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Supporting Children in Kent with Special Educational Needs and Disability

Cognition and Learning

I am Jo Johnson, the Sevenoaks Specialist Teacher for Cognition and Learning . I support primary and secondary schools in the Sevenoaks District.

What do we mean by Cognition and Learning?

Cognition and Learning (C and L) difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD) where all aspects of learning are affected, and specific learning difficulties (SpLD) where one or more specific aspects of learning are affected, such as dyslexia or maths difficulties. If you have children with either moderate or specific learning difficulties, they fall under the ‘Cognition & Learning’ Dimension of need.

Often children with cognition and learning difficulties have other needs too, such as language and communication, social and emotional or physical difficulties. Some children may have global developmental delay or medical conditions, syndromes or injuries which affect their cognition and ability to learn at the same pace as their peers. Children and young people may need additional support for learning even when appropriate differentiation and adaptations to the curriculum have been made by the class teacher.

‘Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation’ SEN Code of Practice