Understanding if my child has SEND
Who to talk to first about your child's learning and development.
There is lots of help available, and you don't need to wait if you have concerns.
It's important not to jump to any conclusions, so your first step is to get all the facts about your child's development, including their likes, strengths and overall progress.
If you have a preschool age child:
- Talk to your health visitor who can work with you to understand your child. Find out more about how on the Oxford Health website.
- A health and development review (between the ages of two and two and a half) and an early years progress check (between the ages of two and a half and three) are completed. You will be invited to these automatically.
The outcomes of these will be shared with you and if anything is identified, your health visitor will talk you through it.
If your child is at school:
Speak to your child's key person – a teacher, tutor or someone else supporting your child – so you can understand more about your child's progress.
If they feel additional advice or support is needed, the SENDCO will work closely with the teacher to ensure it is implemented.
If your child is at college:
When your child reaches the age of 16, they are able to make decisions themselves, but colleges will usually want to keep parents and carers informed.
Schools and colleges should work together to make it as easy as possible for your child when they move up. Transition planning ensures that the college knows all about what support your child needs.
If your child’s needs are picked up while at college or you are not happy with the support available, speak to the teaching staff. They have a duty to work with specialist support to identify SEN. Just like in a school there needs to be a named person with access to specialist skills and expertise. They may not be called a SENDCO but they still have some of the same responsibilities.
There is a lot to take in, so use the questions below to help make sure you feel fully informed.
- How are you measuring my child's progress against what might be expected of them at this age?
- Where have you assessed my child as being at the moment?
- In which areas or skills has my child made progress this year?
- Do you have any concerns in any areas of their development?
- How are you supporting my child to make progress in…?
- You've told me that my child is making less than expected progress. What additional support is in place to help them?
Some additional support may be recommended to help develop your child's skills. As a parent or carer, you need to understand what the support is for, what it may be and how progress will be measured.
It could be for any combination of the following:
- Communication and language
- Personal social and emotional development
- Physical development
- Literacy
- Numeracy
Remember, whether a child or young person has a disability, special educational needs, or both, there are laws and guidance to help ensure their needs are recognised and supported.
You should be led by the advice of your professional - they can guide you through the process. But there is also plenty of additional support across the county.
You can access support and find activities from other groups and organisations based on your child’s age on the family information support service website.