The Four Broad Areas of

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

The four broad areas of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) include Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH), and Sensory and/or Physical Needs.

Children and young people with communication and interaction needs may have speech, language and communication difficulties (SLCN) or autism spectrum conditions (ASC), which can affect their ability to understand and communicate with others.

Cognition and Learning needs relate to pupils who learn at a slower pace than their peers and may include moderate, severe, or profound learning difficulties, as well as specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, and dyscalculia.

SEMH needs encompass a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties, including anxiety, depression, ADHD, attachment disorders, and challenging behaviours.

Sensory and/or physical needs include visual or hearing impairments, multi-sensory impairments, physical disabilities, and sensory processing difficulties that may impact a child's access to learning and participation in school life