Our team uses specialist curricula to support effective planning of support for children and young people with multi-sensory impairments. The frameworks use parent/carer, pupil voice and input from other professionals to promote a collaborative approach.
The following are used by the team:
Victoria School curriculum for Multi-Sensory Impaired Children:
Authored by Dr Heather Murdoch and colleagues from the MSI unit at Victoria School, Birmingham, it is a formalised document based on many years of experience in developing curriculum approaches for children who are deafblind and multi-sensory impaired. The curriculum addresses the bespoke learning needs of children and young people with MSI who are working at pre National curriculum levels. It focuses on eight key areas, to give them the awareness, experience, understanding and learning skills they need to access programmes of study successfully. Pupil progression is recorded in a clear and practical way that highlights strengths and helps identify areas where more intensive support may be needed and next steps can be planned.
The eight areas are: Social relationships and emotional development, Communication, Conceptual development, Sensory responses, Understanding of time and place, Orientation, movement and mobility, Ownership of learning and Responses to routines and changes.
For more information: https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/resources-for-education-and-early-years-professionals/msi-curriculum/
Callier Azusa:
The Callier-Azusa Scale was designed specifically for children and young people with deaf-blindness. It can be used as an assessment for children and young people with complex needs, especially those with visual and/or hearing impairments because of subscales relating to visual, auditory and tactile development. The assessment creates a baseline to help identify strengths and needs and allow effective outcomes to be planned as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Our team may use this scale as an initial assessment before using Victoria School curriculum.
More information can be found using the following link: https://calliercenter.utdallas.edu/evaluation-treatment/callier-azusa-scale/
For children and young people working at National Curriculum levels
Use of graduated response, advice from specialist colleagues, joint outcomes with schools and settings and an access to learning/learning to access approach will be used to support access to the curriculum.