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Medico-Legal Reports
The Need for Specialist Educational reports
When a child or adolescent is unfortunate enough to suffer a significant neurological injury, the recognition of and response to their individual needs is vital to their future academic achievement.
While assessments from doctors, therapists and psychologists are essential, a child is within the process of education and the effects on this must be considered.
In order to fully assess these effects, the expert must have a good knowledge of; the education system (including current legislation and initiatives); the National Curriculum; current classroom practice; experience of assessment; knowledge of the medical conditions involved (including terminology); and knowledge and experience of the effects of such injuries and illnesses on future educational progress and potential.
Accurate assessment and appropriate educational provision is crucial in affecting the long term outcome for young people in terms of their academic and employment potential. Strengths and weaknesses that can be identified within the school situation can be extremely important in helping to identify resources needed to ensure that this potential is maximised and disability minimised.
Beth Wicks has had many years' experience of assessing the special educational needs of children resulting from neurological conditions and of specifically identifying the needs that can be attributed to those conditions in contrast to pre-existing problems. She can make recommendations for future educational placements and support as well as practical advice for teachers, and can comment regarding the current and future effects of acquired difficulties.
Beth has worked very closely with therapists and neuropsychologists, which enables her to produce complementary reports to supplement or explain the results of their assessment or other testing in terms of its implication for educational progress and provision and to add the results of formal and functional educational assessment to existing information.
Educational assessment must form part of the analysis of need after any traumatic incident involving a child or adolescent. Young people normally continue to develop skills to enable them to face the increasing academic and social demands of the education system. The development of these skills may be impaired following acquired brain injury, although difficulties may not be immediately apparent, therefore continued monitoring is also extremely important.