Some children and young people need additional support to benefit fully from their education. Additional support needs can arise, in the short or long term, from a variety of circumstances including:

the learning environment

family circumstances

health or disability needs

social and emotional factors

By law, education authorities must identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 (the 2004 Act) sets out the duties of education authorities and the rights of parents, children and young people to additional support for learning.

Scotland’s inclusive approach to education enables all children and young people to be part of a community, boosting their emotional wellbeing and aiding the development of social skills.

Children and young people should learn in the environment which best suits their needs and inclusive practice is important whatever the setting, whether it be within a mainstream or special school.

The presumption of mainstreaming enshrines the right of all children and young people with additional support needs to learn in mainstream schools and early learning and childcare settings.

Click below for more information on national legislation, policy and guidance.

There are four key features of inclusion which can be used to set expectations and evaluate inclusive practice in schools and early learning and childcare settings;

Present

Participating

Achieving

Supported

Together these four features support the delivery of inclusive learning environments for all children & young people that will enable them to reach their full potential.

At all stages, dyscalculia is on a continuum varying from mild to severe, with a range of strengths and difficulties which are affected by the nature of the activity undertaken, the learning environment and any coping strategies and support in place. As a result, every individual with dyscalculia will differ in how they are affected and in the level of severity experienced.

Scottish dyscalculia definition

Dyscalculia is a barrier to learning. The impact this has varies in degree according to the learning and teaching environment.

Dyscalculia can affect:

• short-term working memory

• subitising (the ability to see and count numbers instantly)

• estimating

• ordering, sequencing and directionality

• recognising and understanding number symbols

• how numbers and amounts relate to each other and their representation

• learning and recalling basic maths facts and processes

• applying number skills to solve problems

• everyday tasks involving numbers (for example: money or time)

Receiving appropriate additional support is not dependent upon the formal identification of a specific need or label such as dyscalculia. Education Scotland have provided the professional learning which explore dyscalculia and provide strategies for supporting pupils experiencing difficulty with numeracy:

Supporting Learners with Maths Difficulties Webinar Series 2324

However, this should not mean that schools and local authorities are not supportive of formally identifying additional support needs such as dyscalculia.

The identification of dyscalculia and the understanding of what it means can be extremely important to the learner’s wellbeing and their family and this should not be underestimated. We in D&G are currently working on a pathway for the identification of dyscalculia, which will be added here as soon as it is available.

Home | Autism Toolbox Autism Toolbox

It is a Neurodevelopmental Disorder. This means:

• That those who have ADHD have a brain that works differently to those who don’t have ADHD.

• ADHD is usually spotted in childhood, and individuals will experience it throughout their teenage and adult years too.

• Having ADHD means children and young people learn and behave differently compared to others.

• For example, those with ADHD have a hard time concentrating, have lots of energy and may behave without thinking about the consequences. 

Common features of ADHD

Although each individual is unique, there are three groups of symptoms common to ADHD. These include:

• challenges with concentration and attention

• impulsiveness

• hyperactivity

Some individuals experience challenges with attention and concentration, but not hyperactivity or impulsiveness. This form of ADHD is sometimes called Attention Deficit Disorder or ADD. ADD can sometimes go unnoticed because the symptoms may be less obvious. 

ADHD can co-occur with other neurodevelopmental differences such as Autism, Dyslexia, Epilepsy or Tourette’s Syndrome.

Positive traits of ADHD

For many individuals, ADHD is linked to positive traits such as:

• creativity

• flexibility

• enthusiasm and spontaneity

• energy and drive

• compassion

• risk taking, which can lead to important discoveries

• an ability to process information and make broader observations

The challenges you might notice

You might notice that children and young people with ADHD:

• have a short attention span

• find it hard to concentrate and are easily distracted

• may make mistakes

• appear forgetful, or tend to lose things

• have difficulty organising tasks or possessions

• find it difficult to stick at tedious or time-consuming tasks

• find it hard to wait for their turn

• appear to be unable to listen to or carry out instructions

• constantly move or fidget

• talk excessively

• have a tendency to interrupt

• are impulsive or act without thinking

• have little or no sense of danger

ADHD must be diagnosed by a health professional. For more information on ADHD, along with resources and signposting for school staff and parents, please go to:

ADHD Young People – Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care

While schools can refer to CAMHS if they suspect a young person might have ADHD, parents and young people can self-refer to CAMHS; this can often be a preferable route as they are aware of behaviour and impact in all settings.

Self-referral form – Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care

Edinburgh University also provides some useful resources for education professionals and parents.

Understanding the Strengths and Difficulties of ADHD_ A guide for parents (1).pdf

Understanding the Strengths and Difficulties of ADHD_ A guide for teachers.pdf

The EPIC Strategy booklet_ A guide for teachers.pdf

The EPIC Strategy booklet_ A guide for parents.pdf

Both of the following websites have excellent information on DLD:

Moor House Research & Training Institute – At the Forefront of Global Research and Training in the Field of Language Disorders

and

RADLD - Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder - RADLD

A short introductory video can be viewed here: Could it be language? Identifying children with Developmental Language Disorder - YouTube

The Moor Institute has produced a list of 10 indicators on an infographic which could suggest DLD, such as

PROCESSING LANGUAGE - listening to, understanding, remembering what others say

FOLLOWING INSTRUCTIONS - understanding long or complex sentences

VOCABULARY - understanding and using words accurately

GRAMMAR - understanding and using grammar (spoken and written), getting words in the correct order with the correct written tenses

EXPRESSING IDEAS - saying how they feel, telling a story, explaining their ideas

ASKING AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS - talking in class discussions

MATHS - understanding word problems and topics with a heavy language load

READING - understanding what is happening in a story/narrative/factual text

LITERACY - understanding and using sounds for spelling and reading (phonological awareness)

SOCIAL INTERACTION - using language in social situations/making and maintaining friendships

Strategies to support DLD include:

TIME - to process information and instructions

VISUAL SUPPORT - visual templates, language rich displays and clear/simple signage

SIGN IT - gestures, facial expressions and body language

DO IT - multi-sensory teaching approach

MODIFY YOUR LANGUAGE - rate of speech, one instruction at a time, keep it short

CHUNK INFORMATION - pause, repeat. be explicit, use literal language

WORDS - explicitly teach key vocabulary

SMALL STEPS - break down tasks

REPEAT IT - recap previous learning, do activities more than once

MODEL IT - whether written or spoken, model the language

We are working with educational psychology and Speech and Language to develop clear pathways and guidance, you can contact speech and language for a consultation if you see the indicators above and suspect DLD. SaLT have produced the booklets below:

DLD booklet CYP and Parents- Update.pdf

DLD booklet Education Staff- Update.pdf

English as an Additional Language (EAL) Service - Guidance for school staff (padlet.com)

Positive relationships between schools and families help children and young people thrive. A relationship of mutual trust and respect can enable effective communication that benefits parents, practitioners and pupils. If you are supporting children and young people with additional support needs having a good understanding of policy and legislation is important to your role. Careful planning to ensure pupil needs are being met is essential, and may involve;

At stage 1 - an initial expression of concern form (IOCF)

At stage 2 - an additional support for learning plan (ASLP) or IOCF

At stage 3 - an individualised education plan (IEP)

At stage 3 - a Child's Plan (CP)

At stage 4 - a Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP)

Click on the sections below for more details.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences research has been around for several decades but has come to recent prominence in Scotland for a number of reasons including the sharing of the documentary ‘Resilience: The Biology of Stress and the science of hope’ This research has refocused attention on the importance of early development, particularly early adversity and as such fits particularly well with a nurturing approach. Nurturing approaches have been around in schools for a many years initially as a targeted approach but are increasingly being implemented as a universal approach to support the wellbeing of everyone within a school community. Trauma informed approaches have previously been more prominent in sectors out with education but increasingly schools are beginning to describe their practice as trauma informed.

This document provides information on the key features of a nurturing approach. It offers some background as to how they specifically apply to a Scottish context and outlines the commonalities between the different approaches.​ It also provides some information on the benefits and challenges of implementing each approach and provides some details on examples of good practice in applying these approaches within an education context.​​

Nurture, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma informed practice: Making the links between these approaches

Resources can be found at

Nurture & trauma informed approaches : resources to support learning & teaching - Wakelet

The three organisers within the literacy and English framework are:

·       listening and talking

·       reading

·       writing.

Dumfries and Galloway has a Progression Framework for each of these areas, at each of the levels, found within the Developing Balanced Literacy (DBL)Team files. You can join the TEAM via

DG Developing Balanced Literacy | General | Microsoft Teams

Please see:

0.DBL Progression Framework for Listening Talking

0.DBL PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK FOR READING WITH LIVE LINKS.pdf

0.DBL PROGRESSION FRAMEWORK FOR WRITING WITH LIVE LINKS.pdf

There are excellent resources to support classroom practice, available via the relevant pages in the BLT Team:

3. DBL LISTENING AND TALKING

4. DBL READING

5. DBL WRITING

Dumfries and Galloway have a Framework for Numeracy which is based on the Developing Number Knowledge Model. It provides comprehensive support and strategies for both universal and targeted support. Please join the D&G Frameworks for Numeracy and Beyond Team to access full resources and guidance, and to be kept up to date with training opportunities.

D&G Frameworks for Numeracy and Beyond Number | General | Microsoft Teams

You can access an introduction to the Framework for Numeracy here - FfN - An Introduction to D&G's Framework for Numeracy PL Sway - Narrated Version

Key priorities in the strategy include reducing the risk of poor mental health and wellbeing in adult life by promoting the importance of good relationships and trauma-informed approaches from the earliest years of life, taking account where relevant adverse childhood experiences.

This presentation provides an overview of the current context of wellbeing supports for education practitioners in Scotland.

PDF file: Cycle of Wellbeing (from Powerpoint) (317 KB)

The Children and Young People Mental Health – Professional Learning Resource is an online professional learning resource which aims to provide school staff with knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in schools. (and can to the previously mentioned NES framework)

Further professional learning to support the wellbeing of children and young people includes:

• Compassionate and Connected Community: Professional Learning Activity (PLA) Glow login required

• Supporting children and young people through grief and loss: Professional Learning Activity (PLA) Glow login required

• Roles of middle leadership : Supporting Staff Wellbeing Role: Professional Learning Activity (PLA) Glow login required

• NES Trauma Informed - National Trauma Training Programme

• Let’s introduce anxiety management (LIAM) in early intervention: LIAM is a staged training offer intended to develop skills in the delivery of a Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) informed approach for the treatment of mild-moderate anxiety symptoms in children and young people

  
  

The mental health and wellbeing wakelet is a collection of links to materials that can be used to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. It includes signposts for practitioners, parents and carers and also direct supports for children and young people to access.

Materials can also be found at:

Anxiety (worry) – CAMHS

Early intervention for children | Turas | Learn

The Attendance Service has an important role in supporting schools, parents/carers and learners at the point where school-based interventions have not been successful; the threshold for the Attendance Service to become involved is when attendance falls below 70%.

For the purposes of intervention, attendance has been categorised into three levels-

·       Above 70% - school responsibility as per attendance guidance.

·       40-70% - a request for assistance to the Attendance Service would be considered.

·       0-40% - there may be a role for the attendance officer as part of a wider multi-agency plan.

 Above 70% - School responsibility as per attendance guidance and Dumfries and Galloway Attendance Toolkit

Home Page – Dumfries & Galloway Attendance Toolkit (glowscotland.org.uk)

School to access the views of the parent/carer and child/young person on current level of attendance.

Phone call home, letters 1&2 sent home (from SEEMIS).

Pastoral support team to monitor attendance patterns and identify and address potential issues e.g. subject avoidance.

Targeted intervention as deemed appropriate.

Consideration of an arrangement, where appropriate, to send work home, for example in hard copy or via TEAMS, Scholar etc, as a short-term measure.

Support from services such as, but not limited to, school nurse, youth work, nurture team, educational psychology (virtual consultation), Befrienders, Carers Centre. 

Advise parents/carers to access the resource hub for support Support your Child's Attendance in Dumfries & Galloway – Website for parents/carers in Dumfries and Galloway to support attendance and late coming (glowscotland.org.uk)

If attendance drops below 70%, an RFA could be sent to Supporting Learners to request Attendance Service involvement.

 40 – 70% - Attendance Service involvement

All actions listed in the above 70% section are still relevant and applicable.

RFA sent to Supporting Learners inbox at supportinglearners@dumgal.gov.uk

RFA triaged by PT ASL and either accepted for allocation/waiting list, or returned to school due to lack of evidence of school-based interventions (as outlined above).

If allocated, Attendance Officer will make contact with the school to obtain further information and arrange to meet the learner and their parent(s)/carer(s).

Attendance Officer will meet with learner and/or parent(s)/carer(s) and carry out initial assessment e.g. attendance screener or risk/resilience/return to school paperwork to identify and isolate barriers to attendance.

Interventions based on results of screener will be planned, delivered and reviewed after an agreed timescale (maximum 12 weeks). 

Interventions will be based on one or more of the following causes of absenteeism as detailed in the Dumfries and Galloway Attendance Toolkit:

Individual Factors

·       ASN               

·       Age

·       Anxiety and mental health

·       Peer Relationships

·       Physical health

·       Risk taking behaviour

·       Social isolation

School based Factors

·       Attainment and achievement

·       Culture and ethos

·       Curriculum

·       Relationships

Family/Context Factors

·       Bereavement

·       Young Carer

 0-40% - multi-agency planning with potential role for Attendance Officer

Planning will be led by the school or lead professional and an action may be identified for the Attendance Officer via the Child’s Plan.

If the Attendance Service is not already involved, a request for assistance may be submitted to supportinglearners@dumgal.gov.uk.

The action may, for example, consist of liaison with the learner/family or short term support to get the pupil to school.

The outcome of the Attendance Officer’s action will be shared within the planning process, to enable further interventions or action to be considered and agreed.

PR-0004063_Stammering Turkish_FINAL.pdf

Leaflet -Stammering.doc

SLCN Screener.docx

Turkish English case_history_for_bilingual_families_Mar_2014.doc

Universally Speaking 11-15

Universally Speaking 5-11

This framework is set within the context of ensuring that all our children and young people feel included and can participate and achieve to their full potential. This is the responsibility of all. There are four key features of inclusion which can be used to set expectations and evaluate children and young people’s inclusion in their learning environment – present, participating, achieving and supported. These four

features support the creation of an inclusive learning environment for all children and young people that enables them to reach their full potential. All children and young people should be supported to overcome barriers to

learning and achieve their full potential. To achieve their full potential, barriers to learning must be identified and addressed for all children and young people through personalised learning pathways.

Pupil and parental engagement in all aspects of decision making around a pupil’s learning experiences and planning for progression are a key part of inclusion and are fundamental to the processes for supporting learners in

Dumfries & Galloway.

Dumfries & Galloway Council - Stages of Intervention Booklet.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

Dumfries & Galloway Council - SOI Training & Signposting Sway.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

Read more;

Dumfries & Galloway Council - Better relationships Better Learing- Relationship Rich Schools.pdf - All Documents (sharepoint.com)

The co-ordinated support plan is a statutory document which is subject to regular monitoring and review for those children and young people who have one. It is required to be considered whether or not a Child’s Plan is being considered. Education authorities must have arrangements in place to identify from among those children and young people for whose school education they are responsible, those children and young people with additional support needs who require a co-ordinated support plan and the particular additional support needs of the children so identified. Also, the Act, as amended, assumes that all looked after children and young people have additional support needs unless the authority are able to demonstrate that an individual looked after child or young person does not require additional support in order to benefit from school education. In addition, the Act, as amended, requires education authorities to consider whether each individual looked after child or young person requires a co-ordinated support plan.

The criteria for requiring a plan are as follows:

2 - (1)…..a child or young person requires a plan (referred to in this Act as a “co-ordinated support plan”) for the provision of additional support if-

(a) an education authority are responsible for the school education of the child or young person,

(b) the child or young person has additional support needs arising from-

• (i) one or more complex factors, or

• (ii) multiple factors,

(c) those needs are likely to continue for more than a year, and

(d) those needs require significant additional support to be provided-

(i) by the education authority in the exercise of any of their other functions as well as in the exercise of their functions relating to education, or

(ii) by one or more appropriate agencies (within the meaning of section 23(2)) as well as by the education authority themselves.

Applying the criteria for a co-ordinated support plan

An education authority must be responsible for the school education of the child or young person

following.

• Basic information about the child or young person (name, date of birth, class)

• Brief outline of her/his strengths and needs, with reference to the staged intervention process

• A list of relevant staff involved in supporting learning, with

contact details

• Long-term targets, to be reviewed at least once a year

• Short-term targets, to be reviewed at least termly. These

are usually steps towards meeting each of the long-term

targets. They should be SMART (Specific, Measurable,

Achievable, Relevant, Timed) and detail, as appropriate,

methodology and resources to be used and the member of

staff who will co-ordinate.

The IEP is a framework for all of those directly involved to work together to agree, pursue and then review appropriate targets. In a mainstream school, drafting, writing, implementing and reviewing an IEP is likely to involve the learner and their parent/carer, the class teacher/s or early years practitioner, and the support for learning teacher and/or guidance/pastoral teacher and/or senior manager. If staff from other agencies are involved, it may also

be appropriate for them to be included.

An IEP is a non-statutory document used to plan specific aspects of education for learners who need some or all of their curriculum to be individualised. The co-ordinator of the IEP is almost always a member of staff from the

educational establishment itself.

The child’s plan should offer a simple planning, assessment and decision-making process which leads to the right help, at the right time.

The child’s plan should reflect the voice of the child or young person at every stage and include a clear explanation of why the plan has been created, the personalised actions to be taken and the expected improvement for the child or young person.

The lead professional (or relevant practitioner within a single agency plan) should work with children, young people and their families, and all of those involved in the child’s plan to ensure that the support provided is regularly reviewed and evaluated for its effectiveness in the improvement of outcomes for the child or young person.

The child’s plan should be clear on:

• which services or people will provide support

• who is accountable for that support

• and the way in which that support will be provided

This will help to empower children, young people and families and support the lead professional in forward and contingency planning. 

Prior to an IOCF being submitted, strategies such as dyslexia friendly classrooms and multi-sensory approaches could have been in place, but concerns that the learner is not making expected progress remain.

The IOCF would be submitted to the ASN coordinator in primary schools, to be passed to the ASLT when appropriate, or the PT ASL in secondary schools. Teaching staff should include their concerns, along with what they have already done to address them, and a brief comment on what has/has not worked.

The ASLT or PT ASL will have the form recorded and uploaded onto SEEMIS, and return it with some signposting or suggestions, which may include, for example, the use of materials found in the Developing Balanced Literacy folder.

This support may be sufficient to address the concerns, however if they remain, an ASLP can be put in place.

Sleep Action (formerly Sleep Scotland) provide sleep support, training and resources to promote healthy sleep for everyone. They have a section in their website for children and families, which offers advice and signposting, as well as links to their counselling services. Some schools within D&G also have staff who have been trained in sleep programmes and have resources specific to different developmental stages.

Gateway to good sleep - Sleep Action

DCD is common. It primarily affects movement and coordination in children and adults. It can also cause a range of other difficulties. It is a hidden type of neurodivergence which is still not well understood.

Signs of DCD

Each person’s DCD experience is unique. It is affected by a person’s age. It is also affected by the opportunities they have had to learn skills and the demands of their environment. It is also affected by the support of those around them.

The presence of many (although not all) of these signs might suggest that you have dyspraxia:

• Delay in learning early motor skills such as sitting, crawling, walking

• Difficulty running, jumping, hopping, catching/throwing compared to other children

• Movements appear awkward, slow, hesitant

• Need to be taught physical skills rather than picking them up instinctively

• Frequently trip and fall

• Poor pencil grip. Writing is slow and immature

• Difficulty getting dressed and using cutlery

• Poor understanding of spatial concepts such as on/under/over/in front of

• Difficulty keeping friends and judging how to behave in company

• Anxious and have low self-esteem

• Difficulty paying attention, react to all stimuli without discrimination

• Work better 1:1 or in a small group

• Have difficulty following instructions

• Have difficulty managing time

• Often lose things

But there are some common signs of dyspraxia:

Movement

Dyspraxia primarily affects coordinating large and small body movements. Physical signs of dyspraxia include the following:

• Movements appear awkward and lack smoothness

• It takes extra physical and mental effort to do movements that others manage easily

• Poor spatial awareness means more trips, bumps and bruises

• Difficulty learning the movements required to carry out new practical tasks

• Difficulty transferring motor skills to new situations or activities

Executive Functioning

Someone with dyspraxia may find executive functioning difficult. Executive functioning refers to:

• Working memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information in the short term.

• Cognitive flexibility, also called flexible thinking, lets us adapt to change. It lets us switch between tasks.

• Inhibitory control: This includes self-control and the ability to resist impulsive behaviours.

Executive functioning can be reduced when feeling tired or overwhelmed. This can be difficult for someone with dyspraxia.

Organisation and planning

Many people with dyspraxia have difficulty organising themselves, their equipment and their thoughts. Some also experience problems with attention, memory and time management. Many dyspraxic adults say these difficulties cause more challenges in their daily lives than their movement difficulties.

Speech and language

Some people with dyspraxia struggle to keep up with conversations. There may be long, awkward pauses before they respond to a question or comment.

People with diagnosed verbal dyspraxia have severe speech difficulties. It is also known as Developmental Verbal Dyspraxia, or Childhood Apraxia of Speech. They struggle to coordinate the precise movements needed to produce clear speech. You can have verbal dyspraxia alone. Or, you can have it alongside other movement issues linked to dyspraxia.

Handwriting

Poor handwriting is one of the more common signs of dyspraxia. Practising with different types of pencil grips can help. People with dyspraxia may prefer typing on a keyboard to handwriting. For more information and support with handwriting, visit the National Handwriting Association.

How many people does dyspraxia affect?

Dyspraxia affects around 5% of school-aged children. Around 2% of children are severely affected.Difficulties continue into adolescence and adulthood in most cases.

More males than females are diagnosed with dyspraxia. But, females' issues are often found at an older age.

Dyspraxia is a unique type of neurodivergence. People with it will often (but not always) have another diagnosis too.

Identifying dyspraxia early is crucial. It means that a person's physical, learning, social, and emotional needs can be well met. This means they have more opportunity to reach their potential.

What causes dyspraxia?

Dyspraxia is the result of disruption in the way messages are passed between the brain and the body. The cause of this disruption is not yet clear. But, being born early and having a low birth weight both raise the risk. Also, a family history of coordination difficulties raises the likelihood.

Dyspraxia is not caused by brain damage, illness or injury. It is something you are born with and lasts throughout your whole life.

In most cases, the cause of a person’s dyspraxia is not known. There may not be one single reason why a person's movement skills are less developed than other areas.

The Dyspraxia Foundation offers support and advice for young people, including advice on transition from primary to secondary school:

Dyspraxia Foundation

You may also find these booklets helpful

DCD_ A guide for parents.pdf

DCD_ A guide for teachers.pdf

We are all neurodiverse. Some people’s brains simply work in a different way. For at least 20% of the UK’s adult population, these differences mean they are not seen as ‘neurotypical’ and may be diagnosed with neurological conditions such as autism spectrum condition (ASC), dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

In the 1990s, a term was coined to describe these differences by sociologist Judy Singer, who is on the autism spectrum: neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity is the concept that brain differences are natural variations – not deficits, disorders or impairments.

What does neurodivergent mean?

Neurodivergent was coined by the neurodiversity movement as an opposite to neurotypical. The terms neurodivergent and neurodivergence are now used to describe all people whose neurological conditions mean they do not consider themselves to be neurotypical.

Who is neurotypical?

Neurotypicality is used to describe people whose brain functions, ways of processing information and behaviours are seen to be standard.

Who is considered neurodivergent?

Some individuals do refer to themselves as neurodivergent.

Neurodivergent individuals can struggle with executive functioning skills, such as planning, time management, metacognition, self-control, working memory, flexibility, attention, organisation, task initiation and perseverance.

Do note however, that even the most neurotypical of people could, and will, also struggle with some of these things at some point in their lives! For that reason, it is important that all learners understand executive functioning.

Academics at Edinburgh University, in conjunction with teachers, have developed a whole class approach to considering executive function which can raise awareness tactfully, while also encouraging and supporting learners to identify areas they find challenging, and identify strategies which can help.

Resources and introductory videos can be found here

Home - Epic Think Learn

Also via Edinburgh University, the Salveson Mindroom Research Centre offers free resources for schools and parents via the LEANS (Learning about Neurodiversity at School) programme:

Learning About Neurodiversity at School (LEANS) | Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre

All referrals should be on the most recent RFA form unless otherwise stated: https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/dg/public/girfecdgresourcesforstaff/uploads/sites/8845/2026/01/19171106/20260119_Request-for-Assistance-Form-2026_V11.docx

If your referral is to a service from within education e.g. the inclusion team, attendance team or Autism Outreach, information on the necessary information and process can be found in Guidance on the completion of a Request for Assistance for teams within education.

For educational psychology, information can be found in DG Educational Psychology Service – September 2024

For partners such as social work and health:

NDAS

Information for NDAS can be found at Neurodevelopmental Assessment Service CYP – Dumfries & Galloway Health & Social Care

NDAS referral forms NDAS-Request-form-Jan-23.pdf

go to dg.nd-requests@nhs.scot.

SaLT

Information for Speech and Language can be found at Speech and Language Therapy for Children and Young People – Support for children and families in Dumfries and Galloway

Referrals go to dg.sltkids@nhs.scot

Occupational Therapy

Information for Occupational Therapy can be found at Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People – Support for children and families in Dumfries and Galloway

You can call occupational therapy's enquiry line on 01387 241882 between 1400 and 1600hrs on Wednesdays. If you can't call during this time, you can email on DG.OT-enquiryline@nhs.scot.

Referrals go to dg.ot-child-health@nhs.scot

CAMHS

Information can be found at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) – Support for children and families in Dumfries and Galloway

Referrals go to dg.camhs-mail@nhs.scot

Information on our partner agencies can be found at A to Z Service Search – Support for children and families in Dumfries and Galloway

Information for parents and carers about support for children with disabilities, finance, mental wellbeing, health, inclusion, and safety, can be found at Find support for…. – Support for children and families in Dumfries and Galloway

Consultancy/consultation

Consultancy can take place in many forms, from simply giving advice to working collaboratively with individuals or departments. Effective learning and teaching strategies may be discussed and developed and suitable resources identified and made available. It is important to discuss and reach conclusions on issues such as meeting the needs of learners with a variety of different needs, not just concerning literacy, but also behavioral issues with implications for classroom management, motivation etc. There is likely also to be help regarding the most appropriate resources for the identified needs or individual learners.

1. Planning learning and teaching; including co-operative teaching with class teachers

SfL teachers may teach alongside class teachers in the classroom. Clear aims should be set out beforehand and subsequently reviewed. This helps provide direct support to and monitoring the progress of all pupils in class; developing classroom strategies with the subject teacher and assisting in recording and assessment.

Sometimes it is helpful for pupils, individually or in small groups, to work out of class with a member of SfL staff. This can aid the ongoing process of dynamic assessment and establishing what is likely to work best. Blocks of support may be given to larger groups of pupils to focus on development of specific skills. Though this works in primary schools, it is particularly important in secondary schools in preparing learners for important exams and applying for further and higher education. SfL will be involved in planning and delivering specialised/focused programmes.

2. Identification and assessment

Working with colleagues to ensure the early identification of pupils additional support needs. SfL will be involved with observations, formative and summative assessments, screening and dissemination/feedback to parents/carers/staff/multi agency colleagues.

The SfL teacher/department holds information on individual pupils and is involved in further ongoing assessment and support when this is appropriate. The SfL teacher has some delegated responsibilities for ensuring that information on individual pupils is appropriately disseminated both in school and to external agencies and parents

3. Partnership with specialist services

Partnership working is very important to ensure a holistic approach is taken in gathering information and placing the child/young person at the centre. Support teachers regularly will be in contact with colleagues in schools/educational services and multiagency colleagues e.g. health, social work and voluntary agencies.

4. Contributing and supporting professional development

The SfL teacher/department contributes to staff development in a variety of ways through:

4. Sharing of insight, experience and resources

4. Presentation of in-service sessions: for example twilight collegiate session

4. Offering guidance on accessible resources/materials, curriculum, equipment and approaches

4. Sharing effective strategies, disseminating information from courses attended.

4. Disseminating information to staff on local authority procedures, legislation and guidelines.

These 5 roles are all complementary, and no one role should be carried out in isolation.

Please see the documents below for further details and guidance

ASLT roles.docx

Remit for Primary ASL Teacher (1).docx

Suggested role by month docx.docx

• auditory and /or visual processing of language-based information

• phonological awareness

• oral language skills and reading fluency

• short-term and working memory

• sequencing and directionality

• number skills

• organisational ability.

If you are concerned a learner may have dyslexia, please follow the D&G Dyslexia Identification Pathway:

Dyslexia Primary Pathway Paperwork June 26.docx

Dyslexia Secondary Pathway Paperwork June 26.docx

Please note, these documents need to be downloaded prior to being edited.

Further information on the pathway is available via narrated powerpoints

Dyslexia id narrated.pptx

Dyslexia and neuro-affirming classrooms narrated copy.pptx

They have produced fact cards for parents which may be helpful. They can be found at Untangling ASL - Supporting information for parents and carers - Enquire

The Untangling ASL resources have been produced by Enquire and funded by the Scottish Government to answer key questions around additional support for learning, improve understanding of additional support needs and support for learning, and signpost to trusted information, accurate advice and practical support.

This document covers:

• Introduction to the Untangling ASL resources

• Key messages for professionals

• More information on social media assets, including suggested text for use

Untangling ASL - Supporting information for professionals - Enquire

Untangling ASL - Set 1 (Professionals) - Enquire

There is a section the help identify issues, another which suggests strategies, and a number of sections on what is typically expected in certain sensory areas at certain chronological ages.

These resources can be accessed via

Sensory Processing | RHCG

1. The library has a large range of audiobooks via the Borrow Box app - this link takes you to the children's section.  All you need is a library membership and the Borrow Box app.

2. Calibre audio is an audiobook charity that is free for schools to use.  Books can be accessed using the Dolphin EasyReader app or streamed from the website.

3. Listening Books is another audiobook lending charity - school membership is £125 per year.

4. Books4All is provided buy CALL Scotland and has many books and textbooks which are regularly used in the Scottish Curriculum. It can be accessed via this link - Home .