My daughter has autism. Any advice on getting her assessed for an EHCP?

kelly2291

Hi, my name is Kelly and I have a 9 year old Daughter named Jasmine. Jasmine has Autism and I have been Homeschooling her since February 2019 as she wasn't getting the support she needed in Mainstream and she didn't have an EHCP. Jasmine is at that age now where I feel she needs more and I've also noticed that she is more tolerant of  children, whereas she never used to be, so I am interested in seeing whether she would like to attend a Special School. The only problem is that she doesn't have an EHCP and with Jasmine being so anxious I know that she will not go to some random place to be assessed for however long the assessment process takes.  Any advice would be welcome and appreciated please, thank you 😊 🙏 

L_Volunteer

Hi @kelly2291. Welcome to Scope's forum. It is great to see you have joined us.

I am hearing Jasmine did not receive the support she needed in mainstream so you have been homeschooling. You would like to see if Jasmine would like to attend a special school but she doesn't have an EHCP and you are wondering about your next steps.

I am just wondering, how would you feel about applying for an EHCP? You could contact your local authority to apply for an EHCP. You might find Scope's article about applying for an EHCP helpful. Another thing that might be worth considering is what additional support you think might be most useful for Jasmine. Often, EHCPs are provided when your child requires support that schools are unable to provide.

In addition to this, I am wondering if you would like to share more with us about how you and Jasmine are at the moment? I hear how stressful this might be for both of you and want to make sure we can provide the most effective support possible. We are here for you both 

Tori_Scope

Hi @kelly2291 Welcome to the community! Thanks for joining.

This isn't something I've been through myself, so I can't offer advice from personal experience, but I did find some information online that may be of help. 

This Q&A on the Special Needs Jungle's website seems reasonably similar to yours in some parts, so you might want to give IPSEA's answer a read. 

This page on Contact's website has some information about EHCP assessments, which seems to suggest that much of the information will be collected through documents, or through speaking to other professionals if needed.

This page on IPSEA's website is also worth a read, and outlines that:

As well as the duties relating to evidence, the LA must:

• Consult with the parent or young person, and where the case involves a child, they must also consult with the child. They must take into account their views, wishes and feelings;
• Engage the child and the child’s parent or the young person, ensuring that they are able to participate in decisions; and
• Minimise disruption for the child, the child’s parent, the young person and their family.

SEN Reg 9 requires the LA to consider whether the child’s parent or the young person requires any information, advice and support in order for them to take part effectively in the EHC needs assessment, and if so this must be provided. 

Have you spoken to your local authority about this?

I hope that helps a bit, and that someone else with some personal experience will find your post soon! I've moved your post into our education category, and tagged it with the EHCP tag. I'd recommend that you take a look through both of those when you get a moment. You may also want to visit our categories for discussions relating to autism and children, parents, and families.

It sounds as though you're a great advocate for your daughter. If you'd like to connect with other parents with disabled children, you might like to check out our Parents Connect service