ABSTRACT
Pupils with profound and multiple learning disabilities/difficulties (PMLD) have complex learning needs. In the 1980s, the World Health Organization defined pupils with PMLD as those who have an IQ under 20; it described a range of impairments, including a range of cognitive functions: perception, attention, memory and thinking. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the historical perspective of PMLD. It outlines where PMLD is identified within the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice. The chapter offers alternative definitions of the term PMLD. It describes Rett syndrome as an example of a PMLD. The chapter discusses the aetiology of PMLD. It examines the move from P scales, towards the assessment of seven aspects of cognition and learning. The chapter reviews a number of teaching, learning and assessment methods such as Programmes of Learning, Routes for Learning, Quest for Learning and the use of Thematic Units.
