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Help with special educational needs.

As a parent or guardian of a child with special educational needs you will be all too aware of the considerations needed, and educating a child with special needs can create a challenge in practice and a challenge to ensure those needs are being met.

If you are in this position you may find that what is provided by your local education authority does not meet those needs, this could be through environmental constraints, the infrastructure or the lack of appropriate expertise.

It's difficult sometimes to make a valued judgement when you do not understand the alternatives or the requirements of the educational system to cater for your child. You should obtain support to ensure the best scenario for your child, be it from legal experts or charities.

What are the common areas for SEN?

In addition to physical disabilities your child may suffer, Special Educational Needs also covers a range of medical conditions; if your child has been diagnosed with a medical condition you should discuss the help available, firstly with the school or local education authority.

All children learn at a different pace and many children have special educational needs; to correct most of these the child will receive additional help from time to time, however, some educational needs require greater support.

It is very difficult, as a parent, to obtain help when a child has a borderline condition which can be a psychological torment for you as a parent; you may realise that your child has a condition that needs help and you need a diagnosis to obtain that help, but you may feel, in obtaining the diagnosis you will damage the child's schooling and career for life; some parents are unwilling to obtain a diagnosis for this reason.

Common conditions for this are-

  • Asperger's Syndrome

  • Dyslexia


  • Although some parents attitude will never change, a child's education must come first, and without the help needed, that child's career may well be hampered.
    So what happens?

    First you must obtain a statement of special educational needs; this statement will define your child's educational needs and recommend specific help.

    It is this that can cause a few problems-

    Firstly - is the statement correct, are the terms set out in the statement what you would have expected?

    Secondly - is the school doing all they can to uphold the terms of the statement?

    On the first point, if you feel the statement is incorrect, you can appeal it; if the school is failing your child you have grounds to redress the situation.

    It's important that you have an open dialogue with the school or local education authority, and receive regular feedback, undertake school visits, speak to the teachers: all these actions will give you a better understanding, if you are not happy then speak with a solicitor or charity.

    Useful web sites.

    Govenment SEND -
    Advice and support for children with Special Educational Needs.

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