Organisations supporting the inclusion of disabled children in the early years
Scope
Scope has specific information aimed at children in the early years
- The inclusion of children with cerebral palsy - including hemiplegia - in early years settings (pdf, 600k)
- Early communication for children with complex needs : information for childminders (pdf, 167k)
- The factsheet Disability discrimination in early years education
We now have a CD available packed full of inclusion information including an “Inclusion checklist - thinking through the process of including children with cerebral palsy into early years settings for 3 – 5s”. The CD offers a range of resources covering not just early years but primary and secondary education too. You can order the CD by emailing earlyyears@scope.org.uk with "Inclusion checklist" in the subject line.
Inclusion and early support
“Early Support - helping every child succeed” is an initiative from the DfES, the Department of Health and SureStart. It aims to improve services for disabled children under three and their families.
Disabled children and their families should have been given a turquoise boxed family pack. Some of this, when in active use, is designed for sharing, so that it contributes to the success of an early years placement. There are also some condition/disability specific information sheets available, including cerebral palsy.
Also a “service audit tool” has been designed to encourage a range of services to look at areas like sharing information and providing support whilst noting how well they work with families and other services. Each section has a statement about inclusion.
Information is free of charge for parents of disabled children and professionals who work with them. www.earlysupport.org.uk
The National Children’s Bureau
The NCB regularly runs workshops on disability and inclusion in early years settings. www.ncb.org.uk
The Pre-school Learning Alliance
For both parents and staff in early years settings, the Alliance “is committed to the effective intervention and inclusion of young children with special educational needs and impairments into early years provision“. It offers “publications, training and guidance to pre-schools on effective inclusive practice for children with additional needs” as well as researching ways to improve practice. www.pre-school.org.uk
Disability Equality in Education
This organisation has produced a teaching pack for aimed at developing an understanding of disability and promoting inclusion in the early years and at Key Stage1. Called “All equal, all different”, it is available from www.diseed.org.uk
The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education
The “Index for Inclusion for Early Years” is a ring binder file containing checklists for organisations to work on their inclusive practice in early years settings. This index adds to publications for older children http://inclusion.uwe.ac.uk/csie/index.htm
HemiHelp
HemiHelp have worked with Scope on some early years inclusion information. They also produce “Guidelines for Teachers“ - A series of three booklets aimed at teachers in pre-school, primary and secondary education, and an information sheet “Friendship and popularity in mainstream schools“ http://www.hemihelp.org.uk