Teaching about drugsThis part of the site contains:
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--------------------------- Why do young people with Special Educational Needs need to be taught about drugs? Young people need to know about drugs and about how to live safely in a drug using society. This applies equally to children with special needs; as the Department for Education Circular on drug education, Drug Prevention and Schools, put it: ‘Drug education is just as necessary for pupils with special educational needs. Children with learning difficulties may need more help than others in understanding what sorts of behaviour are and are not acceptable and desirable, in resisting peer pressure and in developing confidence and skills to resist drugs. Some pupils with special educational needs attending residential schools may be particularly subject to peer pressure, and may need specific support. Where pupils are taking prescribed medication they will need to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate drugs.’ (paragraph 34) Some young people with disabilities may be particularly at risk of drug misuse. Risk factors may include: peer pressure; disenfranchisement; low self-esteem; and insufficient self-control. Some young people with disabilities may also experience some of the problems that can be linked to drug misuse, such as:
As well as these reasons, as the DfE points out, many young people with disabilities take regular medication to treat their condition. They may therefore have greater acceptance of drug use. They may also be confused about the role of drugs. So they need to understand drug effects and the distinction between medication and ‘recreational’ drugs. Many children and young people with learning disabilities have little chance to experiment with drugs in early adolescence, because they get a lot of closely supervised care. But later, although they may have more independence, they may not be properly prepared for living in a drug-using society, particularly if the move to independence comes suddenly, or isn’t prepared for adequately. Some young people with special needs may be quite naïve, and this might put them at greater risk (for example, from peer influence to try drugs). Some SEN children may be less aware of the dangers of chemicals in the home, such as volatile substances. For some, their limited understanding of changing emotions and different states of mind may make it difficult for them to understand the effects of drugs. ------------------------------- Pointers towards good drug education Thus, they need drug education. But it is important to do provide it in the best way. Unfortunately, in the past, there have been many examples of bad drug education, which, at best, doesn’t increases children’s understanding and at worst raises their curiosity about drugs. Current understanding about drug education is that it:
----------------------------------------------------------------------- There is quite a lot of official guidance on drug education:
You can also look at guidance produced by some local authorities:
-------------------- Ideas for teaching children with special educational needs about drugs This website contains a number of practical ideas for teaching children with special educational needs about drugs. Click here to access these --------------- Details of resources for SEN teachers Drug education resources specific for SEN pupils are in short supply. Of course, it would be better to have drugs work integrated into personal, Social and Heath Education programmes, but often such material doesn’t include much on drugs. For example, Not behind the bike shed: health and personal education for students with learning difficulties is a pack of materials covering all aspects of health and specially aimed at those with learning difficulties has a good approach but contains very little on drugs. (By G Combes, published by Thomas Nelson and Son, 1992 @ £54.00. Click here to access Thomas Nelson’s website www.nelson.co.uk) Similarly, a set of ten booklets from the British Institute for Learning Disabilities, designed to be read by the student, do not mention illegal drugs or VSA. The booklets, under the generic title of Your Good Health, cover the topics of: exercise, ‘breath easy’, eating and drinking, alcohol and smoking, looking after your teeth, seeing and hearing, sex, ‘if you are ill’, using medicines safely, and coping with stress. (1998 BILD £30.00+p&p. also available separately each £5.00+p&p.) The Pack, Simply drugs: drug education without too much reading and writing is aimed at young people with poor literacy skills at Key Stages 3 and 4, and is more focused on drugs issues (1997 Healthwise). Click here to access the Healthwise website: www.healthwise.org.uk) The Special Needs and Drug Education Pack was by us developed with special needs teachers. It puts drugs education firmly within personal, social and health education (1998 educaRI, £38.00 inc. p&p). Implementation training available.) A set of 30 cards with pictures of drugs and other substances with examples of games that can be played with them is also available (educaRI £40 inc VAT and p&p). Click here for details.
Tacade, is producing a publication for teaching about drugs to pupils with mild to moderate learning difficulties. It will be published in Spring 2000. To go to the Tacade website, click here: www.tacade.org.uk)
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