There is a wide range of sensory and physical difficulties, but the important consideration in this area is the degree to which the difficulties impact on a child’s or young person’s ability to access educational opportunities. The following examples have been taken from the Wigan Council website.

Hearing Loss

• The levels of hearing loss are mild, moderate, severe or profound

Vision Loss

• Visual impairment is an eye condition that cannot be fully corrected by glasses or contact lenses

• The levels of vision are mild, moderate, severe or profound

Multi-sensory Impairment

• Multi-sensory impairment occurs when there is a hearing loss and visual impairment, which are both educationally significant although they may be at different levels

Sensory Processing Difficulty

• Our bodies and the environment send our brain information through our senses. We process and organise this information so that we feel comfortable and secure. When a child has difficulty coping with these demands, they may have sensory processing difficulties.

• A child may be under-sensitive or over-sensitive in the 5 areas:

  • Proprioception (ability to perceive the body's position in space and movement)

  • Vestibular (sense of balance and spatial orientation)

  • Auditory (reaction to certain sounds)

  • Oral Sensory (taste, texture, and temperature of food)

  • Tactile (reaction to touch - e.g light touch or deep pressure)

Physical Difficulty

• Physical/medical injures can be for a variety of reasons, e.g. congenital conditions (some progressive), injury or disease.

• A child with a physical difficulty may have a diagnosed medical condition which affects them physically. There may be an undiagnosed condition where the child presents with delayed development or impairment with their physical ability and/or presentation.