Children and young people in England with special educational needs, including severe autism, will be offered NHS vision, dental and hearing checks in their schools from next year.

Students with learning disabilities may have difficulty telling when they are experiencing problems, which means important diagnoses may be missed.

Pilot studies show that bringing checks in in familiar surroundings and by employees they already know and trust can make a big difference.

The scheme will soon be rolled out across all residential special schools and colleges in England, reaching 18,000 pupils.

Linden Lodge School in south London was part of a pilot study carrying out hearing tests and staff say their pupils have benefited significantly.

I visited the school and met Lily, who is 15 years old. She is partially sighted and has recently been concerned about her hearing, as deafness runs in her family.

“A lot of people in my family are profoundly deaf or completely deaf, including my father. So I was a little scared that I would inherit it too. I really wanted to get my ears checked to make sure. “I was fine.” Said.

Her teacher did the screening, which Lily says was a much better experience than going to a clinic.

Lily said, “I don’t really like the doctor that much because it’s a little scary, but school is a little more comfortable because I know everyone here. It’s much nicer and more comfortable.”

He said the test “felt a little strange to the ear…a little strange, but it was only for a few seconds, so it was OK”.

And the results were excellent. To make sure it stays that way, she’ll continue to get regular checkups.

“We can keep it on top and if anything changes we know right away. It puts my mind at ease a little bit,” Lily said.

Nafsika, one of the teachers trained at the school, described how she examined a student’s ear, which revealed something worrying – a hole in the eardrum.

“It took some effort… We needed a complete break. We had the luxury of stopping and following up the next day with the same people in the same place. After giving him verbal support, physical support, we Were successful in achieving this result,” he said.

“Without it, it’ll be another appointment in a month’s time. Maybe he’ll recover anyway. Great. But what if not?”

Armed with knowledge, schools can adapt to students.

“He will always feel more sensitive to noise. Now we will know why and it will change our whole behavior,” Nafsika said.

Students with complex needs can waste a lot of time traveling to school for medical appointments, she said.

“At least this appointment can happen here and the families can be reassured,” he said.

The school has conducted follow-up tests for the boy, and everything is fine.

“We were able to go straight to the otoscopy and look in the ear and saw a little scar in the eardrum, which showed that the hole had closed, healed,” he said.

Linden Lodge co-headteacher Sarah Norris said being able to provide a service at the school has been “hugely beneficial” for students.

“It’s the best place because they know the place,” he said.

“To be able to offer it during the school day with people who are very familiar with these youth is a huge benefit to everyone, for the families, for the community, for the school.”

All personnel carrying out sensory testing will be fully qualified.

Anne Worrall-Davies, NHS England’s children and young people’s clinical leader for learning disabilities, autism and SEND, said: “We are delighted that we will soon be able to offer these vitally important tests.

“They will ensure that children and young people in residential special schools are able to live happier, healthier lives with minimal disruption to their education and routines.”

The check will include:

• annual vision checkup
• at least an annual dental checkup
• Hearing tests are carried out when starting school and again at transition points, such as when moving from primary to secondary school, or from secondary school to sixth form college.