ABSTRACT
The written word and speech are the two main ways that people communicate today. Reading is a lifeline to the world and society, and for many children with severe motor difficulties it is an achievable goal which may not have been reached, for lack of expertise and training. Many children whose motor difficulties occur as the result of degenerative conditions, or following an accident, learn to read in the same way as their peers, but those who may also have hidden handicaps, such as visual-perceptual or motor co-ordination difficulties, vision and hearing difficulties, epilepsy and other complex needs are likely to have difficulties with reading. Children with complex needs require the support of the whole team to enable SENCOs and teachers to devise reading programmes to meet their individual needs. In the past teachers have been constrained in the way they teach reading, but these constraints need to be removed. Pupils with disabilities who achieve a good level of communication and literacy have a better chance of inclusion at secondary school level.
