EHCP for autism or ADHD: what evidence helps
Many parents ask whether autism or ADHD means a child will get an EHCP. The answer is that EHCPs are based on needs, not diagnoses. A diagnosis can help explain needs, but the council looks at what support your child needs to learn.
Needs, not labels
A child does not need a diagnosis to be assessed, and a diagnosis on its own does not lead to a plan. What matters is whether your child has special educational needs that may need support beyond what a school normally provides. Evidence should show what your child finds hard, how often, and what happens without the right support.
The four areas of need
The SEND Code of Practice groups needs into four broad areas. Autistic and ADHD children often have needs in several of them:
- Communication and interaction: understanding instructions, social communication, joining in with others.
- Cognition and learning: attention, working memory, starting and finishing tasks, falling behind.
- Social, emotional and mental health: anxiety, meltdowns or shutdowns, school refusal, low mood.
- Sensory and physical: sensitivity to noise, light or touch, toileting, coordination.
Evidence that helps
- A dated diary of what you see at home and hear from school, including masking: calm at school, then distress at home. See what to write in an EHCP diary.
- School records: SEN Support plans, interventions and whether they worked, attendance, part-time timetables, exclusions and time spent out of class.
- Professional reports: paediatrician, CAMHS, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, or a private assessment. During an assessment the council must also get advice from an educational psychologist.
- Your child's views in their own words or drawings.
Make it specific
"He has ADHD and struggles to concentrate" says little. "In maths he can work for about 3 minutes before leaving his seat; he needs an adult to restart the task each time" shows a need and the support it takes. Specific examples with dates make the difference.
Next steps
If you think your child needs more support than school can provide, you can request an EHC needs assessment yourself. Read how to gather evidence for an EHCP for the full list, and contact IPSEA or your local SENDIASS service for free advice.