Services for disabled Children

Services for disabled children and young people

A child or young person has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational provision to be made for them.

A child or young person has special educational needs if they:

• have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age
• have a disability which affects their ability to make use of the educational provision generally made for children of the same age

A child or young person with learning difficulties may have special educational needs (SEN) if they have difficulties with one or more of the following:

• some or all of the work in school
• reading, writing, number work, or understanding information
• expressing themselves or understanding what others are saying
• making friends or relating to adults
• behaving appropriately in school
• vision, hearing or a physical condition

If you think your child has difficulties it is important that you talk to the appropriate professionals about your concerns.

If your child is under school age, you might talk to the:

• Health Visitor
• Doctor
• Playgroup Leader/Nursery Teacher

If your child is at school you might talk to the:

• Class Teacher
• Headteacher
• School's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO)

These people may be able to advise you whether your child has additional needs and tell you about the help that is available to support your child.