Sometimes hydrocephalus has virtually no impact on one child’s development, whereas another child with hydrocephalus can be affected in a range of ways, which may take some time to be revealed.
Not all children have the same skills or areas of difficulty so it is essential that teachers observe and assess children with hydrocephalus closely to discover skill gaps and then plan their teaching strategies.
Good communication between the family of the child and the educational setting is essential for outcomes to be achieved successfully, as stated in the SEND Code of Practice.
SEN Support, introduced in 2014 with the Children and Families Act in England, can offer a good starting point for teachers.
The SEN support structure of Assess, Plan, Do and Review is an effective tool to provide individualised strategies for children with hydrocephalus.
See SEN Support and the Graduated Approach by Nasen.
Knowledge of how the brain develops and how children learn is vital in order to understand the effects of hydrocephalus, seen in these broad areas of Special Educational Needs, outlined in the SEND Code of Practice.
The tables linked to below show the possible needs of children with hydrocephalus and strategies that can be used to enhance their learning capabilities - they can also be downloaded so that you can retain them for future use.
Communication and language needs