Should I apply for an EHCP and what do I ask for?

My son is 13 just and masked for years at school. His behaviour at home was aggressive, challenging and almost impossible to love with. As school didn’t see this and he’s bright and complaint, they blamed parenting,  They were dismissive of his difficulties and didn’t accept he had developed coping strategies.  It was only when I had him assessed independently that his true difficulties- with communication, occupational therapy and other areas became so obvious. His behaviour at home was the only way he could communicate his distress and frustration. Gaining the EHCP has been a long and drawn out battle. Most LAs refuse to assess, but the threshold for assessment is only MAY have SEND and MAY need an EHCP. Most decisions are overturned on appeal and the LA is forced to assess. It took us 40 months from start to finish. The LA now fund an independent mainstream placement and he is doing really well. With hindsight, having an independent occupational therapist, independent speech and language assessment and independent educational psychologist would have secured us provision much sooner. The LA/ NHS specialists often do not admisnister tests which provide measurable data. The LA educational psychologist simply decided my son was fine. The independent educational psychologist ran diagnostic tests that showed his strengths and deficits. The LA find it very difficult to  dispute clinical and percentile data and eventually agreed to fund a suitable placement.  In my experience, LAs and schools often collude, lie, make you think you’re an anxious/ pushy parent/ the child is fine/ all manner of dirty tricks to avoid putting in the provision needed. If you are on Facebook, EHCP Experiences England and Educational Equality are excellent places that can answer all related questions. IPSEA is another invaluable resource- they  have a pack to guide you through the process and you can book phone appointments . Libby Hill, an award winning speech and language therapist from Small Talk is definitely worth following. 

My best piece of advice would be: you know your  child best, don’t let anyone gaslight you. I was literally almost driven mad by 3 schools, their  heads and the LA that lied constantly. LAs fund schools and are v powerful in getting schools to play down difficulties. When the percentile data came back, my son was as high as the 91st, but as low as the 0.5th, 1st and 2nd percentile in many areas that hindered his ability to access education. All the time schools and the LA had lied and said he was fine, in top sets etc.....he’d learnt to mask and copy well, but was desperately struggling. 

In terms of what to ask for ....professionals who assess will recommend what is needed. My son gets 24 hours 1:1, SALT twice weekly, OT Once weekly and an hour with the autism teacher once a week. He also has a scribe, reader and extra time in tests. He gets rest breaks, etc......and this was a child who, on the surface, is indistinguishable  from peers in a classroom, apart from being slightly fidgety. I fought hard for all he’s got. It’s the hidden difficulties where he needs help. Schools aren’t trained to spot a child’s needs and many times it suits them to remain ignorant so they don’t ahve to fund provision. The SIPT (Sensory Integration Praxis Test) is the gold standard test for sensory processing difficulties and revealed so much about our son that we had no idea of.

Definitely apply....it’s not a silver bullet but can bring much needed provision and outcomes if implemented properly. 

Thanks so much for the advice. We have had the diagnosis report through the umbrella pathway but there is very little on there in terms of suggested help other than parenting courses for us to help her understand her difficulties (which I have already done for my eldest!) She has fidget toys at school but won’t use them as she doesn’t want to look different to the rest of the children. Even though she has a great TA in her class, the TA is attached to another child on a 1-2-1 basis so the school say they can’t offer any specific support through her.

I would love flexible schooling for her where she could have some time out with me to spend in nature or with animals as animals are her real relaxation. I doubt school would support this option though. 

I will contact the umbrella pathway and ask them for further idea of support perhaps?

Thanks so much for the advice. We have had the diagnosis report through the umbrella pathway but there is very little on there in terms of suggested help other than parenting courses for us to help her understand her difficulties (which I have already done for my eldest!) She has fidget toys at school but won’t use them as she doesn’t want to look different to the rest of the children. Even though she has a great TA in her class, the TA is attached to another child on a 1-2-1 basis so the school say they can’t offer any specific support through her.

I would love flexible schooling for her where she could have some time out with me to spend in nature or with animals as animals are her real relaxation. I doubt school would support this option though. 

I will contact the umbrella pathway and ask them for further idea of support perhaps?