Special Educational Needs – a case study

June 28, 2019

At Kidslingo, we strive to promote inclusivity and diversity in our classes. We recognise that some children may find group classes a challenging environment and we try to make them welcoming places for all children and provide the support required. In the case study below, written by Freya’s Mum, we learn about how the Kidslingo classes have benefitted her daughter.

CASE STUDY – Freya

Freya is 4 years old and is a caring, little girl who is keen to explore the world around her. She attends nursery every morning and especially looks forward to her Tuesday morning Kidslingo Spanish classes with Nisha. Freya’s Mum tells us her story and how the Spanish classes are contributing towards her development:

“Freya is having help from the Early Years Team and has regular speech and language therapy, physiotherapy as well as support from the community paediatrician. The consensus of professional opinion is that she suffers from development and speech delay combined with balance and coordination issues.

She has recently turned 4 but her developmental age can be 6-12 months behind other children of that age. She is a sensory orientated child – so if a room is too noisy or crowded she can become upset and frustrated which in turns can make her angry and distressed. She used to struggle with working in groups and preferred to be on her own.

Whilst Freya can struggle with concentration with activities she joins in enthusiastically with her Spanish lessons. She listens to instructions and follows them. It was also her choice to join in with the lessons and she has stuck with them and is making great progress.

Spanish is definitely contributing to Freya’s development – the Spanish classes not only have the benefit of her learning a life-long skill but they have also had an impact on her speech, cognitive development and coordination.

Freya’s speech has improved and expanded meaning that she is mostly understood by people. She participates with songs, is clearer with her words and joins in with the Makaton actions. Her physical balance, coordination and understanding of instructions are definitely improving, aided by songs with dancing and actions. She is also now working well in different sized groups.

She may not be saying a lot of Spanish words but Spanish has helped Freya in many ways to improve her development and she has huge amounts of fun in the mix.

Freya has an older sister who also attends Kidslingo Spanish at school and really enjoys it – it is lovely for them both to be able to practise together at home.”

Nisha, Freya’s Kidslingo teacher, said:

“Freya absolutely loves the classes, joining in with gusto and always seems disappointed when the class has to end – luckily handing out fun activity sheets to all the children helps with that.

She did start off a little shy, but through a few small adjustments, for example ensuring she has enough space in the circle to not feel hemmed in, she now joins in beautifully and is speaking out more. I’m amazed at how she will suddenly remember or mention something we learnt several lessons ago – sometimes even from a previous term.  It’s a pleasure to have her in the class. “