Introduction
The Quick Checker can be used to support conversations between class teachers and parent carers at the initial concern stage. The Quick Checker is not a diagnostic tool but it is designed to identify barriers within the Sensory and Physical area of need.
Quick Checker for Physical Needs
For the statements below, consider if there are concerns about the child or young person’s physical skills/needs:
- are affecting their learning and/or access to the curriculum
- affect their stamina and endurance levels impacting on quantity and quality of work achieved – such as fatigue
- are affecting their ability to access the school site/facilities
- mean they need help with personal care/moving and handling
- require additional support/equipment to evacuate the building safely in the case of an emergency
- impact on their ability to complete activities of daily living such as toileting, dressing, use of cutlery, use of scissors, and writing
Quick Checker for Vision Impairment (Vision Loss)
For the statements below, consider if there are concerns for the child or young person:
- holding printed resources and/or objects very closely or at an unusual angle
- failing to respond to non-verbal instructions
- losing their place when reading, skipping lines and struggling to find text on a page
- having difficulty accessing, or not paying attention to board work
- struggling in P.E., especially demonstrating poor spatial awareness
- appearing isolated in the playground
- having difficulty interpreting facial expressions, and social cues and getting too close
- being withdrawn or demonstrating behavioural issues
- tripping over, or having difficulty with steps/stairs/uneven ground
- having difficulty orientating in an unfamiliar environment
Quick Checker for Hearing Impairment (Hearing Loss)
For the statements below, consider if there are concerns for the child or young person:
- having noticeable delays or gaps in attention and listening, play, communication and understanding spoken interaction
- showing some of the following: poor speech intelligibility, difficulty with recognising and responding to phonics, limited vocabulary both receptive and expressive, and immature grammatical structures in spoken language
- being distractible in class, having poor listening skills in a busy environment, and asking to repeat often
- having low levels of confidence
- their voice varies considerably, which may be due to group size, distance from board/teacher, reverberant rooms or poor light levels
- being dependent on visual cues from their teacher or peers
- having difficulty in responding to questions, and instructions, starting work after teacher input or discussion, recalling information, social and academic interaction with peers