Supporting the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Students with Complex Needs

Social and emotional wellbeing is a high priority for all schools.

Supporting the social-emotional wellbeing of students with complex needs requires specialised knowledge and individualised strategies. Impairments in communication, mobility, vision, hearing and sensory regulation impact significantly on how an individual interacts with the world around them. If not adequately supported, these interactions may lead to increased anxiety and frustration. This can, in turn, lead to trauma and crisis behaviour which may have either outward or inward expression.

This presentation will explore the impact certain diagnosed conditions may have on students and present strategies to support improved social and emotional outcomes.

This presentation is based on personal experience as the principal of a K-12 school specialising in supporting students with complex needs. Through the implementation of whole-school strategies related to engagement and wellbeing, the school experienced significant improvements in academic and social engagement. As a result of this implementation, the student population increased by 80% in 18 months.

In an environment where the student population may be typically associated with significant challenging behaviour, the school recorded a significant decrease in incidents and related injuries and increased social and academic engagement.

Supporting Personal & Professional Health & Wellbeing in Complex Learning Environments

Educational settings are dynamic environments that are constantly responding to the needs of their community.

As schools seek to maintain and develop their academic programs, their staff are also expected to support the increasing individualised needs of their student population.

Many special needs learning environments come with additional complexities around the needs of their students that can significantly increase their individualised support requirements to access the curriculum and support regulation, health, safety and social and emotional wellbeing.

This presentation will draw on personal experience as the principal of a school catering for students from K-12 with highly complex support needs including complex health needs, mobility needs, communication needs and behaviour support needs.

It will specifically address a 2-year period of 80% growth that occurred while implementing several school programs to the point of state and national recognition.

Throughout this period the school faced many challenges relating to the needs of existing students and new enrolments. Through effective planning the school observed significant improvement in staff performance, and health and wellbeing, with almost 100% staff retention, as well as decreases in staff absences and decrease in workers compensation claims. It also experienced significant improvements in student academic and social disengagement.

These factors can not only add to professional learning requirements but also have a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of the staff population. This demand on staff can lead to negatively impacted learning programs and challenges in staff retention and occupational health and safety.