Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

Overview

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. They can affect their:

• behaviour or ability to socialise, for example they struggle to make friends
• reading and writing, for example because they have dyslexia
• ability to understand things
• concentration levels, for example because they have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• physical ability

Who to talk to

If you think your child may have special educational needs, contact the SEN co-ordinator, or ‘SENCO’ in your child’s school or nursery.

Contact your local council if your child is not in a school or nursery.

Your local Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Service can give you advice about SEND.

Support your child can receive

Your child may be eligible for:

• SEN support– support given in school, like speech therapy
• an education, health and care (EHC) plan– a plan of care for children and young people aged up to 25 who have more complex needs
• If you or your child got support before September 2014this will continue until your local council changes it to an EHC plan.