This paper has been written by Beth Wicks, Educational Consultant specialising in the field of acquired brain injury.

Introduction

The information in this guide is designed to assist those within Local Education Authorities involved with special needs provision to gain a better understanding of the factors that should be taken into account when considering provision for a child who is affected by encephalitis.

Considerations

The following factors need to be appreciated:

• Encephalitis causes damage to the child's developing brain
• Brain damage to a child causes problems with the normal stages of further development and may prevent the brain from developing normally in later years.
• Early apparent recovery does not necessarily mean that problems will not occur later.
• Lack of or inappropriate differentiated provision can cause significant additional problems in the future

Return to School

Some children who are affected by encephalitis may need provision of a home tutor before returning to school or time in a Hospital School or provision from a Hospital Education Service. It is common for children recovering from encephalitis to suffer from high levels of fatigue. It is sometimes appropriate, therefore, for the return to school to be gradual to increase both mental and physical stamina. It is important that any additional resources are in place when the child returns to school and so planning must take place (in conjunction with health professionals) prior to return to school.

Provision

The school may well require additional resources, support or in-service training for staff in order to adequately meet the child's needs. Provision of these to enable support under School Action Plus may eliminate the need for a statutory assessment, but some of these children's needs will be so significant that an emergency referral for such an assessment is definitely indicated and should be accepted. However, it is important to ensure that the timing of this is appropriate. During the early stages of recovery the child's needs will be changing rapidly. It is important not to finalise an assessment too soon, but also not to leave the child and school without appropriate support and resources.

A flexible approach is necessary to meet these children's needs, as the special educational needs provoked by an acquired brain injury such as this differ from the needs of other children with learning difficulties resulting from developmental or other causes. It can sometimes appear that these children's special educational needs are not particularly significant in comparison with some of their low-achieving peers. However, following an acquired brain injury it is only appropriate to compare these children's ability with that which they demonstrated prior to their illness and with their current potential (given appropriate support), not with other children.

When stating targets for provision (within a Statement or otherwise) account must be taken of the permanent nature of underlying deficits, such as those with attention or memory. Targets can be to maximize ability in these areas, or to learn strategies to partly compensate for some of the difficulties, but not to eliminate them.

Provision of part or full time non-teaching assistance may be indicated, but as part of broader provision and with appropriate training and awareness raising of staff involved.

Disapplication from some areas of the National Curriculum may be appropriate as these children often complete work and process information much more slowly than their peers. They often need a higher level of repetition and reinforcement in order to enable new learning. This may mean that some subjects should be abandoned in order to consolidate and maximize progress in others.

For further information regarding the effects of damage resulting from encephalitis see the leaflets entitled Encephalitis in Childhood and Practical Advice for Teachers Working with Children and Adolescents Who Are Affected By Encephalitis.