The 4 Types of SEND

Communication and interaction

Children and young people with communication and interaction difficulties may have difficulty:

saying what they want
understanding what is being said
understanding or using social rules of communication, making it harder to build relationships with others
using language and may shy away from talking

Communication and Interaction conditions may include children and young people with:

Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) - Speech and Language Difficulties - Resources for Schools
Autism - Communication and Interaction Differences - Resources for Schools

Every child and young person has a different profile, and their needs may change over time. Children and young people may have difficulty with one, some or all areas at different points of their lives.

Cognition and learning

Children and young people with learning difficulties may learn at a slower pace than others of the same age - even when learning tasks are changed to support them.

Learning difficulties can cover a wide range of needs, including:

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD)
Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD)
Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD)

Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) can affect one or more specific aspects of learning

This covers a range of conditions such as:

Dyslexia
Dyscalculia
Dyspraxia

Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Difficulties

Children and young people with SEMH may:

be withdrawn or isolated
be hyperactive and lack concentration
have immature social skills
be frustrated and struggle with school routines
show challenging behaviour such as verbal and/or physical aggression

Other mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression can lead to self-harm, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical/psychosomatic symptoms that are medically unexplained.

Some children and young people may receive diagnoses such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), attachment disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Physical and/or Sensory Needs

Children and young people with physical and/or sensory needs may have a disability, such as:

Physical Disability (PD)
Children and young people with a Physical Disability requires additional ongoing support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their children and young people of their age.

Visual Impairment (VI)
A visual impairment is when a child or young person has less than perfect sight. This can affect distance, near, fields of vision or all 3. It most commonly affects the ability to see clearly – this is called acuity.

Hearing Impairment (HI)
A Hearing Impairment may be temporary or permanent and range from a mild to a profound loss.