, slowly break them apart to sound the individual sounds. Hopefully by mapping the breaking up and piecing it back together, the child will be able to better visualize how segmenting and blending works.

Knowing other cognitive areas that are affected as well (eg: increased forgetfulness, daydreaming) can help me inform parents that it is not due to laziness. Thereby, get them on board as well for any strategies put in place to help them along with their day better.

[Dyscalculia]

Again, the mentioning of dyscalculia being on a continuum and highlighting getting to know the student’s strengths emphasizes the importance of there is no one size fits all approach. It also requires the rethinking of how to turn something abstract (eg: what is 7) into something more concrete for the student to better understand.

[Dysgraphia]

The approaches for intervention emphasizes a lot on hands-on, multisensory activities that activates the mental imaging of the student. It is definitely important to differentiate between task avoidance and requiring more time and guidance with work.

[Specific Language Impairment]

It was brought to light the multitude of impacted areas this impairment can bring about. It can often lead to misunderstanding and misconstruing the capabilities of that individual just based on his/her inability to express. On this note, it could be useful to tap on more whole school accommodations like the clicker to answer questions and having visuals that show the content during assembly so that the student is not being singled out.

All points towards first a holistic understanding of the student so that the needs can be laid out more clearly. Then, prioritization of needs is important to help inform the intervention plans. Strategies are encouraged to be multisensorial as these difficulties do impact other functioning (eg: working memory, organization, etc.). A whole school approach is also encouraged as the student might have other needs to be addressed (eg: anxiety due to difficulties expressing oneself). When appropriate, parents should also be involved to advice on IEP strategies as well as for continuation of strategies from school back home.

Knowing what AAs are available allows for matching them to the needs of the student. However, it is also important to have the school on board such that the AA can be practiced during WA or other school-based assessments before national examinations. This way, there can be modifications made to the AA (if possible, eg: changing from a reader pen to a reader), or other needs might surface (eg: adding on larger prints for exam scripts).

Basic accommodations that can be implemented include adjusting the amount of work, providing extra time, adapting assignments, providing extra assistance, and changing the physical settings as required. The student’s needs would have to be considered.

Likewise, based on the student’s needs, modifications such as differentiated learning could provide more targeted support.

Dyslexia support:

• Provide multi sensory approach when reading (e.g. writing on sand)

• Teaching how to break, match and blending sounds

• Using AT: text to speech, audio books, reading apps

Dyscalculia:

• provide multi sensory approach (e.g. clapping when counting)

• Provide concrete materials (e.g. number line, manipulative)

Dysgraphia:

• Visual spatial - use papers that have large spaces or grid lines

• Tools - pencil grips that can reduce fatigue, voice to print, advanced organiser

• Minimise copying activities

SLDs:

• Social support: cooperative learning groups, peer tutoring, 1-on-1 support

(1) Lower cognitive capabilities are not associated with diagnoses of specific learning disorders or language impairments.

It is a myth that children with specific learning disorders or language impairments have lower cognitive abilities, and that they are not able to improve in the academic areas which they have difficulties in. With neuroplasticity, even adults are able to learn new skills, and so are these children. The importance in recognising their diagnoses, is so that we can adapt the ways that we teach, to help them better access the curriculum, rather than for us to label them as academically weak. Strategies I can use in the future as a SEN Officer, include exposing them to multisensory methods of learning, which help to strengthen connections between sounds and letters, or symbols and quantitative representations, which are impacted by differences in their development. Additionally, using explicit and evidence-based methods to provide instruction or accommodate learning will help them to participate in lessons and lower the cognitive load on the child to focus on lesson material.

(2) Understanding the child well is important

Although two children may have the same diagnosis, they may have different preferences in learning, interests and strengths, which can be integrated for more effective support. For example, to encourage a child with dyslexia or dyscalculia to work on their phonological/ mathematical skills, we might want to link the material we teach to their interests, or topics which are extremely relevant to their lives. With higher cognitive effort required to practise these skills, finding good sources of motivation for students to participate can provide encouragement and enjoyment for them in learning, while enabling their lives to be enriched in these areas. For students with Dysgraphia, they may have different preferences for pencil/pen types and grips. Though these preferences and choices may seem minute to people without learning difficulties, students with learning difficulties may greatly benefit from these personal touches and customisations to their learning, as it helps them to build a positive relationship with their academics. Hence as a SEN Officer with extra time to get to know these students and work with them, building a strong understanding of their interests and preferences will be important. 

(3) Helping to boost the child’s confidence and recognise their strengths is an important part of the process when working with them

In a school environment where academics are highly prioritised, there are times where students and even teachers or SENOs, may lose sight of the other strengths that students possess. While we want to improve their ability to learn and enrich their lives with academic materials, we are also responsible for building character and self-esteem in our students, which is essential for them to positively adapt to the challenges they face in their lives ahead. Hence, even while these students may struggle with academics, we should not lose sight of their talents and other abilities, and as a SEN Officer, look out for and provide them with opportunities for development in these areas where they are available. 

(4) Helping them to develop life skills, on top of academic skills, is important

Closely linked to the previous point, it was highlighted that students with these diagnoses may struggle with memory, executive function, attention and cognitive control. Hence as a SEN Officer, it is also important to look out for the difficulties they may face in these areas which can affect their access to learning and the anxiety they face as they move onto future stages in life that require better executive function and organisational skills.

Other than taking note of these pointers and providing learning access and support through these strategies, it is also important to advocate for these students in schools through empowering them to continue building and finding their strengths, encouraging teachers and parents to recognise their strengths.

We can use differentiated mode of support such as reading aloud or using a reader pen for students with dyslexia for non-reading subjects (e.g. math, science). Adjusting the instruction methods by providing more concrete materials for learning (e.g. visuals, objects), which will benefit even the typically developed students.

Calculators could also be introduced to students with dyscalculia to reduce cognitive overload, so that they can focus more on the concepts itself. For students with dysgraphia, teachers can allow more time for them to copy. Or perhaps in a higher learning setting where phones are allowed, the taking down of notes could be assisted by taking photos instead of copying.

Other than supporting the students themselves, knowledge can also be shared with the subject teachers to carry out the accommodations for them (e.g. allowing more time, have different more of presenting answers).

In the daily environment for students with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), allowing them to have a linger response time, and speaking in simpler sentences may help them. Home support is also important. By updating the strategies with the caregivers, it ensures consistency between the school and home settings.  

Dyslexia affects reading and sounds. Daily strategies that I will want to use include multisensory reading activities, like tracing letters while saying the sounds aloud, and chunking text into smaller, manageable sections to reduce overwhelm. I also love the value of integrating audio support through audiobooks or teacher-recorded passages, paired with guided reading and graphic organizers to build comprehension. Building vocabulary gradually and using visual cues helps children feel more confident and able to participate in lessons.

Dyscalculia makes numbers and mathematical reasoning challenging. I realized that concrete, hands-on strategies like using counters, number lines, or colour-coded visual supports—can make abstract concepts far more understandable. Step-by-step instruction, daily short math warm-ups, and applying math to real-life contexts, such as measuring ingredients or telling time, can help students practice without frustration and at an appropriate pace. Digital tools like math apps can provide repetition and reinforcement while keeping learning engaging.

Dysgraphia creates barriers in writing. I now appreciate the importance of short, structured writing tasks, alongside keyboarding exercises to reduce the stress of fine motor demands. Daily use of graphic organizers helps students plan their ideas before writing, while dictation exercises allow them to express their thoughts orally without the physical barrier of handwriting. One that had worked with a student was for them to dump out their ideas on a post-it note and working with them in making sense of their story, to lay it in a sequential flow. The students enjoy it as they are able to revisit their points and validate their thought process. Handwriting warm-ups, highlighting key points, and opportunities for peer review can also make writing tasks more accessible and less intimidating.

What stood out to me most was how all three don’t just affect academics but can deeply impact a child’s confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. For me, that’s where the heart of learning really lies. Moving forward, this new perspective will definitely change how I support my students. I want to look beyond labels and see the whole child, not just the diagnosis. That means building on their strengths, while also meeting their needs in ways that make sense for them. Emotional well-being and inclusion will always sit at the centre of what I do.

My background as a preschool educator is useful here because I know how powerful multisensory learning can be. Tactiles and multi-sensorial materials like sand, clay, or manipulatives can make lessons far more engaging and meaningful, whether in reading, maths, or writing. I also want to work more closely with teachers to plan differentiated lesson materials, such as personalized spelling lists, math manipulatives, and structured writing supports, not just adjustments during assessments. While exams matter, I believe the real difference happens in the daily learning experiences that build consistency and confidence. Early identification will also remain a priority for me, because the sooner a child gets support, the better their chances of not only learning well but also feeling secure in their own potential.

1. Make learning fun. For students who struggle with reading, it can get repetitive and demoralizing. Find personalized strategies to help them. This can include games, reading activities and hands on activities that are multi sensorial (clapping hands or tracing letters in sand). If a child has an interest, tap on their interests or strengths to help them like learning. Encourage them by providing opportunities of success to motivate them to be confident. Reassure the child that their learning can improve with proper support and encouragement.

2. Getting the basics right. Instead of moving on to more difficult topics, ensure that the foundation is set. Students should be able to recognize words by sight and think about how to pronounce words before moving on to forming relationships between the sounds. Taking things slowly such that the child does not get overwhelmed. Encourage parents to provide support such that their child feels encouraged to improve. They can do so by working together with them everyday for their reading skills in different means such as nursery rhymes, books, and other prints.

3. Making meaning through understanding through the use of daily activities such as cooking or baking where parents have to draw attention to numbers on the scale or reading recipes. With the involvement of the child in the activity, it makes it more meaningful as this experience is memorable and shows that learning can take place in different forms. When a child understands and applies what they have learnt, they are able to make meaning because this knowledge has been made applicable to them.

4. It is important to understand the difference between having a learning disability and struggling with the subject due to lack of interest.

What will you do as a sen officer in the near future to support your students

• For students with learning difficulties, we tend to focus so much on their academics that we lack their well being. I would like to be someone who does something fun to check in with the students to ensure that they are ready to learn. I feel that their well being should come before the academics.

• Another way to encourage students to learn better would be through social play whereby they learn together with their friends. Put students with slightly similar learning abilities together and have another student be a “buddy” that they can seek help from. Rather than, it being a one way interaction, it should be a partnership whereby all individuals get to benefit.

• Other ways we can help students would be to provide them with access arrangements. However, I feel that access arrangements should only be given to a child if the child is able to utilise it well in exam settings.

• During class setting, there could be

  • changes in curriculum and resources in terms how how the worksheets are designed, or doing away with written assessments and having performance tasks assessments. Students are still expected to demonstrate their learning but in a different form.

  • Changes in physical settings, such as a separate room which is more conducive for the student.

• Strong partnerships with parents and stakeholders involved. This is important as the child changes, the interventions and modifications made should too. There should be a shared commitment to help enable the child’s growth.

Dyslexia refers to a language-based learning disorder that affects how individuals understand spoken language and written language. As there are different areas of the brain that are involved with reading, dyslexic readers usually demonstrate decreased activation that is important for word decoding and reading fluency. The anatomy of the brain also differs. Hence, this brings about awareness that dyslexic children do not have a lack of intelligence or display less effort as compared to others. By understanding the way dyslexia is epitomised in the brain, it shows that early interventions, such as targeted instructions, can produce big changes and hence the real wokr can begin to actually help the child rather than to blame them for laziness. 

Dyscalculia is a learning disorder in the mathematics subject that affects children’s understanding and number fluency. It can be seen when the students struggle with simple or foundation maths topics, such as sum and subtract, even when specific instructions are given. While it is linked to the way brian processes number and spatial reasoning, it can also occur alongside other learning disorders such as dyslexia, ADHD.

Dysgraphia on the other hand affects writing skills, particularly handwriting and its mechanics. A common myth is that the individual has low intelligence as their writing is illegible, slow and the coinstant struggle with spelling and grammar. Therefore, individuals have issues in completing their work, copying down notes and anything that involves heavy and long periods of writing. 

As a future SENO, I intend to help students who face such difficulties. Some ways would be to have a structured literacy approach when they come for lessons, for students with dyslexia. The use of explicit, multisensory and systemic teaching of phonics, spelling and more will be implemented. Other than that, chunking or breaking a task into small tasks would be helpful to the students. By repeating such interventions, it would help to reinforce the skills taught to the students and be a habit for them. For students with dyscalculia, the use of visuals to explain mathematical concepts would be beneficial so that they have an idea of what is being explained to them. Additionally, explicit instruction such as step-by-step instructions with hands-on material would also be helpful as they have something concrete to link back to the concept. Dysgraphia, on the other hand, requires extensive evaluation to see the precise concern with regards to writing. Practice of motor skills would also prove to be worthwhile as it involves fine motor coordination that is required in writing. Other than low-tech assistive devices, mid to higher-tech assistive tools such as specific apps, keyboards or even voice-to-text software can be used by the child. 

It is important to note that the student’s intelligence is not related to the learning difficulties mentioned. It is merely the different structure of the brains anatomy which affected the areas of decoding, understanding and more. It is important for us to also make known to others who look down on the students because of their learning disorder, so as to make them aware and not to blame the student. I hope to be able to break this cycle and to ease my students’ development.

This awareness allows me to identify difficulties early, rather than waiting for problems to escalate, and informs the design of targeted interventions.

For example, I might use explicit phonics instruction for dyslexic learners, manipulative for children with dyscalculia, or visual support systems for those with SLI, ensuring that teaching methods remain structured, purposeful, and evidence-based.

In reflecting on these strategies, I also realise the importance of differentiating support according to each child’s strengths and weaknesses. Differentiated instruction helps me to plan lessons that are flexible and responsive to individual needs, while the example of accommodations support is to lowering my expectations, making change of learning environment/ materials, allowing extra time or even the option for reduction amount of workload if the student struggle to complete a particular task during interventions.

Modifications, on the other hand, is to simplify the task and/or provide alternative goals so that children with more significant difficulties can still experience small successes and meaningful progress in their learning.

Through this reflection, I have come to see how these approaches complement one another, equipping me with a practical toolkit for future interventions in collaborations with teachers and families to set realistic, meaningful goals for children with greater learning challenges.

Another takeaway I had from the videos is that the brain is malleable. Through explicit, structured instructions and the use of multi-sensory approaches, we will be able to see improvements in the student’s learning. In future intervention sessions, I will put more thought into the lesson delivery so that it is explicit, structured and incorporates multi-sensory tools. 

Often, we are too focused on addressing the student’s learning needs and may overlook their emotional welfare and feelings. Hence, during intervention or check-ins, I should set aside some time to provide emotional support and a safe space for them to talk about their concerns and feelings.

Our role as a SEN Officer is not only limited to supporting students during intervention but to ensure that students learn in class as well. It is thus important to collaborate with teachers to make accommodations and modifications to the learning environment and tasks for the students to learn more effectively and feel accomplished. I will also strive to become an advocate for my students and encourage teachers to understand their needs and see beyond their disabilities.

Through learning about dyslexia, I came to see that it is not simply a matter of “reading difficulties.” It is about how the brain processes language in a way that can affect reading fluency, spelling, and word recognition. Yet, many individuals with dyslexia also demonstrate remarkable strengths in creativity, problem-solving, and thinking differently. This has reminded me that as a SENO, I must ensure that a child’s intelligence is not judged solely on their academic output but also on their broader abilities and unique talents.

When I explored dyscalculia, I realised that it goes far beyond “not being good at math.” It impacts daily life in areas such as time management, handling money, or following sequences. This broadened my awareness that my role is not only to support academic development but also to help equip students with practical skills that will benefit them in everyday situations. Providing structured, step-by-step teaching methods and incorporating visual or hands-on strategies are key approaches I can include during my withdrawal sessions with the student.

Learning about dysgraphia deepened my understanding of the complexity of written expression difficulties. It is not just about poor handwriting, but also about the struggles in organising thoughts, spelling, and translating ideas into written form. It must be frustrating for a child who knows the answer but cannot express it clearly on paper. At the same time, I realised how difficult it can be to determine if a child has dysgraphia, as its symptoms often overlap with those of dyslexia and dyscalculia. For example, spelling errors may point towards dyslexia, while sequencing issues could resemble dyscalculia. This overlap reinforces the importance of my role as a SENO in conducting careful observations, gathering evidence, and working collaboratively with teachers and specialists to build a clear profile of the child’s needs.

I also learnt that speech and language impairments can be easily confused with dyslexia, as both may involve challenges in phonological awareness, vocabulary, and expressive language. This makes the process of identification even more complex. For me as a SENO, this was an important reminder that an accurate understanding is critical, because the support I provide must be tailored to the child’s actual needs. A misinterpretation may lead to giving them the wrong strategies, which can frustrate the child further and hinder their progress.

Overall, this learning has reinforced for me that these differences are not weaknesses. As a SENO, I should go beyond simply recognising difficulties. I need to identify strengths and interests, build on them, and ensure that the right interventions are implemented. Just as importantly, I recognise that I cannot do this alone. It is essential to work closely with the child’s teachers, parents, peers and external therapists, as collaboration allows us to share different perspectives, align strategies, and provide consistent support both in school and at home. This reflection has strengthened my commitment to approaching each child with patience, empathy, and teamwork, knowing that by working together, the child will definitely benefit more.

A key reminder I took away was that having a learning difficulty does not mean a child is at a disadvantage for life. With the right strategies and support, we can help them unlock their potential. Different children learn differently and these challenges do not make them less capable. Something that I really like was how the videos mentioned that our brains are adaptable and can be strengthened through proper interventions, which is both encouraging and empowering.

As a SENO, I recognise the importance of being aware of these learning difficulties and understanding that every child has unique learning styles. It is crucial to identify and use strategies that best suit them. In the future, I would like to incorporate more play-based and multisensory activities in my teaching, making learning both effective and enjoyable while tapping into students’ strengths and interests.

At the same time, I think it is also very important to be mindful of their emotional wellbeing. Emotions play a big role in learning and children need to feel confident, valued, and understood. By supporting them in expressing themselves and building their self-esteem, I can better help them discover the methods of learning that fit them best.

The biggest takeaway for me is the importance of being aware! Aware of their difficulties, their strengths and their emotional wellbeing so that I can support them holistically.

One common strategy I noticed throughout the videos is using a multisensory approach to support learning in students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and SLI. Involving multiple senses will help students of various profiles remember information better. For example, writing letters in sand, clapping out syllables, or using manipulatives will help these students’ learning experience beyond the tradition pen-and-paper. It is also important to consider the child’s interests when developing fun activities to help their specific learning needs. I recall a student at my stint school who showed signs of dyscalculia despite not being diagnosed. He was struggling with basic addition, subtraction and division problems even with continued support in Math until P6. As he was also on the school’s soccer team, the SENO conducted an activity where he had to divide players into multiple teams, each with a team captain. To make the example more realistic, she allowed him to use manipulatives (i.e. counting bears), using different colours for the ‘captains’ and ‘players’. In this manner, the student was better able to visualise and understand the concept of division.

Finally, as a SENO in mainstream setting, it may not be possible for us to make modifications to the curriculum. However, there are many ways we can make accommodations to support our students’ learning. For example, for spelling, we may not be able to change the number of words being tested (i.e. 10 words per week), but we can adjust the number of words our students with SEN aims to learn (e.g. learn 6 out of 10 words). We can accommodate by giving them a choice for which words to learn, consulting them on their learning goals (e.g. get 5 out of 10 correct for spelling), and supporting them by teaching specific learning strategies. As SENOs, it is important that we work collaboratively with the teachers and parents to manage the goals and expectations for the student, as well as implement strategies to support their learning. Making various accommodations will help the student experience small successes in their learning, which over time, may help them associate positive emotions with learning in general.

1. For students with dyslexia, we may support the student by explicit teaching and do so in a very structured manner. Certain use of AT like reading pens and reading apps and teaching with songs and rhymes could help with reading. Verified methods like orthographic spelling rules could help them in spelling skill.

2. For students with dyscalculia, even though SENOs don't usually support the Maths curriculum in school, but we may intervene when this difficulty ties in with time or money management issues like being late for classes or not paying correct amount of money when buying food during recess. We can teach the social skills aspects and basic counting skills and time telling skills so they do not turn into behavioural problems later on.

3. For students with dysgraphia, which affects writing skills, SENOs can, once identified the student's specific needs, recommend AT assistance like word processors or voice to text software or AA like minimize the student's copying tasks and allow extended time for assignment to allow the student to cope with the learning in class such that they are not overwhelmed or limited in learning by not able to perform letter formation correctly.

4. For students with SLI, SENOs, must remember that language must be explicitly taught to them and that they require on-going support throughout their school years. The use of visual aids, and differentiated instructions will help these students too, in learning and organizing their daily activities.

5. The last few videos on Accommodations and Modifications and differentiated instructions serve as reminders to SENOs to be vigilant in identifying the individual student's needs and recommend tailored teaching methods, materials and/ or assessments to meet the student's learning needs to teachers and other educators supporting the student.

   
   

After viewing all the videos, I noticed and learned that all of them mentioned ONE THING i.e., all the conditions are “not linked to intelligence”. So there is still hope. It is true that each of them could affect academic learning and progress. But, with the right intervention rendered at the right and appropriate phase or age, the child can gain from the early intervention and show improvements and consistency. As a SENO, I must be prepared to receive colorful students coming in to the school and make sure I have all my “ammos” and “tools” with me. I think its about getting used to preparing my mindset of storing all the “ammos” and “tools” learned and taking them out to use at the right time. I just need to be comfortable in using them and applying them to my students. If 1 of 10 students get to help and see progress, I am contented.

Accommodations

• Seat student near teacher.

• Allow short breaks.

• Allow the use of computers for writing.

• Provide assistive tech (iPads, keyboards).

• Arrange peer buddies or small groups.

• Give extra time for tasks, quizzes, transitions.

• At home: Parents to give homework breaks.

• At home: Parents to allow extra time to finish assignments.

Modifications

• Reduce expectations

• At home: Parents to share progress or struggles with IEP team.

Understanding strategies like differentiated instruction and the use of accommodations and modifications shows that learning is not one size fits all. Offering support in ways that are flexible and thoughtful helps each child succeed.

For example, students with dyslexia may struggle to connect sounds to letters. Strategies like structured phonics and multisensory activities can build confidence and fluency. Children with dyscalculia may have trouble understanding quantities or calculation steps, and hands-on manipulatives, visual supports, and role playing examples like cooking or shopping make concepts more concrete. Students with dysgraphia often struggle to get ideas onto paper, so voice to text software, raised line paper, and fine motor activities provide meaningful support. For students with specific language impairment, small group instruction, visual aids, and structured language activities can help develop both understanding and expressive language skills. Differentiated instruction allows students to engage with lessons in ways that suit how they learn, while accommodations and modifications remove barriers without lowering expectations.

As a SENO, I hope to observe students closely, recognise their strengths and challenges, and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure consistent support across all learning environments. Additionally, I hope to foster a culture where students see that these challenges do not define their abilities and feel confident using the tools and strategies available.

Ultimately, the goal as a SEN Officer is to ensure every student has equal access to learning, meaningful support tailored to their needs, and the opportunity to succeed. Structured interventions, personalised support, and inclusive teaching practices can make a real difference in students’ learning, confidence, and overall development.

It is important for me to be knowledgeable about the various special education needs to quickly single out students facing difficulties and plan appropriate interventions. When a child is unable to access learning due to their needs, I should plan for accomodations and support for the student to help bridge the gap. When we adults think about language, writing and basic math concepts, these skills appear to be innate and we can easily apply reflexively. Now that I have learned reading, and writing skills are complicated processes, I better understand the difficulties students face. I should break down the process into steps so as to target the gap skills. E.g. if the student has difficulty imagining objects in space, I should have concrete examples to help him visualize. In my planning of future interventions, I want to incorporate multisensory activities so that it can help concretize concepts learned. Keeping in mind that every child is different, I will provide differentiated instructions and individualized activities. I believe in brain plasticity, that every student has the ability to learn with targeted activities.

Across these learning needs, I noticed a commonality in the use of explicit and structured teaching, multi-sensory strategies, visual supports and assistive technology (AT). These approaches are necessary in helping students access the curriculum. For example, during withdrawal sessions, I would apply explicit and structured teaching in the following ways:

- Dyslexia: provide structured phonics instruction (e.g., teaching spelling rules such as changing “y” to “i”, from happy to happiness)

- Dyscalculia: break down math concepts into smaller steps (e.g., using number lines and counters to simplify word problems)

- Dysgraphia: teach writing structures using graphic organisers (e.g., 5Ws and 1H or the hamburger model to plan and organise ideas)

- SLI: use structured language resource such as Colourful Semantics to teach sentence construction

I also realised the importance of collaborating with parents and teachers to ensure that the strategies are used consistently and generalised across school and home settings. Understanding how and when to apply accommodations and modifications is key to modifying the environment and curriculum to suit the students’ needs. However, it’s also important to have the support and understanding of School Leaders and teaching staff.

These approaches will allow me to develop strategies that I can use across different learning profiles. Whether I’m conducting withdrawal sessions, providing in-class support or advising teachers, I believe that explicit teaching, multi-sensory learning, visual supports, individualisation and collaboration are the foundation of effective support students with learning needs.

As a SEN officer, it is integral to build a strong rapport with my students and create a safe learning space where they can feel comfortable making mistakes while learning. Understanding the children’s needs (learning, social, emotional) and strengths are also important components to identify the individual potential areas of growth and development for each child.

What surprised me is how dyslexia is more than just a reading difficulty. It can also affect memory, attention, following instructions, and time management. As an educator, it’s important for me to be mindful of the other challenges that student may face when I’m supporting them.

Dyscalculia involves difficulty in understanding quantities and basic number concepts. While the condition can make learning challenging, with early interventions and proper strategies and teaching approaches, students can succeed and even enjoy the subject.

Similar to dyslexia, dyscalculia is often accompanied by other challenges such as poor working memory, visual-spatial difficulties, or learning difficulties such as ADHD. As a SENO supporting them, it is crucial to look at the needs of the individuals, and to provide targeted support to help them thrive.

For students with dysgraphia, support can include practical strategies such as providing larger writing spaces, allowing them to choose writing tools that feel comfortable, and using technology like word processors or voice-to-text software. Multisensory learning approaches are often more effective for students with additional needs, helping to reinforce concepts through various senses and learning styles.

For students with SLI, language has to be taught in an explicit, structured and intentional manner. Difficulties in understanding and using language would affect more not only academic performance but also social interactions. Therefore, it is important to support the student’s social and emotional well-being.

As a SENO, it is important that I understand the child’s needs in order to provide the right accommodations and modification to support their learning and development. It is crucial that we get everyone on board, including parents and teachers, so that the child is consistently supported across all environments.

The myth-busters helped me clarify and remove certain misunderstandings about dyslexia and dyscalculia. For example, I now understand that dyscalculia is more than just not being good at math, but it is a real difficulty with how the brain processes numbers. Same with dysgraphia.. it is not just messy handwriting, but a deeper issue with fine motor skills and how children express their thoughts on paper.

The videos on accommodations, modifications, and differentiated instruction were also really helpful. I start to see more meaning in the provision of all of these extra support, to take a step towards creating a fair learning environment for all students, as much as possible. Giving extra time or allowing a student to type instead of write is not “giving them an advantage”, but rather, it is giving them a chance to show what they actually know.

As a SEN Officer, I will strive to listen to students more and be patient with them. I want to take time to understand what works for them and what does not, instead of assuming I already know. I will also work closely with teachers and parents. Helping them work out small changes they can make in the classroom and at home could have a big impact, especially when it comes to differentiated instruction.

Overall, these videos were a reminder to me that being in this field is not about having all the answers all the time, but it is about being open, supportive, and willing to learn and work it out alongside the students. The learning will never stop, and I look forward to growing even more in this role, in knowledge, empathy and understanding.

A child with dyslexia not about “bad at reading,” they simply process words differently. A child with dyscalculia isn’t careless with numbers, they genuinely experience math in a different way we do see it. Dysgraphia, the ideas are there, but getting them down on paper feels like looking at a 15 foot wave going to crash on them.

When I did my stint, I had the chance to work with a student who had dysgraphia. My mentor and I met with her every week to focus on learning and writing strategies, along with fun games that helped strengthen her fine motor skills and handwriting. We spent time practicing how to draw graphs, work on line formations, and adjust her pencil grip so writing could feel a little easier. Watching her improve bit by bit as we work with her through practice gave me a real sense of satisfaction, it reminded me how with he right support can make such a big difference.

The same goes for students with specific language impairment, who may be just as smart as their peers but struggle to find or process words in their mind.

These are real differences that deserve working with SEN Students from what we believe in as SENO and not labels or give judgements in our own thoughts.

Learning about accommodations and modifications opened my eyes to how powerful small changes can be shown in the video that i had watched. Giving a child speech to text, letting them type instead of handwrite or allowing math tools in class isn’t “making it easier”, it’s giving them access to show what they know. Sometimes it means modifying assignments so they’re less overwhelming, or offering extra time so anxiety doesn’t take over. Differentiated instruction is about meeting each student where they are at, some need visuals, others need hands-on tools and some need additional one to one support. When teachers adapt in these ways, it’s not about lowering expectations but about opening doors that would otherwise it will be shut forever.

What I take away from this journey is a deeper empathy for how students in the video experience school. Instead of seeing mistakes or struggles, I now see resilience, creativity, and courage. They have the spirit and perseverance in each students i see in the video, and that deserves recognition and support.

As being in the education industry and a being human , I believe it’s my responsibility to listen, adjust, and encourage. Every student learns differently, and when we provide access, accommodations, and understanding, we don’t just help them survive in school or outside school hours, we give them the chance to thrive and shine in their own way in many more years to come.

• I believe I can support these students by helping them to build their foundations to reading by raising their phonemic awareness, teaching them how to segmentise and blend phonemes into words, teaching them spelling strategies with use of multisensorial tools, e.g. writing on 'salt'/ 'sand' trays - personally adopted this tool for literacy intervention at stint school and it was effective in helping my student, so I shall continue in the future.

• In addition, I believe in reinforcing learning of sight words through as much exposure as possible with word walls/charts, repeated reading sessions of stories with topics that interest students or relatable to things around them or events happening in their daily life.

[Dyscalculia] I learnt that students with dyscalculia generally struggle with basic math concepts, e.g. quantity processing, relative quantities, spatial representation of numbers etc. We must also be mindful not to be too quick to say that students with math anxiety = being dyscalculia. In addition, a child with dyscalculia may also have other learning and/or behavioural needs, e.g. dyslexia, ADHD etc.

• Learning math can be daunting even for children without dyscalculia, what more the SEN children with dyscalculia and other learning/behavioural needs! Not able to keep in pace with Math lessons, swarmed with "??" swimming around in their heads while the teachers and peers speak in 'alien' mathematical terms can be a blow to self-esteem.

• To me, managing their self-esteem as a SENO is key. I would like to help my SEN children with dyscalculia by having a broad understanding of the math curriculum so that I can suggest the use of appropriate concrete materials, multisensorial tools or curate a math vocabulary 'bank' of common terms with visuals to support their learning.

[Dysgraphia] It is more than just having poor penmanship but also about having challenges putting thoughts into words on paper and copying notes from the board to paper. Tell-tale signs include students' spacing of letters or words, how they are writing the words on lines and within the spaces of the lines, having poor grip of writing instruments, easy fatigue from writing a few lines etc. More often or not, children with dysgraphia may have other needs such as dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD etc.

• Therefore, other than providing accommodations such as using papers with larger spaces between lines to help them, I would like to do my part to get them to taste success through milestone progress despite having comorbidity.

• I can work with them in addressing their needs through separate intervention sessions for each need, prioritising the most critical need first. Meanwhile, feasible accommodations can be made and established in supporting the students.

[Specific Language Impairment] It might not be easy to spot a child with dyslexia whether he/she has SLI as well.

• What I can do is to observe more closely if his/her learning challenges are mostly shown through his/her speech - the way he/she articulates, the pace of delivery of speech, whether he/she struggles with following verbal instructions in school etc.

• I am more concerned with the self-esteem of these children as they may be more easily misunderstood, isolated or even bullied by their peers. I see the need to work even more closely with the student counsellors and teachers for this group of SEN students.

[Accommodations and modifications] I learnt of the distinction between accommodations vs modifications. I can see most of the recommended accommodations and modifications being implemented in our SG mainstream schools. They definitely give SEN students the runway to keep up with learning in a more adjusted pace and in a more conducive physical setting alongside their peers.

• Implementing the appropriate accommodations and/or modifications will definitely take a team involving the respective subject teachers and even the KPs in schools as ultimately, some of these accommodations would need to be approved by SEAB for major exams in schools and the national exams.

[Differentiated Instructions] Diverse learners will have different learning styles, hence, the need for D.I.

• I need to work closely with the teachers to understand the curriculum and see how intervention strategies can be dovetailed to provide a more supportive learning environment for SEN children. A set of D.I. may work for a dyslexia student but may not work for another dyslexia student as each student's needs differ although they may have the same learning disability.

• At the same time, there is a need to find balance when giving the SEN students D.I. without making them feel less competent than their peers.

To conclude, having a greater awareness of each learning disabilities through these videos, would go a long way as I would like to think I'm one step closer to understanding the learning challenges that are commonly faced by students. I also better understand what some of the terms meant (e.g. differentiated instructions), which were used by my mentor and the more senior SENOs.

It definitely takes a team (teachers, school leaders, parents, student counsellors, external agencies etc) to support SEN students as learning is not just academics, but also learning of life skills, interpersonal skills, self-regulation and self-management skills.

After watching these videos, I realised that there are so many developmental disorders that overlap one another in their traits - from ASD, to ADHD, I used to think that a child displaying certain traits may have the more commonly known disorders. However, it goes beyond that. For instance, I now know that the signs of dyslexia include having difficulties following instructions and time management. In the overarching umbrella of traits overlapping one another, as a SENO, my job is to dive deeper below the surface, to seek, and to understand their behaviours exhibited not just in the classroom but at home as well. 

I would want to do more thorough observations, understanding the lessons and instances when they manifest these behaviour, and then the specific difficulties that they are facing. Instead of diving straight into identifying the diagnosis, I think my mindset has shifted to wanting to find out their current needs, and assisting them from there on after. In the past, I always thought that diagnosing a child would be much easier for me to work on because it was clear. However, ever since I stepped into my stint school, a lot of them are undiagnosed yet identified and flagged out as Tier 3 SEN support required. Even though having a diagnosis would be easier to zoom in on the things to look out for, I now realise that as a SENO, I would want to pick up any learning, social and executive functioning difficulties regardless of a diagnosis, and work with teachers and caregivers in providing strategies so that we can all work together to bridge the gap in the child’s development.

Regarding accommodations and modifications, I feel that the teaching style in teachers have stayed the same from the time I was a student myself. During my stint, only a handful of teachers were willing to try new strategies and even found new strategies to manage the class. As a SENO myself, I think that a possible way to suggest accommodations is by suggesting strategies to adopt for the whole class, instead of targeting the individual child. This is so that the teachers are able to apply the strategies easier and not have to solely provide 1-1 attention. I think that having a buddy system also work well to ensure that the child is able to gain access to the information through peer support. The buddy system in my stint school was very helpful and I also liked that the teachers often change the buddy so that the child helping out would not feel overwhelm or frustrated. Accommodations would only work when the whole school is onboard. If I were to get posted to a school that is new to differentiated instruction, I would first find out teachers that are open to trying out new strategies to see the effectiveness. When 1 teacher is able to manage the class + the individual that has SEN, she/he would be able to share her experience and encourage other teachers to get onboard. 

These insights have broadened my awareness of the varied and complex challenges students face, as well as the importance of my role as a SENO. It is clear that early intervention is key, but identifying the need requires sharp observation skills and solid knowledge of how these difficulties present in the classroom. Beyond direct support, I also recognize the importance of working with teachers to provide practical modifications and accommodations that can help students succeed. During my school stint, I saw how effective differentiation could be when teachers had the guidance of a SENO who explained the student’s challenges and suggested strategies to adapt materials or instructions. This experience highlighted for me how crucial collaboration is in ensuring that students not only receive support but also have opportunities to thrive in their learning.

1. A multi-sensory approach is reflected as one of the effective strategies for all the learning disabilities. 

Supporting Students with Dyslexia

- Integrate the use of tactile (sand) or kinesthetic (clapping) learning elements during the lesson to enhance their phonological awareness. 

Supporting Students with Dyscalculia
- Using manipulatives, such as beads and counting blocks, can help the students visualise and understand mathematical ideas better.

Supporting Students with Dysgraphia 

- Use of adapted writing tools (customised pencil grips or thicker pencils) will help improve the student's handwriting control.

• Multisensory drawing, such as writing on tactile materials (sand trays), allows them to practice letter formation and reduces their fatigue.
  

2. Collaboration with Parents and Teachers

As a SENO, I felt that I needed to work closely with the teachers and parents to ensure that the strategies are reinforced and consistent in different settings (e.g., classroom, home). For example, for a student with dyscalculia, providing the parents' suggestions of fun activities at home, such as baking, helps the student to have a more profound understanding of the concept of quantity. 

3. Accommodations 

The videos helped me learn more about the different types of accommodations that can better support the students with learning disabilities. For example, provide extra time, reduce writing and copying demands from the student, use paper with wider or raised lines, and break down instructions. 

Especially, when supporting a student with Dyslexia, I strongly believe in the Orton Gillingham's principles and would like to apply them into my teaching strategies;

1. Prepare a structured, sequential, & cumulative lesson.

2. Be diagnostic & prescriptive.

3. Provide direct and explicit instructions for the student.

4. Student should understand why the concept is being taught (Cognitive approach).

5. Multi-Sensory teaching and learning

6. The teaching and learning must be emotionally sound for both teacher and student.

Dyslexia

Supporting students diagnosed with Dyslexia or reading needs(may not have Dyslexia) is a long and thorough process. Students must be guided on recognizing the individual Letters and respective Sounds followed by blending the sounds together. Understanding the concept of the Letters and Sounds will eventually allow them to read better as compared to remembering how words are pronounced.

Dyscalculia

This is very similar to Dyslexia in terms of teaching and coaching. The difference is that this is leaning towards formulae and numbers. Students must be introduced to the specific concept of a formulae or numbers before problem solving. For example a simple calculation, 10 / 2. Students can be introduced to visual bars or physical things such as using 10 Lego blocks and divide it by 2 parts. The learning must take place using multi-sensory method in order for students to grasp the concept effectively.

Dysgraphia

Children with Dysgraphia can be coached and guided using explicit method for example using papers with lines. Visuals may also be included so that students can refer to the Letter or Number before writing on the paper. Allowing students adequate time to complete their writing is crucial as this will help to ease their learning. Extra Time may be considered during their examinations as this well further help them to write better.

SLI

Providing a supportive and conducive learning environment for these children would be very apt and crucial in order for them to learn. Classrooms equipped with visuals are best suited. Provide them ample time for them to speak their thoughts. As a SEN Officer, I would time to time take up courses on how to support SLI better.

With all these various conditions and needs in students, adjusting our lesson materials and resources is key to better support our children so that they can learn and play together inclusively with others. Working together closely with parents is crucial as we can able to provide updates on their child's progress.

For instance, focusing on phonemic awareness and decoding for students with dyslexia can empower them to become more independent learners. I also learned that there is a connection between dyslexia and dyscalculia. Using the multisensory techniques can help students engage with numbers using their senses, making lessons more interactive and effective.

Another challenge is Dysgraphia, which affects students’ ability to translate their thoughts into written form due to difficulties with handwriting, spelling and written expression. Implementing assistive technology might help improve these skills and motivate students to overcome their struggles. I have also learned that SLI involves a challenge in the development of oral language. Explicit teaching strategies, such as using clear and simple instructions, providing adequate wait time for processing and responding, can greatly benefit these students. It is interesting to note that our brains are adaptable when given the right support. 

It is common for children to have more than one learning and attention issues, so as a SENO, I need to identify the most pressing challenges that they face. Collaborating with teachers and parents will be particularly helpful in understanding students’ needs better. It is crucial to remember that no single approach fits all students. Hence, modifying the learning materials according to students’ abilities and accommodating different learning styles is important.   

Apart from gaining more awareness and knowledge about the different learning disabilities, what I took away most is that in a student, every challenge also comes with strengths. I think it is reactive that one will quickly zoom into solutions for problems, but upon reflection, as an educator, I should not view students with learning challenges as "problems" to fix or be too fixated on the "needs". Rather, I should think about how I can tap into students' strengths as they can also be creative thinkers, articulate speakers, and problem solvers, or just be abled learners in their own ways. I'm reminded that my role is to uncover and build on strengths while supporting areas of need, so that students can still grow or even excel in their challenges.

Looking ahead, I hope to be intentional in observing students, to catch their strengths too while noticing signs of learning challenges. Instead of forcing one way of learning, I would try alternatives: audio, visuals, individualised accomodations according to students, hands-on tools.

Apart from picking up strategies, I think it is important to be reflective hence I hope to be such. For instance, thinking back on what strategies worked, adapt and change where they did not, and always keep learning as an educator too.

I also hope to help parents and teachers understand the child's strengths and differences too, so that everyone has a mindset shift on learning challenges and be aligned on whatever we do is to bring out the best of the child.

It will not be easy, but trying is the first step!

This reminds me, as a SENO, to look beyond what is immediately visible in the classroom. I need to be observant in noticing students’ behaviours and work patterns, consulting closely with teachers, and piecing together recurring signs that may point to deeper learning difficulties. By being more intentional in identifying these early, I can provide timely intervention by guiding teachers to use appropriate strategies, supporting students more effectively, and ensuring referrals for further assessments are made when necessary.

At times, students with AA may not get sufficient practice in authentic test/exam settings, which can make it difficult for them to apply these supports effectively during national exams. For example, students with extra time may not have the opportunity to experience this within full test/exam conditions, while those approved to use SEAB-approved devices may not always have consistent opportunities to practise in class and during assessments. As a SENO, I recognise the importance of ensuring that students have meaningful opportunities to practise their approved AAs before national examinations and strengthening my understanding of the different AAs and their guidelines, so that I can better support teachers and oversee the effective implementation with students.

Dyslexia is not limited to phonological problems. It includes: 

• Increased forgetfulness

• Memory failure

• Daydreaming

• Problems with planning (time management/ structuring information)

• Problems with following instructions

• Time management 

• Attention 

Dyscalculia 

• Trouble understanding quantity

• Not understanding the concept of more vs less

• Biggest vs smallest

• That a number stands for a quantity

• Not understanding what numbers are and how they work

• That they symbol and the number is the same thing 

Dysgraphia

• Having poor transcription skills; difficulty in written work 

• Writing is messy and hard to read 

• Motor planning involved in making each letter 

• When they struggle to remember the associations between letters and sounds; both spelling and handwriting suffer

• Kids with writing difficulties have other challenges as well 

• Important to find the root cause of the child’s writing issues in order to know how to address them 

• Writing problems can improve 

SLI

• person has persistent difficulties in the acquisition and use of language

• deficits in comprehension and/or production of spoken, written, or signed language that are substantially below age expectations 

What will you do as a SEN officer in the near future to support your students? 

1. To identify the needs of the child and provide them with a multisensorial approach. 

2. Make learning enjoyable as they are already struggling so much to grasp certain concepts. 

3. Ensure that I am updated on the latest research of the different learning difficulties that may aid in their intervention progress.

4. Monitor and ensure the difficulties persist for a time period before raising it for assessment 

Question: How long do we need to observe the child if we believe they may have the following learning needs? (In SG context as the video stated 6 months according to DSM-5 criteria)

Dyslexia

How can we support

• External memory aids

• Time prompts

• Time adjustments 

• Written instruction 

Effective teaching techniques 

• Word sound awareness

• Orthographic spelling rules

• Section words into affixes and roots

Dyscalculia 

Multisensory techniques provide children another way to connect to basic

• Manipulatives (base ten blocks/number lines)

• Clapping 

• Math-related games (online)

Make accommodations

• More time for tests or assignments

Dysgraphia

How to support:

• Preferred pen/pencil with modified grip

• Raised lines on their worksheet

• Larger spaces

• Graph paper

• Word processor 

Specific language impairment

• Cooperative learning group

• Peer tutoring 

• Build on their self esteem 

Dyslexia: Students may struggle with reading fluently, mixing up letters, or taking longer to sound out words. With the right support, they often excel in problem-solving, creativity, and verbal skills.

Dysgraphia: Writing can be challenging. Even when students know what they want to say, unclear handwriting or incomplete sentences can make expressing ideas difficult. Support helps them share their thoughts more confidently.

Dyscalculia: Students may find numbers and math concepts confusing, struggle with calculations, or develop math anxiety. Tools like visual aids, manipulatives, and extra time can help them build understanding step by step.

Learning about these three areas has reminded me that as a future SEN Officer, I must look beyond the surface. If a child struggles to read, write, or do math, it doesn’t mean they are lazy or not trying. It means I need to step in early, work with teachers to adapt lessons, and introduce strategies that reduce frustration and build success. That could mean breaking tasks into smaller steps, allowing students to show their learning in alternative ways (like oral presentations or visuals instead of long written assignments), or using technology such as text-to-speech, audiobooks, or math apps.

I also realize that emotional support is just as important as academic support. Students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia may feel “different” or lose confidence if they keep comparing themselves to their peers. Part of my role will be to remind them of their strengths, celebrate small achievements, and create a safe classroom culture where differences are respected.

I also learned that dyslexia and dyscalculia often co-occur, sometimes alongside dysgraphia. Dysgraphia was less familiar to me as it's not usually identified in schools. Educators may overlook it and attribute the signs to simply "messy handwriting," without realizing it could be linked to challenges in visual-spatial, fine motor, or language processing skills.

I appreciated that the videos addressed common misconceptions, for instance, that visual stress or letter reversal doesn’t necessarily indicate dyslexia. I also learned the important difference between accommodations and modifications:

• Accommodations refer to how students access information, participate in school activities, and demonstrate learning, without changing the curriculum.

• Modifications, on the other hand, involve altering what the student is expected to learn and demonstrate.

As a SEN Officer, I will apply multisensory techniques in my support strategies. For students with dyslexia, I will use methods like clapping out syllables and tracing in sand. For dyscalculia, using concrete objects such as blocks and beads, as well as clapping or ringing a bell, can help with understanding quantity.

To support students with dysgraphia, I’ll incorporate hands-on, low-tech strategies like identifying letters hidden in tactile materials, writing with chalk or foam, building letters with playdough or pasta, and using drawing games to strengthen visual-motor integration.

For students with speech and language impairments, I’ll ensure the use of visual supports, present information in varied ways, and work closely with both the SEN and learning support teams to ensure consistency.

In terms of accommodations, I’ll continue ensuring our SEN students receive extended time and reduced workloads when needed, while maintaining communication with teachers and parents. When modifications are necessary, I’ll guide teachers to focus on key concepts, assign specific sections of tasks, or remove overly complex questions.

Lastly, I recognize the importance of differentiated instruction focusing on the content (what is taught), process (how it is taught), product (how learning is demonstrated), and learning environment. I will regularly check in with teachers to assess the effectiveness of these strategies and make adjustments as needed to help every student thrive.

Dyslexia is a learning disability…..

1.      Characterised by problems in language

-          expressive

-          receptive

-          oral

-          written

2.      Difficulties may emerge in……

-          reading

-          spelling

-          listening

-          speaking

3.      Influences in their….

-          thinking

-          learning

-          information processing

Areas of needs:

-          Difficulty in decoding words (sounding out words)

-          Difficulty in spelling & writing

-          Slow pace in reading

Strategies:

-          Multisensory teaching methods (Visual, auditory, kinaesthetic activities)

For example;

1.      Use pictures à colour code, link pictures to the words to use picture memory

2.      Use actions à clapping out syllabus in words

3.      Speech games à playing rhyming games, singing songs

-          Interactive platforms à reading apps, audiobooks

-          Structured SDR program

-          Positive reinforcement like praises

-          Parental support à reading aloud together everyday

-          Small bite size information

-          Visual schedules

Accommodations:

-          Accommodate AA arrangement

o   Extra-time on tests/exams

o   Visual time reminder (For example;1hr paper: 45mins, 30, mins, 15mins, cancellation, to indicate time left to complete)

o   Quiet test/exam environment

Dyslexic students are not lazy or have poor vision.  With early intervention, they can learn to read and write well, improve on working memory and self-management with the right support strategies.

Dysgraphia

Dyscalculia – a learning disability to understand maths concepts involving numbers.

Areas of needs:

1)      Difficulty in multi-step problems

2)      Difficulty in number sense

3)      difficulty understanding the relationship between linking symbols and quantities

Strategies:

-          Visual aids

-          Modelled step-by-step instructions

-          Manipulatives à number blocks, number lines

-          IT Platforms à maths apps games

-          Parental support à using baking for measurements

-          Banded math teaching groups (smaller groups)

Accommodations:

-          Extra-time tests/maths

-          Fewer question problems on a page to reduce overwhelm

Dyscalculia is not equal to poor math skills. They are not lazy. It is a brain-based difference in how numbers are processed and understood. If they have difficulty in maths, they can also thrive in school and life.

Specific Language Impairment (Developmental Language Disorder) – language-based developmental disability that affects a child’s ability to understand and/or use spoken language.

Areas of needs:

1.      Comprehending information

2.      Expressing thoughts

3.      Difficult in narrative description (telling story events)

Strategies:

-          Visual support aids

-          Provide time for processing and responding

-          Simple and short information

-          Graphic organizers to write down story events

-          Learning support like LSP, RRP, withdrawn sessions

-          Peer support buddy

-          Flipped classroom approachàprovide videos to view at her own pace

-          IT supportàuse of Student Learning Space (SLS) to type in response, Padlet to view all student’s posts to learn from each other

Accommodations:

-          Extra time for tests/exams /classwork

Specific Language Impairment is not affected by their intelligence. They can be bright and capable students with the early intervention support.

After watching the videos, I feel that having a disability can be fix and the whole village approach is important in developing the holistic of the child. Every weakness has its strength. We need to find their strength or interest to tap on their learning. The learning experience have to be relevant and meaningful to them. As educators, we need to have an open mind in accepting differences and making differentiated tasks that does not target on a specific student, it could be the certain group of students for example the lower ability students. I hope educators are open to share their classroom experiences with SEN students, so that we can learn from one another.

In conclusion, helping our SEN students with the accommodations, the student itself with get the same outcomes as their peers as they develop a holistic education in their school life.

Whats interesting is that these conditions may often overlap - a kid with dyslexia might also struggle with dyscalculia, or someone with SLI might have writing difficulties too. Theyre not distinct and separate, but more like tangled threads that affect different parts of learning. Despite these, the solutions and strategies involved are actually common in nature - making learning multisensory, chunking, giving more time, and expliciit teaching methods.

As a SENO, my main priority is to shift away from viewing these students as having deficits or behavioural problems, but recognising their brains process inforamtion differently.

1) Actively challenge the misconceptions that teachers often hold

2) Promoting more explicit systematic teaching methods that break down skills into smaller steps, provide visual support

3) Supporting both teachers and students in the social emotional aspect

4) Accomodations vs modifications.

I have also realized the importance of early identification which can significantly impact a student’s educational journey because early identification can lead to early intervention. Recognising the signs of learning disabilities at the earlier stage, it allows for timely intervention which can greatly improve student learning outcomes. As a SEN Officer, I now see how essential it is to work closely with teachers to observe, assess and refer the students who show signs of learning difficulties.

One of the most impactful areas I have explored or observed is differentiated instruction. It has become clear to me that teaching strategies should never follow a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, lessons should be designed to engage students at different ability levels using multisensory approaches such as visual aids, hands-on tasks and technology. These strategies not only help students with learning difficulties but also benefit the class as a whole.

I can also now understand the difference between accommodations and modifications and how it will impact the student’s learning environment. Providing them with the necessary accommodations and modifications, it will help them who have learning disabilities with the opportunity to succeed even if it's a small success.

I am also aware of the importance of collaborating with other stakeholders. Supporting students with learning disabilities is not the job of one individual but it also requires a team effort involving teachers, parents, school leaders, external agencies and most importantly the students themselves. I believe that effective collaboration and mutual trust are essential in creating a unified approach to supporting students with special educational needs.

This journey has reaffirmed my commitment to being an advocate for students with special educational needs. With a deeper understanding of learning disabilities and how to support them through differentiated instructions, accommodations and collaboration, I feel ready and motivated to make positive impact in the lives of my students.

For example, in conditions like Dyscalculia and Dyslexia that have similar and possibly overlapping challenges, the two conditions have similar challenges such as reduced attention span and possibly difficulties in transference of information. Yet, the individual needs of the conditions themselves are presented very differently. While students with Dyslexia have deficits in phonological awareness, students with Dyscalculia notably present with difficulties in processing quantity that is a hallmark of Dyscalia. Resultingly, we SENOs, could first plan for strategies that target at the general challenges that overlap between the two conditions. Then, upon addressing that, the conditions can serve as a guide to deepening our understanding of the specific needs of the student due to those conditions.

To tackle the needs of the students, the philosophy of differentiated instruction that entail four different aspects of content, product, process, and learning environment could be applied to help the students. These aspects could then be either modified or accommodated to the students needs. Notably, a commonality of the strategies used to equip students, as proposed in the videos by the professionals, appear to comprise the following characteristics that are multisensory and appeal to the interests and strengths of the students. Our roles as SENOs here, is not only to equip the students with strategies to overcome their challenges but also to help them gain confidence in their abilities and empowering them to discover ways to cope with their learning challenges that will further benefit them in life. And this starts with our views of them that is to enable their strengths and capabilities.  

Children with dyslexia typically have difficulties with phonological awareness. This in turn, makes reading, spelling and writing difficult for them. However, they can be supported through several strategies like structured literacy instruction, multisensory teaching approaches and other accommodations like one-on-one lessons targeting their specific learning needs. I took a Primary 5 girl for withdrawal sessions during my school stint. She was diagnosed with dyslexia in the lower primary. I gave her customised worksheets targetting her spelling and reading needs. Over time, she felt more confident in doing these worksheets, and she even told me she could spell words like 'water' and 'could' without looking at the list of words.

Questions like sequencing numbers or linking numbers to the correct quantity may appear easy to some, but extremely difficult to those with dyscalculia. "Deficits in quantity processing is a major hallmark of developmental dyscalculia." as mentioned in the video on dyscalculia. This learning difficulty also impacts all areas of the curriculum. More often than not, children with dyscalculia also have learning difficulties such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.

They can be supported by using manipulatives in their learning, breaking problems into smaller, manageable steps. Personally, I believe in adopting their pace in learning and reinforcement.

Students with dysgraphia struggle with writing and exhibit problems with transcription. However, they can be supported by differentiated instruction.

One commonality among these learning challenges is that they do not align with the child's level of intelligence.

Early diagnosis is essential in providing timely intervention.

I also learnt that dyslexia affects memory, attention and some executive functions. These effects are lifelong and affect adults in their work. 

This made me realise that we not just have to help our dyslexic students learn to read and spell, we can also target their other areas of weakness such as memory failure.

We can teach them strategies to help them remember things quicker, or teach them time-management techniques. These would be more important to teach in secondary school. 

Learning about dyscalculia was really eye-opening for me too. I didn’t know much about dyscalculia and watching the video made me realise how overlooked this condition was. 

While watching the video on dyscalculia, I was reminded of when I tried teaching a student who was struggling with math. He was weak in subtraction and struggled with big numbers. He couldn’t count backwards either and would mess up the order. Example, he would write ‘ 13, 11, 10 ‘,  and wouldn’t realise that he didn’t write ‘12’

However he is also diagnosed with ADHD, which resulted in poor scores in all subjects. This made me wonder… is he struggling with math because he has dyscalculia or is it because of his ADHD that makes learning difficult? 

However, I did see from the video that 20-60% of children with dyscalculia also have other learning difficulties such as ADHD. So maybe my student had both. 

I also remembered that during my school stint, my mentor used the DSTJ assessment to test students for dyslexia. It was easy to pick out students with potential dyslexia, but there was no assessment tool for dyscalculia. This makes me wonder how many students are actually struggling with dyscalculia. I think it would help if we had a test for both dyslexia and dyscalculia. In schools, a lot of focus is on dyslexia but dyscalculia is overlooked. I think we need teachers to be more aware of dyscalculia and encourage strategies and techniques that can be implemented in math class. A great strategy I saw from the video was using multisensory techniques such as counting seven beads so students can see what 7 looks like. They can also count out numbers by clapping. 

Other than learning about dyslexia and dyscalculia, I also learnt a new term- “Dysgraphia”. I never knew how much goes into writing. To me, writing comes so naturally and easy that I never realised it could be difficult for some people. Learning about all these different conditions has made me more aware of the different struggles and difficulties that our students may face. It helps to know all of these so we can pick up on the signs and symptoms that our students display so we can provide early intervention.

1.      Dyslexia:

-Understood briefly the eitiology of dyslexia as neurobiological condition(under activation of certain brain areas and compensatory over activation of other brain areas contributing to reading challenges.

Challenges: Difficulties in reading, spelling, information processing, decoding of words, expressive and receptive language.

2.      Dyscalculia:

-Specific learning difference affecting mathematical understanding, covering aspects like number sense, calculation, and broader numerical reasoning.

- Challenges: difficulty with number recognition, subitizing (instantly knowing quantity without counting), recalling math facts, understanding quantities, and interpreting time or money.

3.Dysgraphia:

    - Challenges: Difficulties in writing, copying and spelling; writing or copying long passages, trouble organizing their thoughts.

- learnt about language-based dysgraphia-> difficulty converting sounds into writing or spelling words; Bio medical treatment such as nutrition therapy and gut healing protocol to reduce candida growth can help person with both dyslexia and dysgraphia.

- Accommodations: Early identification and evidence-based instruction that specifically targets phonological processing can significantly reduce the educational impact of person with learning difficulties.

- Structured, sequential, multisensory teaching methods—with tools like manipulatives and visual aid can significantly aid learning.

- Specific accommodation for dysgraphia includes paper with lines that have little bit raced, paper with raised lines and large spaces between lines or graph lines. Word processors, voice to print, advanced organizer, and create and edit draft ; Combination of sensory and kinesthetic activities such as Hide shapes or letters in rice and feel and find the letters/shapes, writing on multi-sensory materials.

As a SENO, more than evidence-based accommodation strategies, I would focus on improving the behavior, confidence and mindset of students with learning difficulties. I think that fear leads to resistance. People with learning difficulties cover their fear with behaviors. Eliminating resistance is crucial to eliminate their fear for learning, uplift their self-esteem and confidence. Enhancing the mental and emotional well-being of students with learning difficulties (such as dyslexia , dyscalculia or dysgraphia) could have a long-lasting impact on their learning and self-esteem. Due to teacher: student ratio in classroom, I feel that SEN kids are not given enough encouragement and praise. Growth mindset beliefs that challenge and effort lead to improvement.   After I became a trained SENO, I would make sure that I will have a casual chit chat conversation before the intervention and be liberal to encourage and motivate the student. I believe that encouragement, motivation and praise will shift the student’s attitude from fixed mindset to growth mindset . Overall, together with accommodation strategies, uplifting their confidence and self-esteem to create a sense of belonging in school, would be my primary intervention package for students with learning difficulties.

As highlighted by Dr. Guinevere Eden in the video, Dyslexia and the Brain, we often underestimate just how complex reading actually is. Reading is not an automatic or innate skill; it requires the integration of multiple cognitive functions. Yet, there remains a common misconception that students with dyslexia are simply "lazy", or would improve if they just tried harder or read more. Such a perspective overlooks the fact that dyslexia is in itself a neurobiological condition—one that requires structured, evidence-based intervention, not increased effort alone.

Unfortunately, I’ve seen how these misconceptions can play out in real classrooms. Some teachers, perhaps without meaning to, hold deficit-based views and become impatient or frustrated with students who struggle, sometimes even labelling them as "slow". Part of my job as a SENO will, therefore, be to help shift these mindsets—raising awareness and building a more empathetic, informed approach across the school. Through professional development and collaboration, I hope to advocate effectively for my students and help teachers better support their learning needs.

Another thing I appreciated from the videos was the reminder that having a learning difficulty doesn’t mean a student "lacks intelligence". Too often, we focus on what students cannot do, but today’s learning really reinforced the value of a strengths-based approach. Many individuals with dyslexia, for example, are highly creative, demonstrate advanced visual-spatial reasoning, and are skilled at big-picture thinking. These are strengths worth recognising and building on. When we tap into our students’ strengths and create learning experiences that reflect who they are, we not only help them access the curriculum but also build their confidence, motivation, and overall wellbeing.

For students with Dyslexia, I can teach the relationship between sounds and letters in a very explicit and structured way using the clapping method, singing or rhyming while giving explicit phoneme instructions. Using “I do, We do, You do” with “Think-aloud” model will also help in scaffolding the letter sounds so that they can gain more confidence in sounding the words.

Helping them to recognize words that they have seen before can involve repeated reading techniques such as choral or shared reading so they can gain more confidence when they see and read the same text.  Tapping on their passion when choosing the text for reading will elevate their interest and thus making reading more enjoyable. Using multi-sensorial approaches such as writing words in sand or tracing letters or other hands-on activities can reinforce the learning process better. Based on the neuromyths, where they are typically thought of as being lazy or stupid, it will be very helpful to encourage and praise them for every little bit of their effort in learning. They may also sometimes feel that they are incapable so celebrating small successes of their achievements can go a long way.

Using manipulatives such as base ten blocks or counting beads as one of the multi-sensory approaches will benefit the tactile learners of students with Dyscalculia. Presenting the numbers on number lines and using it while counting will also help the visual learners.

Based on one of the neuromyths, they may have better verbal and visual reasoning or intuitive problem-solving skills as compensatory strategies for them. Thus, storytelling can be a useful tool during solving problem sums as they can visualize contextual scenarios to better help them understand the questions.

Relating math concepts to real-life scenarios helps students to make sense of the importance of learning those concepts thus reinforcing their learning.

To help students with Dysgraphia who has poor connection of brains to hands, I can adopt the multi-sensory approach of using tactile alphabets and make them guess by feeling them first. As mentioned in video, this can be incorporated into a game by challenging them with guessing the letters hidden in beans or rice. I can also blindfold the students and get them to feel the outline of the alphabet using their fingers. To reduce their effort in writing, using pencil grips or a thicker pencil can help them reduce fatigue while writing. Encouraging them to write cursively can reduce their effort too without having them to lift their pencils multiple times while writing. As writing is very effortful for them, I can make use of various speech to text websites such as speechnotes.co and quillbot to encourage them in the process of generating ideas for story writing. This also can help to improve their language processing skills.

They can have a shorter list of words to learn for their weekly spelling tests and this can ensure a higher success rate rather than them not being able to score well all the time due to many words they need to learn. This will avoid them being demoralized in the long run. For any class activities, students who need movement breaks in between lessons can be asked to assist teachers on any class chores such as rearranging the class library books or cleaning the whiteboard. If they can adhere to the instructions well, they can then be rewarded, and this will further add to their motivation to always show exemplary behavior. Differentiated instructions can help students to access learning based on their strengths. For example, students who like drawing can present their ideas for story maps as a form of comic strips or students who like to talk or verbalize their ideas can role play the definitions of vocabulary words that they learn in the classroom. Such are just a few examples of accommodation and modifications which can be made to support students with additional needs or with specific language impairments whose anxiety issues may also need to be dealt with. Collaborations with personnel who are experts in social and emotional learning such as counselors and therapists can be an asset when it comes to supporting them.

As a SENO, I want to develop a deeper understanding of the individual challenges each child faces, rather than attributing poor academic performance to "laziness." Each child may encounter different difficulties in their schoolwork, and appropriate strategies can only be implemented when we pay close attention to these needs.

Collaboration is also essential when creating effective strategies to support students with learning difficulties. Teachers, parents, and students themselves all play vital roles in this process. By working together, we can provide more holistic support. As a SENO, I aim to engage with stakeholders through regular communication and provide in-class support to guide teachers on practical strategies. Additionally, I can share resources such as videos and tailored strategies to help parents reinforce support at home.

Lastly, I strongly believe in reflective practice. It is important for me to evaluate whether the strategies I introduce are truly effective. This requires consistent feedback from teachers, parents, and, most importantly, from the child. By reflecting and adjusting, I can ensure that the support provided continues to meet the child’s evolving needs.

• Takeaways

  • The brain can be trained for a person to be a better reader by engaging different parts of the brain in activities

  • Remember that reading is complex and involve different parts of the brain working together

  • Does not mean vision problems, more of brain processing differences

  • Also might have difficulties in memory, executive function and attention

• What I can do as a SENO in the future

  • Be explicit when teaching students with dyslexia

  • Use a multisensory approach (eg. writing letters in sand, singing songs, forming letters with playdough)

  • Teach skills to improve executive function (eg. organising, planing, etc)

Dyscalculia

• Takeaways

  • Difficulties in number sense, spatial awareness, understanding quantity, linking symbol to meaning and working memory

  • Commonly co-occurs with Dyslexia, ADHD or Dyspraxia

  • Does not mean the student will have difficulty with all mathematical concepts, might be good with some such as geometry and algebra

• What I can do as a SENO in the future

  • Use multisensory approach (eg. concrete materials to count)

  • Advocate for accommodations for exams if needed (eg. extra time)

  • Teach numeracy concepts within authentic settings such as cookery, science experiments, using money at the canteen, etc

Dysgraphia

• Takeaways

  • Difficulties in transcription/writing skills such as handwriting, typing and spelling

  • Transcribing/writing involves complex components such as 

    • Visual-spatial: challenges with discriminating between different shapes, letters and numbers as well as difficulties organising information on paper

    • Fine motor skills: difficulties with grip, letter formation and easily fatigued from writing

    • Language processing: difficulties with planning what to write and self-checking their work

• What I can do as a SENO in the future

  • Provide differentiated materials such as writing paper with lines that are raised, graph paper or writing papers with large spaces between lines

  • Give a pencil that is comfortable to hold and teach them to hold it in a comfortable way

  • Teach students strategies to plan and organise their thoughts before writing such by highlighting key words from the prompt or using a template to kickstart some ideas they might have

  • Guide students to create a draft and edit it together

  • Advocate for accommodations for writing tasks and exams such as extra time if needed

  • Use a multisensory approach when teaching (eg. writing and drawing in sand, etc)

Specific Language Impairment

• Takeaways

  • Challenges in language development while typically developing in other domains

• What I can do as a SENO in the future

  • Explicit teaching and showing information in various ways

  • Create a supportive and positive learning environment

  • Visual supports

  • Create opportunities to build and practice speaking and listening skills

  • Teach organisational skills

  • Facilitate positive social interactions with peers

Accommodation and Modification

• NOT the same!

• Accommodation is adapting the way students access the curriculum to decrease barriers while modification is changing the material or curriculum

• Both are helpful

• Need to assess student’s individual needs to provide the fitting accommodations or modifications

• Remember that every student is unique and different

Differentiated Instructions

• Important to have as every student is different

• Differentiation can be done in multiple ways

  • Content: What should be taught?

  • Process: How should it be taught?

  • Product: How to assess learning? How can the student his/her show learning?

  • Learning Environment: Where? How is the environment arranged?

1. Students with learning difficulties are bound to face challenges in the classroom. Due to these learning deficits, they often struggle with tasks that their peers can complete more easily. Thus, as a SEN Officer, I would want to plan lessons and activities that bridge these gaps during my withdrawal sessions.

   
   

   The videos highlighted that intervention plans are most effective when they are explicit, systematic, and structured. Therefore, before planning lessons, I would first seek to understand my students’ profiles and identify the specific areas of difficulty. For example, with a student who has dyslexia, I would identify the gaps in phonemic awareness, decoding, or comprehension, and then design lesson plans that explicitly target those skills with scaffolded support.

   
   

2. I would use a multi-sensory approach to teaching, as it adds a playful and engaging element to the lesson. This includes the use of manipulatives and visual aids to help students concretise abstract concepts and strengthen understanding.

   
   

   In addition, I believe that integrating technology into lessons is crucial, as many students are more engaged when digital tools are used. This could involve showing short videos to reinforce concepts, gamifying lessons through platforms such as Kahoot, or using websites with text-to-speech functions. Such tools not only capture students’ interest but also provide alternative ways to access information. By combining multi-sensory strategies with technology, I can create lessons that are both interactive and enjoyable.

   
   

3. Knowing my students’ specific needs would also help me determine whether they would benefit from assistive technology such as reader pens. As a SENO, I would need to familiarise myself with these tools so that I can introduce and train students in their use.

   
   

4. It can also be seen from the videos that students with learning difficulties may face challenges in other areas such as memory and attention. These difficulties can impact their ability to follow instructions, retain newly learned information, and stay focused on tasks. To support them, I would create visual cues that act as prompts and reminders. These could take the form of checklists or pictorial guides. Placing them in a spot where the student can access them easily (e.g., on their table) would encourage independence and help reduce reliance on constant teacher prompting. 

   
   

5. Lastly, I would work closely with the students’ teachers to ensure that support is consistent across different settings. The videos highlighted how making classroom accommodations can be beneficial for students with learning difficulties. For instance, I could collaborate with the class teacher to provide additional time for completing assignments, reduce the number of questions given, or allow short breaks when needed. It would also be important to encourage the use of differentiated instruction, where lessons are tailored to the student’s learning profile and strengths. By working together with the teachers, we can create a supportive environment that allows the student to access the curriculum meaningfully. Ultimately, the goal is to enable the student to experience success, which in turn builds their confidence, motivation, and willingness to engage in learning.

As an SENO, I recognise that students with these learning difficulties require explicit, targeted, and ongoing support. In the near future, I will collaborate with teachers to implement Differentiated Instruction (DI) that considers the content (what is taught), process (how it is taught), product (how learning is demonstrated), and learning environment (how the classroom is organised) to ensure meaningful access to the curriculum. All students benefit from explicit, structured, and intensive instruction, and students with learning difficulties benefit further from multi-sensory teaching approaches that engage visual, auditory, and tactile senses. For example, I will support teachers in using manipulatives for students with dyscalculia, tactile writing activities and word processors for students with dysgraphia, and structured language exercises and visual prompts for students with SLI. I will also work closely with parents to ensure strategies are reinforced at home. During my individual interventions, I will focus on providing explicit, structured instructions and offer them with many opportunities to practice their skills in a low-pressure and fun environment. 

To further support students, I will ensure that Accommodations and Modifications are incorporated into their learning support plans. General accommodations that help students across multiple disabilities include extra time for tasks and assessments, visual supports such as charts or graphic organisers, use of assistive technology (e.g., text-to-speech or voice-to-text software), and breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps. Specific accommodations include oral assessments for dyslexia, manipulatives and number lines for dyscalculia, word processors and tactile writing activities for dysgraphia, and written instructions and visual prompts for SLI.

Modifications, on the other hand, adjust learning expectations, such as simplified spelling lists or reduced writing tasks for students with dyslexia or SLI, or focusing only on key math concepts for students with dyscalculia. By combining DI, targeted strategies, accommodations, and modifications, I will ensure that students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, and SLI can fully participate in learning, achieve academic success, and build confidence.

Misconceptions of dyslexia- of students being lazy or stupid when it’s a neurological issue affecting their memory, attention and cognitive control (executive functioning - time management and structuring info), instead of an attitude / character problem.

How their myths of right brain dominant affects their way of teaching students which is not effective for their learning

Dyscalculia

It’s a specific learning difficulty which affects them in understanding and performing mathematical operation - how numbers relate to each other having poor number sense, memorising and retrieving numerical facts and making counting error. They struggles with working memory and visual spatial skills, similar to dyslexia, affecting all areas of curriculum.

Dysgraphia

Learning difficulty in writing - written expression, which affects 3 main components that’s involve in writing. Poor fine motor skills, visual spatial challenges and language processing issues - affecting their ability to know what to write, fatigue in writing and spatial discrimination.

Accommodations- while the intentions are good, are they really taking advantages of their AA in sch when given to them to aid them? Some students are not aware of the purpose that they are given?

it’s my job as a SENO, to ensure my students learn alternative ways that suits their learning needs either with explicit instructions, bite size content, all the way to finding the suitable pencil grip and wider line spaced worksheets etc.

This E Learning session has deepened my understanding of various learning disorders and inspired me to be more creative to accommodate the learning needs of students with SEN.  

*I know more about how the four learning disabilities affect students' learning and the challenges that the students struggle with daily. e.g. it is not as simple as having messy handwriting. Student with dysgraphia struggle with language processing and often have difficulties with starting to write or deciding what to say.

*I am more aware of the characteristics of the learning disabilities.

*I also learnt that the learning abilities are not related to intelligence level. It is also not due to lack of effort.

*The effects of the learning disabilities are lifelong but the challenges can be managed with the right strategies.

*Learning disabilities directly affect students' academic performance, which can lead to low self-esteem and frustrations and anxiety.

With The Knowledge Gained, How I Can Support A Student Who Is Referred to Me

*Chat with student and dispel any misconceptions that he/she may have about his/her learning disability. Assure student that support is available to help him/her access the curriculum.

*Be mindful of student's social and emotional needs. e.g. Teach student ways to self-regulate emotions. Check on student's emotional status.

*Dispel any misconceptions that teachers and parents may have about student's learning disability and explain the challenges faced by the student, if necessary.

*Follow the principles of effective instruction when I teach the student self-management skills and learning strategies. Have or suggest multisensory and interactive learning activities where possible to help improve retention.

*Promote classroom practices that foster a supporting learning environment. e.g. use of visuals such as schedule of the day, lesson objectives listed out, task checklist, visual cues, break down instructions, specific praises to affirm students efforts. Many of these classroom practices also benefit other students, not just students with disabilities and are simple enough to be carried out.

*Collaborate with teachers and school management to suggest accomodations for the students with disability to meet their needs, . e.g. extended time for weighted assessments, alternative ways to demonstrate learning.

Other accomodations include minimise copying tasks to reduce strain, allow the use of word processors to write composition, allow submission of work in the form of mindmaps or oral presentation instead of reports for students with dysgraphia. For students with dyslexia, break down work instructions, task checklist on whiteboard, time prompts, extended time, preferential seating. For students with dyscalculia, provide exam papers that have lesser questions printed per page.

As a SENO, I will be more intentional in helping them learn beyond "encouragement and exposure". Rather, my approach should be explicit, intensive and structured.

Some strategies that stood out to me were

1. Multi-sensorial approaches such as tracing letters on sand (to reinforce memory by stimulating tactile senses) and pencil grips as well as raised line paper.. These may work especially well for children with dysgraphia, who struggle with handwriting, spelling and overall fine-motor components in written expression.

2. Using sounds to make a better auditory-word linkage, by clapping while sounding out syllables in words. Or dropping marbles into a bottle, 1 marble per phonetic sound, as a way to demarcate the various sounds that make up a singular word. This may work for children with Dyslexia as they struggle with word sound awareness.

3. For children with dyscalculia, it is helpful to draw connections of mathematical concepts into daily life, to help children see the value and relevance of these in real life. Using manipulatives (base ten blocks; visual supports). Or connect math to sports. Many children like PE, and group formation and other sporting rules tap on quantitative concepts. Using their interests to help them make subjects more enjoyable will lessen the sense of resistance, particularly since their cognitive load is already high.

Dyslexia

• It is the difficulty connecting the sounds that make up words. Especially with the letters that represent these sounds.

• Reading uses mutiple parts of the brain to perform certain tasks such as reading unfamiliar words or recognising words by sight. This means the process is not limited to just hearing or vision, but a neurological process.

• With the right intervention strategies, it improves the neurological processes and results in better reading and writing ability.

• Many individuals misinterpret dyslexia as a sign of low intelligence or laziness. It is also often misunderstood as being purely a liability but research has shown they are strong in visual-spatial reasoning.

• Supportive strategies as a SENO

  1. Multi-sensory methods(auditory such as singing or chanting)

  2. Providing extra time during tests or exams to allow the child a longer duration to process.

  3. Assistive devices such as reader pens or audiobooks.

  4. Specific phonic learning

Dyscalculia

• It is the difficulty in understanding number concepts, such as number recognition or counting.

• Common to coincide in children with dyslexia as well. It is also another neurological condition.

• Supportive strategies as a SENO

  1. Visual aids (such as blocks and numberlines)

  2. Providing extra time for tests or exams.

  3. Assistive technology such as calculators.

  4. Specific math tutoring or special education support.

Dysgraphia

• Is a learning condition that affects writing skills, such as handwriting and spelling.

• Also displays difficulty in organizing ideas into written form, poor grammer and sentence structure. Inconsistent spacing and letter sizing.

• Could potentially indicate poor fine motor skills and visual-spatial diffiiculties.

• Supportive strategies as a SENO

  1. Provide materials such as writing paper with lines or pencil grips.

  2. Teaching organisational skills such as using graphic organisers.

  3. Extra time for tests and exams.

  4. Assistive technology in the form of typing instead of writing.

Specific language impairment

• Difficulty in understanding spoken language.

• Common misconceptions with bad hearing and low intelligence.

• Difficulty in trying to explain and elaborate themselves clearly.

• Supportive strategies as a SENO

  1. Speech and language therapy

  2. Providing extra time for tests and exams.

  3. Visual supports and repetition

Accomodation and modification

• While both strategies are similar, they are different. Accomodation changes how students learn and participate in school activities.

• While modifications change what is taught to the student. Commonly used strategies would be lowering the difficulty significantly for the student.

Differentiated instruction

• Essential teaching approach to meet the diverse learning needs of all students in class.

• What can be differentiated?

  1. What students learn

  2. How they learn

  3. The learning environment

Previously, I understood it simply as seeing floating letters and a mix-up of letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’, which would only be recognisable when they are of writing age. I now understand it as a brain-based condition and that it is possible to recognise signs of dyslexia even before the reading age through assessing basic language skills, such as phonemic awareness. Likewise, we also learned that brain activity in areas that were previously not activated (for people with dyslexia) can be increased through intervention (explicit, structured and intensive). The videos also helped me understand dyscalculia, dysgraphia and specific language impairment more. 

As a SEN Officer in the near future, I believe these are some key pointers that I will need to "do" to better support the students.

Firstly, trying/aim to understand and recognise ‘indirect’ signs/behaviours that might reflect the presence of a learning disability. Examples of indirect signs/behaviour are students forgetting to bring money for recess constantly  (forgetfulness - dyslexia), students who tend to sit and eat alone with no interaction with friends (social isolation - specific language impairment), cannot read an analogue clock (difficulty discriminating quantities - dyscalculia), etc.  This is crucial as we do not get to spend a lot of time with the students, or at least long enough to ‘identify’ their learning needs. Most of the time, it will be highlighted by the teachers and then up the case referral flow chat. However, if we can pick up some of these ‘indirect’ signs/behaviours, be it during recess or during conversation with the teachers, I think it will be of tremendous help. Hence, I believe walking the ground (during recess, assembly and after school) and talking to teachers (be it with teachers of students with needs or not) is vital. 

Secondly, adopting multi-sensory techniques during pull-out sessions. These are crucial not only because they can reinforce learning, but also make abstract concepts more concrete. For instance, using sand tracing, pens/pencils with better grip - hexagon as opposed to markers, hiding shapes and letters, drawing on their hand, etc.  

Lastly, to act as a bridge between the teachers, students and parents. For instance, checking with the teacher if there can be accommodations made, be it the seating arrangement (environment) or allowing short breaks.

Learning about Dyscalculia also made me reflect on some students I have seen who struggle with understanding basic maths concepts such as quantity, despite repeated explanations. This made me question whether the strategies being used in class were effective, and it reminded me of the importance of tailoring approaches to each child’s needs.

As a SEN Officer, I now understand the importance of identifying learning disabilities accurately, continuing to educate myself about them, and planning lessons that are modified to support students’ diverse needs. Differentiated instruction can be applied in many ways. For example, instead of relying only on verbal instructions, I can also use written prompts, visuals, or gestures.

Students can also choose different products to show their learning, such as writing a passage, creating a comic strip, or telling their story orally. Differentiation also means adjusting the amount of work required so that students can access the content, participate in activities, and demonstrate their understanding meaningfully.

I also reflected on my own practice. I realised that rushing a child to complete work did not lead to positive results. During my school stint with guidance from my mentor, I learned to assess the child’s abilities first and then adapt the lesson—for example, by shortening tasks, providing extra guidance, or allowing short breaks when needed. I also recognise that some students may benefit from virtual support or the use of assistive technology.

One case I encountered involved a child with Dyslexia who disliked reading long passages but enjoyed interactive games. In such situations, I can incorporate technology, such as programming a Bee-Bot to move based on a story, to make reading more engaging while also supporting comprehension and spatial awareness. For children with Dyscalculia, I can plan lessons with real-life experiences, such as visiting a market, to help them better understand the concepts of “more,” “less,” and quantity.

Finally, I believe it is essential to work closely with families—updating parents regularly, sharing strategies, and collaborating with them to provide consistent support both at home and in school.

It also stood out to me that across the different learning difficulties, multisensorial approaches to intervention, explicit and structured teaching, and real-life application, were all useful strategies.

Recognizing the emotional challenges that come along with learning difficulties also made me think about the importance of assistive technology or accommodations that can be incorporated into the classroom to aid learning, so that students can participate and learn along with their peers. It would also be important to work together with teachers to consider various modes of representing and expressing knowledge and understanding of the curriculum content, to make learning more accessible to students and build their motivation to participate in class.

Some of the myths of persons with Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Dysgraphia are that they:

- are not intelligent

- will outgrow their condition

-are lazy or careless

-cannot be successful

People who has this condition, like Richard Branson (Virgin)is one of the most successful businessman that has proven so otherwise.

Key takeaways:

Dyslexia, Dyscalculia & Dysgraphia:

• memory retention

• information processing

• sequencing/ organizing thoughts

• association of one concept to another

Dyslexia

• is a neurobiological condition where the parts of the brain that help in the learning of a language (reading, spelling and writing) are not as activated

• challenges of associating the word sounds to the letters in the alphabets

• difficulties in decoding of words

leading to poor expressive and receptive language skills, learning fatigue

Dyscalculia

• challenges in associating quantity and numbers

• difficulties in mathematical concepts like more, less, largest, smallest

• associating time and money with numbers

• understanding mathematical language

• usually paired with dyslexia

Dysgraphia

• difficulties in visual spatial awareness (floating words)

• fine motor skills

• language processing (what to write, where to start)

Speech Language Impairment is a communication disorder which affects the understanding and usage of language.

Myths:

• low intelligence

• hearing loss

• not paying attention

As a SEN office, I will/need to:

• build TSR and confidence and also eliminate all other perceptions/ misconceptions (if there are any) of their own self and learning

• create a safe environment and discover together the challenges that the student has (self-awareness)

• collaborate with teachers, parents and other persons who are in student's circle, making sure there is a structure in place (eg. self-monitoring checklist, low tech or high tech ATs, Access Arrangements etc)

• plan out a goal together (student included)

• Enskill student with strategies explicitly (with multi-sensorial approach, game, manipulatives etc) and start small, making sure that the success rates of the sessions is almost always high (building confidence)

• see whether there is a need for modifications, accommodations and/or differentiated suggestions that can help in student's learning which can also assist the teachers in class (e.g visual aids, simplifying instructions etc)

One key takeaway is that just because someone is showing visual stress and letter reversals, does not mean that they have dyslexia. It’s important to assess the other domains the child shows difficulties in (e.g., rhyming, breaking words into sounds, using vague vocab). Another takeaway is that those with dyslexia may also show difficulties in memory, attention, cognitive control.

As a SENO, I would then firstly assess the child to see if the child is showing visual stress/ reversals due to dyslexia or due to other causes. I think on top of the standard strategies (e.g., explicit teaching of sounds/spelling rules, teaching word sound awareness, and affixes and roots), I would also want to work on their self-esteem. It mentions in the video that dyslexia tends to affect their mental health and self-esteem. They are also afraid of revealing their diagnosis in feat of discrimination. Hence, I would reassure and encourage them. I would also boost their confidence (probably through effective coping strategies, verbal praises) so that they would be able to self-advocate in the future.

Dyscalculia:

I always thought that children with dyscalculia struggled with numbers or are just weaker in math, and can improve though practice. Through the videos I learned that dyscalculia is much more than that- it involves difficulties in quantity/number value/number order.

As a SENO, I would use manipulative and concrete items to teach students with dyscalculia, Furthermore, I would also tap on their strengths. The videos mention that they that though they may struggle with basic arithmetic, number sense, and math reasoning, they may show strength in geometry and algebra. Hence, when working on the areas that they are weak in, I would also slot in questions that they find easy to do, so as to boost their morale. As dyscalculia also affects working memory, I would as a SENO have working memory related games as a short break between questions.

Dysgraphia:

My takeaway is that there are 3 different components in this-visual spatial, fine motor, and language processing.

Hence, as a SENO, I would first attempt to identify which component the child is struggling in and which component I would like to target first. I can imagine children with dysgraphia receiving many feedback from their teachers regarding their writing, and them being demoralised by this. Hence, as a SENO, I would try to avoid getting them to write on pen and paper (for a start) and use multi-sensory approaches, like those that are mentioned in the videos. I would move on to pen and paper once the child has gained some confidence. I would also show the child his/her progress over the period of intervention, to motivate the child.

Specific language impairment (SLI):

My key takeaway is that children with SLI do not learn language in the same way as others and would need explicit teaching.

Hence, as a SENO, I would firstly use simple language and use visual aids during teaching. I would also encourage the teachers to check for understanding by getting her to repeat the instructions given. During my sessions with her I would aim to build her vocab and sentence structures though sentence strips. I would also teach her social skills - like what to do if she gets bullied as well as emotional regulation skills.

For all of the above, I would also want to educate the teachers about these challenges that the students face, to let them know that these children have to work harder and put in more effort. Hence, I would encourage the teachers to motivate the students through reinforcements and to acknowledge their efforts.

1) Student with the varying learning difficulties will need the extra help due to the challenges that they may face in the classrooms. This can affect their academics as completing daily tasks would be a difficulty struggle.

Dyslexia:

In the past, i used to think dyslexia was just not being able to read "d" and "b" correctly and i thought its not that hard. However, upon watching the videos, i realised that they have even more difficulties with others as well.

As a SENO, i will try to be explicit with my teachings for different alphabets and their sounds. Through the practice, it can hopefully help with the struggles that they are facing.

Using multi-sensory methods can also help them with learning. i.e through hymning and singing.

Dyscalculia:

The kids have difficulties with numbers recognition and counting. It can also appear alongside with Dyslexia.

As a SENO:

1. Use of visual aids is important to help them.

2. Extra time as a AA.

Dysgraphia:

Have a poor ability with writing due to poor finer motor skills. Taking notes in class would be difficult

Strategies as a SENO:

Provide a different type of material, such as bigger paper (Printed on A3 instead of A4).

Provide pencils/pens which are easier to hold on to.

As a SENO, I hope to support my students in the following ways:

Dyslexia

• multi-sensory structured literacy instruction (e.g., Orton-Gillingham approach) to help them make connections between spoken and written language

• Encourage reading with audiobooks

• Provide extra time for reading tasks

• AT: text-to-speech tools such as reader pens, Microsoft Immersive Reader

Dyscalculia

• Also multi-sensory approach through the use of visual aids and manipulatives

• Breaking down instructions or steps

• Repeated practice and real world applications (buy things to reinforce money concepts, timed tasks/schedule to reinforce time concept)

• AT: math games, talking calculators, visual timers, visual schedule, calendar, reminder apps

Dysgraphia

• Again multi-sensory approach (e.g., textured writing such as salt tray, forming words using playdoh)

• Structured handwriting skills (e.g., Handwriting Without Tears - also multi-sensorial)

• Typing instead of writing (as they probably have a lot to express but just have difficulty writing it out)

• AT: speech to text tools, keyboard

• Recommend for occupational therapy

In general, I would advocate for more multi-sensorial learning activities to make better connections in their brains and make the lesson more fun and reduce anxiety for them to practise these challenging skills/tasks. Nonetheless, I would also work closely with their teachers to see how we can provide feasible modifications/accommodations for the students in class.

One key takeaway is that supporting students is not just about the label of their disability, but about understanding their individual needs and strengths. I plan to use a multi-sensory approach, provide structured and differentiated learning, and make lessons individualised so that each student can engage and succeed at their own pace.

I also realised the importance of always asking: “Why am I doing this for the student?” Understanding the purpose of each strategy helps ensure it truly benefits the child. Using the student’s strengths to enhance learning, alongside accommodations and modifications, will allow them to access the curriculum meaningfully.

In the near future, I aim to work closely with teachers to ensure these strategies are implemented consistently, while keeping the students’ well-being and confidence at the centre of my support. These videos have reinforced that my role is not only to apply strategies, but to be reflective, intentional, and student-focused in helping all learners thrive.

(1) "Heartware" (perceptions, attitudes, beliefs and values):

The different learning disabilities shown in the videos made me understand how the brain works and brain differences in neurotypical children without learning disabilities and neurodivergent children with learning disabilities. It made me understand that children with these learning disabilities have no issues with intelligence and that their brains are 'wired' differently. Understanding this shifted my perceptions about them and that I should challenge them cognitively in the same way as other students, bearing in mind their Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) too.

In the video on Dyslexia, it reminded me that our brain is changeable i.e. neuroplasticity, even as adults, and it helps me to be motivated and not give up on our students, no matter the speed of their progress. We may be sowing seeds at that point in time but one day, the students and their families will reap the harvest, even if we may not be able to see the harvest in the future.

Understanding more about the facts and myths about Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, it dispelled some myths I believed to be true e.g. all students with Dyslexia have letter and number reversals. This has helped me to be aware of some of the assumptions that I have of these learning disabilities and I have to remind myself that all children are different, even if they have the same learning disabilities and to always find out more about the child, not stereotype.

(2) "Hardware" (Knowledge and skills to support SEN students):

Children with learning disabilities mentioned in the videos can learn from differentiated instruction planned by their teachers. I would suggest their class teachers to differentiate instructions based on the students' needs e.g. differentiating instruction based on content, process, product and learning environment. That way, all students in the class learn according to their ability levels and pace. One example can be suggesting the teacher to group learners with similar needs together, so that they can receive and work on tasks that are appropriate for their level and students from other groups of higher abilities can also come by to peer-tutor these students.

When I teach SEN students during withdrawal sessions, I can also differentiate my teaching. I would look at teaching students strategies to help them learn better. Examples are listed below:

Dyslexia:

I would teach phonemic awareness and phonics in a multi-sensorial way to reinforce their learning e.g. using sandplay and play dough to learn letter formation and typing on a laptop to learn spelling. I would also make reading fun by playing word games such as Scrabble and reading books that are of student's interest.

Dyscalculia:

Students with Dyscalculia struggle with quantity processing and number sense. Hence, I would use a multi-sensorial approach of using math manipulatives to let students handle and manipulate the materials to teach quantity and thereafter, relating the quantity of the manipulatives (concrete) to 2D pictures (pictorial) and numbers (symbols). I would also make math learning fun by having students relate math to real-life situations e.g. weighing and measuring objects, volume of water, and identifying geometric shapes in our environment.

Dysgraphia:

I would check on the visual spatial, fine motor and language processing needs of students with Dysgraphia and thereafter plan tasks and accommodations to help them with accessing the curriculum. E.g. For language processing, I would use graphic organizers such as mind maps and story maps to help them in comprehending and summarizing a passage, thus supporting them in their organizational skills and they in turn, do not need to write too much as writing is taxing for them.

Specific Language Impairment (SLI):

Some ways I can work on for students with SLI are communication skills and social relationships. Students with SLI tend to have poor expressive and receptive language skills which affects their relationships with family and peers. I would read social stories, role-play social situations (with scripts) and create hands-on opportunities for students to practise communication skills learnt to teachers and peers in a safe environment. It is also a great opportunity for home support as I can inform parents to have students practise those skills at home, with extended family, and in the community with neighbours and our community helpers.

~ They arise from differences in brain development and functioning, not from lack of intelligence, effort, or opportunity.

~ Each affects a particular domain of learning:

- SLI → language

- Dyslexia → reading and phonological processing

- Dyscalculia → numerical concepts and math reasoning

- Dysgraphia → handwriting, spelling, written expression

~Signs often appear in childhood (delayed speech, trouble learning letters/numbers, struggles with writing or math).

Dyslexia

~ A language-based learning difference that mainly affects how the brain processes written and spoken language, and it is not about vision problems.

~ With early intervention, appropriate teaching strategies, and support, individuals can learn to manage it effectively and thrive academically.

~ Is a neurological difference, not a result of laziness. Students often work harder than their peers but may still struggle without the right support.

~ While it primarily affects reading and spelling, dyslexia can also impact writing, memory, organisation, and sometimes speech and math-related tasks.

~ Students need structured, evidence-based teaching methods tailored to their learning needs.

Dysgraphia

~ is a neurological learning difference that affects the ability to write coherently, including spelling, spacing, grammar, and organizing thoughts on paper.

~ not caused by laziness. Students with dysgraphia often put in extra effort but struggle due to difficulties with motor coordination, working memory, and language processing.

~ can also impact typing, note-taking, organizing written work, and even the ability to express ideas in written form, not just handwriting.

~ Students benefit from tools like speech-to-text, but they still need ongoing strategies, accommodations, and explicit teaching to strengthen their writing, communication, and organizational skills.

Dyscalculia

~ a specific learning difficulty that affects how the brain processes numbers, patterns, and mathematical concepts.

~ can affect everyday life skills, such as telling time, handling money, estimating distances, or remembering number sequences (like phone numbers).

~ With early intervention, tailored strategies, and use of tools (like visual aids, manipulatives, and apps), individuals can learn to manage it effectively.

After learning more about different learning disabilities and understanding how differentiated instruction, modifications, and accommodations can support students, as a SENO, I would focus on creating a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. I will be more intentional in supporting my students by first identifying their needs early and working closely with teachers and parents to provide timely interventions. I will create individualised support plans and collaborate with teachers to adapt classroom strategies, such as using multisensory approaches, breaking tasks into smaller steps, using visual aids, or alternative methods of assessment, so that students can learn in ways that tap into their strengths. Where possible, I will also introduce assistive technologies like text-to-speech or math apps to help them build independence and confidence. Beyond academics, I will ensure that students receive emotional support and feel included in the classroom by fostering a safe and understanding environment. I will also continue to equip teachers and parents with practical strategies so that support is consistent both in school and at home. Additionally, I will advocate for awareness and training among staff to reduce misconceptions about learning disabilities and promote empathy and patience in the classroom. My goal will be to help students build confidence, access the curriculum meaningfully, and feel valued for their strengths while receiving the support they need for their challenges.

• Dyslexia is a problem with understanding and working with language

• Difficulties: Less able to recognize rhyming patterns, broader cognitive difficulties related to dyslexia affect memory, attention, executive function, difficulty in breaking words into different sounds and using vague or inexact vocabulary, phonemic awareness and decoding. Observable characteristics of dyslexia may also vary with age

• The brain is a network that reflects those different components that we use for reading, for individuals with dyslexia, some of those areas aren't activated quite the same as they are in people who do not have dyslexia (eg: recognising words as pictures without having to sound them out all the time)
  

Dyscalculia

• Dyscalculia is a math learning disability which makes it hard to understand and work with numbers. 

• Difficulties: Struggle with addition, subtraction, basic math concepts, working memory and visuospatial skills, difficulties with procedural aspects of math, trouble understanding quantity, difficulty with sequencing and organising information, and challenges with time and money management

• Overlap between dyscalculia and other learning difficulties is caused by shared difficulties with procedural learning - the learning and control of skills and habits

• Multisensory techniques give children another way to connect to basic math concepts and skills.

Dysgraphia

• Poor connection of brain to hands

• Difficulties: organising their thoughts and getting their ideas onto paper, handwriting, typing and spelling, poor transcription skills

• Things involved in the writing process: Visual spatial (discrimination, spacing), Fine motor (grip, letter forms, fatigue), Language processing (what to write, self-checking)

Specific language impairment

• Late onset of talking, immature or irregular production of phonemes, particularly in preschool children, use of simplified or irregular grammatical and syntactical structures below age appropriate standards, restricted semantic development affective vocab in both production and comprehension, weak verbal short-term memory, difficulties in understanding complex language

Through watching the videos, my key takeaways are: 

1. A multi-sensorial approach will work best for a child. Though every child is different, a common point across all the different videos is that for any disability, a multi-sensorial approach would be the best approach to take in general. For example, with Dysgraphia, using play activities such as drawing in the sand will allow a child to have a better feeling (and activities with more resistance are better), which will develop and reinforce the sensory pathways from the hand to the brain. This way, children are able to better remember what they have been taught. As a SEN officer, I will research and try out different ways of teaching my student concepts, so that it can be more interactive and helpful for the child. 

2. Accommodations and differentiated instructions are important. Through the videos, I understood the difference between accommodations and modifications better, as I previously had thought the two terms were similar. My personal opinion is that while modifications are important, they are more important in the beginning stages. This is when the child is facing more difficulty, and modifications will allow the child to be scaffolded in a safe way, while building their confidence tackling the work and to not be so overwhelmed in the beginning. This is similar for differentiated instructions, where the instructions can help scaffold the task ahead and make it easier for the children to tackle the problem before them. Accommodations will be useful in a different way. In examinations for our students, modifying the exam paper by removing questions would not be possible, so accommodations are important when trying to help them achieve their maximum potential and give them a more even playing field in examinations. As a SEN officer, I will advocate for the necessary accommodations and modifications to be put in place for the student. Additionally, while doing in class support, I will try my best to break down the instructions and simplify the instructions, so that the student will be better able to cope with the task and complete it efficiently.

3. Collaboration with parents is important. When coming up with the IEP and what strategies can be taught, it is important to take the students’ interests into consideration, so that the method can be more effective for the child. To better understand the students’ interests, collaborating with parents are important when coming up with these strategies. As a SEN officer, I will try my best to build rapport with the parents so we can collaborate effectively and work towards helping the student.

• Explicit instruction is crucial, particularly for students with dyslexia who benefit from systematic and step-by-step teaching of phonics, decoding, and comprehension. By breaking complex skills into smaller parts and reviewing them frequently, I can help students build confidence and mastery.

• Multisensory approaches are powerful in making abstract concepts more concrete and in helping students to retain new skills and knowledge taught. For example, students with dyslexia can clap out each syllable to segment words, while students with dysgraphia may trace letters in sand or build letters from playdough to reinforce memory of letter symbols.

• Making learning fun and engaging through games keeps motivation high. This could include phonics-based movement games for students with dyslexia or math games for students with dyscalculia, turning practice into an enjoyable learning experience.

• It is important to remain affirmative toward students, so they do not internalise the belief that they are less intelligent than their peers. I would also be consistent in tracking their progress so that they can see the improvements made over time, focusing on the success and gains they have made to help them build their confidence.

• A person-centred approach means not assuming weaknesses or strengths, but rather identifying each student’s unique learning profile. For example, not assuming that students with dyslexia or dyscalculia have strengths in creativity or that students with dyscalculia will face difficulties for the entire maths curriculum.

• Support should be individualised, with accommodations such as extended time, use of visual supports, or modified tasks tailored to the student’s needs.

• The high rates of comorbidity between learning difficulties highlight that, as a SENO, I would need to discern which learning need should be prioritised for intervention so that the most significant barriers to learning are addressed first.

• I will also work closely with teachers to embed differentiated instruction in classroom practice, such as the use of visual supports in classrooms or differentiated tasks suited for students' current ability level. To improve teachers’ buy-in and encourage them to adopt these strategies, I would first focus on helping them understand that the difficulties faced by students with learning needs are not due to a lack of effort or lower intelligence. By shifting teacher perceptions and building empathy, I can foster a more supportive classroom environment where students feel understood and where strategies are implemented with greater consistency.

• Lastly, I will also work closely with parents to ensure strategies are reinforced at home, whether through reading at home with children with dyslexia or practical math activities in daily life for children with dyscalculia.

As a SEN Officer in the future, I will:

1. Identify learning needs early by observing signs such as difficulties in reading, writing, or numerical information and collaborating with teachers to track progress. There is also a need to notice signs of learning difficulties as soon as possible so that students get the right support without falling behind.

2. Provide differentiated support – using multi sensory strategies (visuals, technology aids) and tailoring tasks to students’ strengths and readiness. For example, if a student struggles with reading comprehension, I could provide simplified texts or visual aids so they can access the lesson without feeling left out.

3. Work with teachers on accommodations and modifications – e.g, giving extra time, breaking down instructions or preferential seating.

4. Support emotional well-being – by encouraging a growth mindset, celebrating small progress and reducing stigma so that students feel safe and confident in learning.

5. Collaborate with parent and caregivers to ensure consistent support at school and at home.

My goal is not just to support their academic progress but also to help them feel capable, included, and motivated to keep learning. It is also to let them know that their learning differences do not define their potential.

Dyslexia-

For individuals with dyslexia, there are some parts of their brain that are not activated thus the reason for their difficulty in reading. With reading interventions specifically, these areas can turn active as long as there is consistent interventions. Currently, there are studies focusing on the strengths that are linked to dyslexia.

Dyslexia has nothing to do with Intelligence. Signs of dyslexia can be discovered eben before they learn to read. Individuals with Dyslexia can actually become good readers with the right and consistent support.

Dyslexia doesn’t really go away even though they may be able to read at a later age. There are actually other symptoms like short term memory and organizational issues. These may affect their mental health. In fact, they will need more interventions or strategies like personalized instructions or visual prompts to assist them through their aging.

Dyscalculia-

Dyscalculia is linked to Dyslexia. Children with Dyscalculia have issues with maths calculation. Similar to Dyslexia, symptoms of Dyscalculia can be seen as early as preschool. There is also no cure for Dyscalculia.

ADLs (Activity of Daily Living), like baking or cleaning can help to highlight the attention on numbers, which also means opportunities for parents to work together with the children.

Just because an individual has Dyscalculia, it doesn’t mean that the individual is having difficulty in Maths. There are other factors that influence the struggle in that subject. The individual would have struggles in specific mathematical concepts and not all.

Dysgraphia-

Dysgraphia means challenges in proper handwriting and transcription skills. It is across all subjects and again, does not equate to the level of intelligence of the individual,

There are three components that contribute to dysgraphia; visual spatial, fine motor and language processing. These are all significant for the writing process.

Customised materials like graph paper or their preferred pen could help them in having a good and comfortable material to work with. In terms of setting, allowing them extra time to write gives them the opportunity to work their way through slowly.

Sensory activities (like Drawing, Guessing Games, Letters with Playdough) that ensgges the 5 senses would be useful for kids with dysgraphia as it allows them to create the mental image and also encourage interaction.

Specific Language Impairment-

SIL affects children with normal development and is not related to any intelligence issues.

Each individual cases are unique and is not consistent with the others.

Similar to the diagnosis before this, early identification is important as they require constant support throughout their school years.

Children with SIL will have more difficulty when socializing as they have poor conversational skills which would affect their self esteem. Thus, creating a safe and comfortable environment (buddy system, check in, observation with peers) is important for them.

Access Accommodation-

Personalizing the student’s instructions, ensuring that the student is able to follow the pace of that work is vital, to ensure that the settings are suitable and manageable. These is applicable for individual work and group work as well. These personalization will always be different as each child is unique in their own way. At home, with the parents, these strategies should also be reflected, to endure consistency and influence is there.

Modifications and Accommodation-

Modification means altering the test material (a change in curriculum), but Accommodation means providing access to more materials (with no change in curriculum).

Differentiated instruction-

Filters out student’s difficulty.

Leverages on the student’s interest.

From the takeaways above, As a SENO,

I feel that we can definitely implement it in our daily lives especially when managing the SEN individuals, as some of the techniques that are used, are common, especially when managing cases that are of different kinds (autism, ADHD). It was very refreshing to see how all of these diagnosis are all interlinked in terms of the symptoms and signs. For example, Dyscalculia was new to me, thus that topic was an eye opener for me. It gave me clarity knowing that Dyslexia and Dyscalculia have similar traits but are actually different when more detailed observations have been done on the individual. Also, To filter out these findings would not be wholly possible without the support of the teachers and parents especially. Lastly, I understood that SEN individuals who have these issues does not equate to them having a lower level of intelligence. That fact boosted my moral, cause I believe that each individual has their own spark; it’s just a matter whether we, as educators, are willing

to unravel that potential in them.

• Focusing on the student’s needs, rather than the diagnoses
  I need to recognize that even within the same diagnosis, students differ greatly. Their strengths and weaknesses all fall within a spectrum, and what works for one child may not work for another. There are also multiple myths surrounding the diagnoses, and students may not be able to receive the support they need because of these myths. I need to remain careful and aware of how students’ needs differ and ensure that I do not have any discrimination towards them.

• Support socio-emotional development
  It is also important to use a strength-based approach rather than focusing only on deficits. Children with learning difficulties may face more struggles than others in their socio-emotional development, such as lower self-esteem. I should use strategies that can build their confidence and resilience so that they feel encouraged and supported in their learning.

• Staying updated with new strategies
  To support students effectively, I need to constantly stay updated about new research and practices. This will help me ensure that I am using strategies that are evidence-based. When there are new tools such as assistive technology or reading apps, I should be open-minded and willing to learn so that I can use them to best support my students.

Collaborating and coordinating with a team is essential to help these students learn more effectively.

Key takeaways:

• There is no connection between intelligence and dysgraphia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, or SLI.

• All of these diagnoses require thorough assessments by trained specialists, such as speech therapists or psychologists.

• The brain is malleable and continually changing.

• Learning support and intensive tutoring should be provided to address challenges in reading, writing, counting, or verbal communication. -

• Different parts of the brain are activated as students engage in reading, writing, speaking, or counting.

• Any of these difficulties can cause anxiety in students, which may lead to poor social development and low self-esteem.

• Differentiated learning should be practiced, with accommodations and modifications tailored to each student with a learning disability.

• Recommendations and support should come from a team of various stakeholders that includes parents, teachers, therapists, SENOs, and counselors. This is to assist the student throughout their learning journey.

Accommodations refer to changes in how a student learns, such as extended time, text-to-speech software, or the use of a scribe. These ensure access to the same curriculum standards as peers. Modifications, on the other hand, change what a student is expected to learn, such as through simplified worksheets or reduced learning objectives, which alters the curriculum standards.

Differentiated instruction is a teaching approach that involves adapting content, process, product, and learning environment based on student readiness, interests, and learning profiles. It aims to meet the diverse needs of all learners in a flexible and inclusive way.

As a SENO, my approach will be proactive, holistic, and collaborative. I believe in understanding each student’s unique cognitive profile and addressing root causes rather than surface-level symptoms. I will advocate for early identification using evidence-based screening tools to better support students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, or SLI.

To support teachers, I will organize professional development sessions to clarify misconceptions about learning disabilities and provide practical strategies for differentiated instruction, accommodations, and modifications. I will also serve as a resource for interpreting assessment data and implementing classroom supports.

For parents and guardians, I will explain complex diagnoses in clear, actionable terms and empower them with knowledge and resources to support their child’s learning at home. This can be incorporated with the use of DBRC. 

Most importantly, I will work directly with students to help them recognize their strengths and challenges, fostering self-awareness and self-advocacy. I will ensure they understand the purpose of the tools and strategies they use, so they feel empowered and included.

Naturally all these will promote a culture of inclusive teaching, and will steer or encourage school leaders and teachers to integrate Differentiated Instruction as a core philosophy, rather than an add-on. This includes encouraging flexible grouping, offering choices in learning products, and using varied assessment methods so every student can access the curriculum and demonstrate their understanding meaningfully. Through these efforts, I hope to build a strong, collaborative network that supports all students.

The videos gave good insights into the science of reading, and the science of the various learning disabilities.  It was interesting to see how Reading is actually a complex activity engaging different parts of the brain. That whilst we read, we even use the part of the brain that see pictures.  I have not yet taught any child with dyslexia or dyscalculia etc, and this makes me think if being more pictorial or to appeal to their imagination in my approach is a good way to reach out to these children. 

The fact that the brain is malleable and can change is fascinating!  Whilst the various learning disabilities are lifelong conditions, knowing that the brain can adapt where there is effective intervention is encouraging and gives hope to everyone.

Dr Eden shared research is asking questions on whether there is a trade off in the differences between the brains of persons with and without dyslexia.  Her question “Does Dyslexia come with the heightened skill or does the experience with Dyslexia produce that heightened skill?” gives a fresh perspective.  There are very desirable examples of strengths given eg. being better at seeing big picture, visual spatial skills & pulling together a lot of visual information.  Perhaps we can explore questions like "How much has traditional teaching of academic skills helps us to achieve these desired strengths?" versus "Should we also include focus of teaching the desired strengths which may then accelerate the academic skills?".

The introduction to Modifications and Accomodations, Play Activities for children with Dysgraphia & Differentiated Instructions show there are many pathways to teach.  Both the educator and the child need to adapt.  The educator needs to adapt to different ways to reach out to the child, and the child need to adapt (through differentiated ways) to learning things he once thought is unachievable. Effort cannot be avoided and/but hopefully can be rewarding.

The conditions also include difficulties in Memory retention, executive function skills, visual spatial, fine motor and may co-morbid of other conditions like ADHD, ASD etc. The traits, & difficulties are certainly on a spectrum. I cannot rely on presumptions and should always try to build a complete profile of the child and all the other factors affecting the child.

What I can consider as a SENO

As an example now:  I can discuss with the child’s (eg. Boy’s) teachers & parents to find out what his strengths are (in addition to his challenges). Perhaps if we approach a lesson asking:

1.       Right at the beginning of a lesson, will giving the child:  an Agenda for Today, highlighting first the “Big Picture” / Key Concepts/Target of the Lesson help?

- Eg. Today we are learning words for things we find in a playground.

2.      Giving him a little bit more time/space to hold that “Big Picture image” help?

- Eg. Interactive exchange of what we see in a playground. (John says “Slide”!).

3.      Then breaking the lesson down, & (with conscious effort) to check in on linking the more detailed processes/segments back to the “Big Picture”.

- Eg. Teaching the words, and showing them visuals or pointing back to John, “Yes this is SLIDE.  Remember who likes the Slide? Yes John”. 

All the above can also imply a heavy toll on the mental well-being of a child.  I hope I am always conscious of their mental well-being & always check in on their mental stage (What are they telling themselves when they fail to meet the mark, or when the tasks at hand feel like steep mountains, and celebrate with them when they conquer a slope).  I hope that together with their teachers & parents, we can provide safe spaces for their learning, their exploration & their growth in their journeys.  

• There are neurological differences between people with dyslexia and people without dyslexia.

  • People with dyslexia have increased difficulty reading, writing and spelling (not just reading).

  • Dyslexia does not indicate lower intelligence.

  • Word and letter reversals do not correlate with dyslexia.

• Reading is not a natural skill in humans and different parts of the brain are needed to read. Reading also changes and adapt the brains of people who are readers. These parts of the brain activate differently in people with dyslexia.

  • This leads to increased difficulty for people with dyslexia in connecting sounds of words to sounds of letters (phonemic awareness). For example, they have difficulty understanding that ‘cat’ is made up of 3 individual sounds /c/, /a/, and  /t/.

• Therefore, children with dyslexia will benefit from being taught explicitly- and in a structured manner- the rules of phonics, language structure, and how sounds relate to writing. Multisensory approaches will also benefit them.

• Dyslexia is a life-long learning disorder. Even after a person with dyslexia has learnt to read, they will have other difficulties like forgetfulness, daydreaming, structuring, time management etc.

Dyscalculia

• Refers to a math learning disability that makes it hard for the person to understand, and calculate or work with numbers and quantities. It relates not only to math problems, but practical calculation like measuring objects or ingredients, and finding exact change when shopping.

  • Other difficulties:

    • Number sense

      • More vs less, biggest vs smallest.

      • A number represents a quantity, or the numerical symbol has a word counterpart (e.g., ‘6’ is six).

    • Number sequencing

      • Ordering of numbers (e.g., 1, 2, 3)

• Like with Dyslexia, children with this condition will not outgrow it. Dyscalculia is often comorbid with other conditions like Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ADHD, along with having difficulties with their working memory and visuospatial skills.

Dysgraphia

• As people with dysgraphia have motorsensory issues (e.g., brain to hands), they have difficulties with writing and spelling. Dysgraphia is often comorbid with other conditions like Dyslexia, ADHD, and motor skills issues. They need to put in much more effort to visualise and focus on writing and organising their ideas.

  • People with dysgraphia show difficulties in 3 sectors necessary for writing:

    • Visual-spatial skills

      • E.g., spacing between letters or within boundaries (lines).

    • Fine motor skills

      • E.g., difficulties with grip, holding and moving pencils, fatigue

    • Language processing skills

      • E.g., how to begin, what to write, disorganised writing, difficulties self-checking.

Specific Language Impairment

• Children with SLI have normal development except in language-related areas. Language skills (expressive or receptive) is significantly below the standard for their age and IQ.

  • Not due to physiological irregularities like impairment in hearing or the speech apparatus, or environmental issues.

• At significant risk for reading difficulties. Increased difficulties communicating with peers despite desire to do so, possibly leading to poorer social and communication, and decreased prosocial behaviours.

Accommodations and Differentiated instructions

• Accommodations and differentiated teaching/learning should be specific to the needs of the student. Parents and teachers of the student are essential to understanding the child’s needs and what might work better for the student.

• Modifications refer to the direct alteration of materials and/or curriculum (e.g., removing or changing a test question). Accommodations refer to changing the way a student accesses the curriculum (e.g., giving the student more time for the test, different seating).

• Differentiated teaching refers to using different teaching and learning strategies to meet a student’s needs. Examples include:

  • Varying difficulty levels of tasks

  • Different levels of instructional support

  • Different evaluation strategies

Dyslexia

• It was interesting to learn about the differences in brain activity between an average reader and a reader with dyslexia. For readers with dyslexia, some areas of the brain involved in reading may not be fully activated, which is why they would benefit from explicit, structured and intensive instruction. We have this in our schools, in the form of SDR.

• Malleable nature of the brain means that our brain can change in ways to support new skills. With the right support system in place, even adult learners can observe gains.

• The video also mentioned that dyslexia does not involve problems with vision. I think this is quite important for us to note, especially since various stakeholders may be quick to call for an EP assessment or form the belief/opinion that a student has dyslexia just because "he/she has difficulty reading". In my stint school, this was often not the case. Some students had vision problems (i.e., they required glasses) which contributed to their slower-than-average progress in class. Once these problems were addressed by the parents, they were able to pick up the pace and catch up on their learning.

Dyscalculia

• Difficulties discriminating quantities or understanding spatial representations of quantities.

• Intervention needs to address the math disability apart from other challenges, even if there is a high comorbidity rate with other SLDs such as dyslexia (70%).

Dysgraphia

• Encompasses 3 areas of difficulty: Visual-spatial (discriminating between letters, numbers, shapes, etc.), fine motor and language processing

• Varying levels of AT can help students with dysgraphia cope with their difficulties: Low-tech AT such as pencil grips to reduce fatigue from gripping, or even high-tech AT such as word processors or speech-to-text devices that diminish the need for actual writing.

• Differentiated practices, whether it be in the form of accommodations or modifications, have to be tailored to each student's specific needs. For example, while AT is useful, it may not be effective for every student with an SLD. I can foresee that some students may struggle to use high-tech AT, which can result in anxiety levels higher than if they were to not have the AT. We also need to consider that some students may have limited home support, which would limit the consistency, and hence the effectiveness of the strategies we choose to implement. A home-school partnership is very important because we want to be speaking the same "common language" when supporting the child.

Overall, I will definitely want to adopt a multisensorial approach when supporting students with SLDs. This could range from using concrete objects to build students' number sense, or adopting the Orton-Gillingham approach and tracing letters in sand to support literacy skills.

Beyond the disability

The bulk of our reflections will, of course, be on how to support the students with SLDs and Specific Language Impairments. These strategies would be implemented in the classroom by our educators, and in their everyday lives, with necessary follow-up from their parents. However, I think it is also important to view them not by their challenges and struggles, but by their strengths and interests as unique individuals. It's easy to fall into the trap of assuming that these individuals' difficulties are associated with low IQ - which these videos all debunked. These learning difficulties can and do have an impact on students' confidence levels and self-esteem, far beyond what we can understand. It is important to create an inclusive classroom environment and tap on the support from the various stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, fellow students) to embrace these students for both their strengths and challenges.

Neuromyths can prevent timely diagnosis (Early Identification is vital), create stigma, and impact on intervention practice

*Lifelong issue that tends to run in the family. Nothing to do with intelligence (just as smart as other children in perhaps non-language based areas (e.g. social interaction, self help skills etc)), not a problem with vision.

*Every student is different, their needs vary from person to person (it's not 1 size fits all)

When I become SEN officer in future, I will do the following:

1. Get to the bottom of my student’s issue (Early identification and intervention are vital in order to foster language and social growth and to provide children with best possible learning environment)

2. Discuss with the team (Teachers, etc) - let them try out strategies (e.g. speak slower, use of visual support etc) and using multisensory methods for in class activities (within their means in the classroom setting)

3. See if student need modification or accommodation

   *Remember to note down in the intervention plans for any modification or accommodation used for the student and it should change when the student's needs changes.

4. Teachers to do differentiation in their lesson (e.g. Differentiation can be across content (what), process (how), product (assessed and demonstrated) and learning environment (classroom arrange – small grp or one on one)

Most importantly, students will require ongoing support throughout their school years (Do not stop the intervention, the moment student got improvement)

One strategy I learnt from the videos:

*Teaching with clicker:

Advantages:

Maximum class participation

Pressure off individual verbal responses

Respond with peer anonymity

Increase child’s opportunity for class participation and minimise anxiety

Qns: *How does clicker works? I'm very curious if this can be implemented in our class. Is it over the budget as it seems like every student need 1 each?

I used to think that learning to read was really easy because I acquired the skill “naturally” somehow in my preschool years. But it is actually a really complex activity that engages different parts of the brain. Readers with dyslexia struggle even more because some areas of their brain involved in reading are not fully developed, which is why they would benefit from explicit, intensive, and structured instruction from SDR programs offered in school.

It is also heartening to learn that our brain is malleable and continually changing, and so there is hope for students who struggled. Dyslexia also has nothing to do with intelligence. Signs of dyslexia can also be discovered even before they learn how to read. So long as the right consistent system of support is in place, students with dyslexia can learn strategies to overcome their learning disability and become proficient readers. The video also debunks a couple of myths that I have, such as “Children with dyslexia visual stress, reverse letters and words”, which is a complete myth because letter reversal is a common development phenomenon in emerging literacy skills. There is no evidence that this behaviour is linked to literacy difficulties.

I also gained new knowledge about dyscalculia and dysgraphia. I had very little prior knowledge before the videos. It was interesting to learn that students with dyscalculia not only struggle with understanding and working with numbers but also with poor visual-spatial and working memory. More often than not, children with dyscalculia also have learning difficulties such as ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia. Students with dysgraphia struggle with different components in visual-spatial, fine motor, and language processing. They struggle with writing and exhibit difficulties in printing words on paper.

After all that I have learnt, there is much that I would like to do as a SENO. Firstly, it is important for me to do a thorough assessment so as to better identify exactly which area the child is struggling with, so that intervention can be targeted and personalised to the child’s exact learning needs. I do not want to be a doctor who gives the wrong medicine to a patient. It is not just understanding the disability, but an individual’s needs and strengths. This helps me to be a better bridge between teachers and students to help teachers better understand students’ needs to reduce frustration and build success.

Secondly, I would like to create small platforms where fellow SENOS can share their knowledge with teachers/parents.  Teachers can exchange strategies or bring about cases to these platforms so that everyone can discuss and work together to come up with strategies to support the student. I would also want to organise talks, seminars to equip and empower parents to support their child at home, because students spend the bulk of their hours with their parents.  Thirdly, in my approach to intervention. Using multi-sensory approaches such as tracing letters on sand/felt or clapping while sounding out syllables in words for students with dyslexia, using pencil grips for students with dysgraphia, using math manipulatives and visual supports for students who struggle with dyscalculia. Most importantly, learning to tie the multi-sensorial approach to the student’s interest will be a bonus and a huge buy in for the child in his learning.

A SEN Officer should minimally be able to differentiate differences in these dysfunctions. They can work with educators to structure differentiated teaching for the child or provide accommodations and/or modifications to the lessons. This is to allow the child to follow through the curriculum without impeding the curriculum demands. This is to reason ‘what’ the modification of the lesson would affect - and ‘how’ an accommodation change would benefit the child. For example, a child with dysgraphia could benefit from the use of technologies such as touch screens to keep pace with writing-heavy subjects, replacing their slow motor skill coordination. Another example would be a child with dyscalculia would benefit from kinesthetic learning (eg. clapping) for each number count instead of only verbal cues. In the intervention level, a SEN officer could invest in evidence-based methods such as using explicit instruction in phonological awareness for a child with dyslexia.

As students with learning disabilities may face an academic lag, it is necessary to highlight their non-academic strengths such as problem-solving and visual-spatial reasoning, which may come off as more prominent than those of other students. Use this as an advantage to motivate and empower them to continue to strive onward. A buddy system could also create a cohesive circle to keep the student motivated. Educators could also offer a patient environment for them to make mistakes and learn from them. This would provide them with a positive learning environment and rouse interest for them to be the best of themselves.

Dyslexia:

-We normally take for granted how we read. There’s more than meets the eye on how our brain works while we are exposed to letters, our brain send signal to connect our auditory, visual and oral nerves. The more we see them the more we are able to “read”.

-For a successful intervention to take place, we need to be explicit in our instructions when we teach them the rules of phonics and their understanding on letter sound correspondence to segmenting to blending. There need to have a structured method taught that connects to how it is represented into written letters to words to eventually understand its meaning and through many practices will then allow for fluent reading.

-People with dyslexia struggle in mapping language to print so SENO need to take note to address such skill during intervention. We can look into neuroscience where researchers link on how the brain activity changes before and after intervention as the child manage to be more fluent or better reader after interventions were conducted and what was done to fill up those gaps or learning needs of the child.

-Reading changes the brain even at the adult age.

-New research reported that people with dyslexia are now better at visualising

the bigger picture as their brains are able to capitalise on their visual spatial.

As a SENO:

-always have in mind that children with dyslexia are just as smart as other children

-we can conduct fun and interactive session for the younger students using multisensory techniques since these methods are proven to be effective

-we can have a read aloud session together to tap on the child’s interest in reading as the child may not have access to interesting books or no chance for home-reading environment

-we can also tap on exploring on rhymes as one of the activities since rhymes can help develop fun early reading skills.

-since dyslexia effects lifelong, we can also try to tap on helping their memory skills through memory games, building their self-esteem through positive affirmations and teaching skills on organisation or time-management.

Dyscalculia: a math learning disability that children will not outgrow but there are strategies that can help them to love and learn math. May affect them as they grow since math becomes more complex at higher learning. May have strong connections with being dyslexic.

As a SENO:

-tap on multiple sensory techniques or fun math games to fill up the child’s gaps on his/her concept of math

-see if there is a need to use of access accommodations such as time extension on test or WAs

-encourage parents to play math-related games at home to build on the child’s math concept or for busy parents to introduce them to math apps (Todo Math, Moose Math, KooBits etc)

-encourage parents to use daily activities such as baking, cooking or while walking at the park in using real objects to connect math concepts.

Dysgraphia: a learning difference that makes writing by hand unusually hard, due to difficulties with motor skills, spelling, or organizing ideas, but it doesn’t mean the child is less intelligent. There are various types which not only affect spelling, but the child’s fine motor skills where handwriting is slow and effortful and may also affect spatial issues with spacing, alignment and organisation of words on the page or line.

As a SENO:

-use of technology such as typing or speech-to-text.

-provide extra time for written task such as use of access accommodations during test or WAs.

-help them with explicit penmanship strategies for younger children.

-help them build confidence and willingness to do their work task in school and homework.

Specific Language Impairment: a developmental language disorder in which a child has significant difficulties acquiring and using language, despite otherwise typical development. It is said that the child has persistent problems with spoken and/or understanding language that cannot be explained by hearing loss, intellectual disability, autism, neurological damage, or lack of exposure to language. Children with SLI usually have normal nonverbal intelligence, normal hearing, and typical social interactions outside of their language challenges. Having SLI can affect their academic performance (especially reading and writing), social communication, and self-confidence.

As a SENO, since such disability is new to me, hence I may need to collaborate with other stakeholders, work closely with my senior SENOs or TSN or take up some PD courses that might help me in supporting students with such needs.

Differentiated Instructions:

As a SENO, we can share with subject teachers on providing some of our children with SEN a differentiated instructions whenever possible. However, we need to be mindful that teachers are busy and may not have time to do a different set of instructions. However, we can try to suggest such as having a differentiated spelling list for children with severe dyslexia or differentiated worksheets for children with dysgraphia.

Effective Interventions and Support
Explicit and structured teaching is key, whether through phonics for reading, multisensory approaches for math, or scaffolds for writing. Assistive technology, visual aids, and organisational supports are valuable tools. Interventions must target the root difficulties, not just surface-level symptoms, and need to be sustained over time.

Accommodations and Modifications
Accommodations change how a student learns, such as giving extra time, adapting assignments, or using assistive technology. Modifications change what a student is expected to learn, such as focusing only on key vocabulary or simplified goals. Both should be flexible and updated as needs evolve.

Differentiated Instruction
Teachers can vary content, process, product and learning environment to respond to diverse needs. This includes adapting materials, grouping students strategically, offering choice, and creating inclusive classroom arrangements.

Collaboration and Inclusion
Parents, teachers, specialists and students themselves play essential roles in the IEP process. Open communication, shared responsibility, and creativity in problem-solving lead to better outcomes. Beyond academics, supporting social skills, reducing stigma, and building confidence are just as important for long-term success.

As a SEN Officer, I will…
I will apply what I have learned by guiding teachers to use differentiation and accommodations that truly meet students’ unique needs. I will ensure interventions are explicit, structured, and multisensory, while also encouraging the use of assistive technology and visual supports. I will be proactive in working with parents, specialists and classroom teachers to keep IEPs responsive and dynamic. Most importantly, I will support students not only in their academic progress but also in building self-esteem, resilience, and a sense of belonging, so they can thrive holistically in school and beyond.

I’ve come to realize that no two learners are the same, and for students with learning difficulties, the barriers they face are often invisible to others.

These learning difficulties have so many layers and complexities to them and each exist on a spectrum for each individual student. There is also so much to be aware of in terms of the types of difficulties that can be associated with each challenge. Understanding each need and aligning a strategy is actually much more than just knowing overall definitions and having a resource bank of strategies or simple discussions. What might seem like carelessness, lack of effort, or disinterest is often a genuine struggle with processing information, expressing thoughts, or understanding abstract concepts.

As a SEN Officer, I feel that through this videos it is evident my role is more than just identifying needs—it’s about responding with purpose. I now feel more confident in guiding teachers to differentiate instruction, not just by simplifying tasks, but by using creative, multi-sensory approaches that allow students to access the curriculum in meaningful ways. I also see the importance of making reasonable accommodations that remove unnecessary barriers without lowering expectations.

As I learn more I hope to,

• Work more closely with fellow educators to co-develop inclusive lesson plans;

• Monitor students more holistically, looking beyond grades to see growth in confidence and participation; and use assessments purposefully while also integrating findings with how to better equip students with the right learning tools suited for them

• Empower families by keeping them informed and involved in their child’s learning journey; as I find through this videos that it is so important to continue building my own knowledge.

Most importantly, I’ve been reminded that inclusion is a daily commitment to seeing potential.

I will use explicit, structured teaching in phonics and reading, together with individualized practice and working on the students’ current strengths.

Dyscalculia

I will make use of hands-on activities eg.manipulatives like blocks, beads, sounds (counting claps), and visual aids to help students understand abstract math concepts through concrete experiences.

Dysgraphia

I will allow students to choose pencils or pens that they find comfortable to hold, also the use graph paper for certain subjects to help with spacing and alignment. A SENO can further support students in organizing their ideas with the use of graphic organizers to ease their cognitive load when writing for a demanding topic. Apart from these, SENO can also include activities like finding letters hidden in sensory bins, drawing letters on backs or hands and guessing, painting, and storytelling to strengthen one’s sequencing and motor planning.

Specific Language Impairment (SLI) 

Children with SLI often experience delays in talking, often they used incorrect grammar, having limited vocabulary, weak verbal short-term memory, and trouble understanding complex language. As SENO, we can use visual supports, presenting information in multiple formats, explicit speaking and differentiated instruction tailored according to their skill levels. Apart from these, additional time, use of visual aids, alternative assessments, and technology support could be another way of supporting them.

Access Accommodation

Perhaps during exam setting, allowing extra time, using assistive technology, or changing the physical environment to help students concentrate better. Depending on the situation, modifications could be made to their assessment so that they are not at a disadvantage.