Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Assessments
We know that you know your child best. Are you worried about your child possibly having additional needs, a learning difficulty or developmental disorder such as Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia etc?
Are you concerned about:
Sleep issues
Concentration or attention problems
Trouble making friends and/or communicating
Behavioural issues, social and/or emotional issues
Delay in reaching developmental milestones (talking, walking etc)
Learning difficulties
Issues at school
If you are worried about any of these things, it’s always advisable to firstly ensure your child has had a recent eye test, recent dental check-up and any highlighted concerns in relation to eye sight/dental should be addressed first (this would all be required prior to any onward referral so it may save you time to think about this now).
If you are worried about their hearing, contact your Health Visitor for preschool children & babies, or for school aged children contact your GP practice team.
If you have done these checks and you are still concerned:
If your child is of school age – your school’s appointed SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) will be able to help you. Where needed, they can refer you to the appropriate hospital specialists (a paediatrician) for assessment. The school are best placed to make these referrals directly as they are able to include a full background and detailed report, which supports the requirements of the referral process and enhances the likelihood of acceptance into the service for assessment / diagnosis. Your GP surgery does not have access to this detailed information, meaning in many cases referrals from primary care are often rejected, causing longer delays to the progress of your child’s referral for help.
If your child is not yet of school age – we advise you contact your Health Visiting team who can also arrange to assess and refer your child as required.
SEN Help & Support
Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum – Recognised and supported by the Department for Education (DfE) under the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2015). LPCF is specifically tasked with working alongside the Local Authority and Health to help ensure that the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor meet the needs of children with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs.
National Autistic Society – Visit the National Autistic Society for support and guidance for Autism including their new Diagnosis hub: “Our brand new advice hub has launched with information, practical resources and videos to support you before, during and after diagnosis”
Liaise Lincolnshire – Liaise is Lincolnshire’s Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service.