ABSTRACT
In many schools for pupils with severe learning difficulties, the proportion of pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) has increased in relation to the total school roll; over time, the criteria for placing pupils into this category appear to have changed. The SCAA's 1996 document gives an example in which pupils with PMLD were involved in a maths activity with their class group. The subject content was the estimation and measurement of distance, but the individual content for the pupils with PMLD was physical release of grip on a car and visual tracking as it rolled down a slope. The sensory approach has, for a considerable time, been widely used as a point of access to a wide range of subjects and experiences, including the National Curriculum. Materials and equipment can acquire meaning by association with familiar activities – for example, items related to personal welfare, eating and drinking, food technology, design and technology, and information technology.
