Physical and medical needs
Children and young people with physical and/or medical needs may have difficulty carrying out some day-to-day activities.
A physical and/or medical need can include:
- cerebral palsy
- spina bifida
- neuro-muscular dystrophies
Other medical needs can include Epilepsy and brain injuries.
How physical and/or medical needs might affect your child
Your child may have physical and/or medical needs including:
- specific physical and medical needs
- managing tiredness
- accessing the social and/or academic curriculum
- moving around school
- fine motor skills, for example, handwriting
- gross motor skills, for example, physical education (PE)
- self-help skills, for example, dressing
If your child has physical and/or medical needs they will probably be referred to:
- physiotherapy services
- occupational therapy service
- physical and medical needs service
These services can give you help and advice, for your child, with:
- exercises
- equipment
- guidance on what would be helpful and what to avoid
The Physical and Medical Needs Service
They Physical and Medical Needs Service works with children and young people:
- with physical and/or medical needs
- aged 5 to 25 years
- in mainstream schools
Their work helps children and young people to succeed, be happy, included and achieve.
Referrals come to the service from:
Advice from the service
The service will offer support and advice about a range of physical and/or medical needs, including:
- moving schools, for example, transition
- specialist/adapted equipment
- making school buildings accessible
- making sure the curriculum is accessible
- different technology to support inclusion
- wellbeing
- risk assessments
- school trips
- tiredness plans
- adaptive teaching
- teaching strategies and resources
The service can also:
- come to your child’s Annual Review (AR) – or write a report for the AR
- give advice about your child’s short-term targets
- liaise with you, other professionals and school staff
If you want to contact the service about your child, please speak to:
- the Special Educational Needs and Coordinator (SENCo) at your child’s school or setting
- the named SENCo or National Health Service (NHS) Children’s Health Specialist
Useful websites
For more information on physical and/or medical needs, please visit:
Contact: the charity for families with disabled children
pdnet – a network for those supporting learners with physical disability
Occupational Therapy - Lancashire and Morecambe Bay