How to get extra help for your autistic child at school

This page explains who can get extra help at school in the UK and how the system works. It covers different levels of support, how needs are identified, the types of support plan, and what you can do if your child is not getting the support they need.

Who can get extra help?
Overview of the UK system
Identifying your child’s needs
Types of support plan
Working with the school
Links, resources and article sources

Who can get extra help?

By law, schools (and colleges in England and Wales) must support children and young people who:

have difficulties that affect their learning
need more help than the school usually provides.

This is known as:

Special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) in England
Special educational needs (SEN) in Northern Ireland
Additional support needs (ASN) in Scotland
Additional learning needs (ALN) in Wales.

Children who need extra support should get it in:

nursery or early years
school
college in England and Wales.

Do you need a diagnosis to get support?

Your child doesn’t need an autism diagnosis (or another diagnosis) to get support at school.

By law, support should be based on your child’s needs, not a diagnosis.

However, many parents tell us it can be harder to get the right support without one, because it can be difficult to show evidence of your child’s needs.

For some families, a diagnosis can make it easier to access support.

Overview of the UK system

The system is similar across the UK, although the language and processes vary.

The main principles are:

teaching should meet each child’s needs
schools must provide extra support where needed
most children are supported in mainstream schools.

There are different levels of support. Some support can be provided by the school. If your child needs more support than the school can provide, they may need a formal needs assessment and support plan.

Support from the school

All children should get universal support. This means teaching is adapted to suit children with different abilities.

If your child needs more help, they may get targeted support, such as:

extra help from school staff
support from outside specialists.

Schools should use a graduated approach. This means they:

assess your child’s needs
plan support
do (put support in place)
review how the support is working.

They then update the support and repeat the cycle.

The support may be written in an informal support plan document. This type of plan is not legally binding.

Autistic children are also entitled to reasonable adjustments under equality law. This means making changes so they are not placed at a disadvantage.

Specialist support

Some children need more help than the school can provide on its own.

In these cases, your child may need:

a formal assessment
a formal support plan.

This provides more structured and legally binding support.

Informal support should be tried and found not to work before a formal assessment and plan will be considered. It can be frustrating and upsetting for parents to watch their child struggle until others agree more support is needed.

Identifying your child’s needs

Schools will usually identify your child’s needs through their normal processes.

This may involve:

informal assessment and observation
input from teachers and specialists.

If needed, your child may have a formal assessment.

This helps decide:

what your child’s needs are
what support will help them.

Support may be written in:

an informal plan (not legally binding), or

a formal plan (legally binding.)

Needs assessments across the UK

If your child needs more support than the school can provide, the process is slightly different depending on where you live:

England: the local authority carries out an education, health and care needs assessment. This can lead to an Education, health and care plan (EHCP).
Scotland: the local authority carries out an assessment. This can lead to a Co-ordinated support plan (CSP) or Individualised Educational Programme (IEP).
Northern Ireland: the Education Authority carries out a statutory assessment. This can lead to a statement of SEN.
Wales: all children with ALN get an Individual Development Plan (IDP). This does not depend on their level of need and there is no formal assessment process.

The country-specific pages linked to above have more detail about formal assessments and support plans in each UK nation.

If your child does not qualify for a formal plan, they still have a legal right to support.

Types of support plan

There are different types of education plans. All plans should be reviewed regularly and updated.

Formal plans (legally binding)

These must be provided by the local authority (or Education Authority in Northern Ireland).

They include:

EHCP in England
CSP in Scotland
IDP in Wales
Statement of SEN in Northern Ireland.

These plans give your child a legal right to the support written in them.

In Wales, all children with ALN get a formal plan. In other UK nations, you or the school need to request one.

Informal plans (not legally binding)

These are usually created by the school.

They set out:

your child’s needs
targets
the support they will get.

Examples include:

PLP (personal learning plan) in Northern Ireland
IEP (individualised educational programme) in Scotland.

Working with the school

The system can be difficult to navigate. It helps to build a positive relationship with your child’s school if you can.

You may find it useful to:

keep records of your child’s difficulties
learn about the law and the school’s policies
build good relationships with school staff
prepare for meetings
keep notes of meetings
meet any deadlines set by the school.

If your child is struggling, arrange a meeting with their teacher or the school SENDCO, ALNCO or other person responsible for learning support.

If the school agrees your child needs extra support, they must provide it.

If support is not enough, you can ask about the next steps, including a needs assessment.

There may be times when you disagree with the school. You may be able to resolve this together. If not, you can take it further through mediation or appeals.

Getting involved

You have the right to be involved at every stage.

You can:

ask the school to recognise your child’s needs
share information about your child
request an assessment
request a support plan
comment on plans and ask for changes
take part in reviews
attend meetings.

You also have the right to challenge decisions if you disagree.

Solving disagreements

You may be able to sort out disagreements directly with the school. If this doesn’t work, you can take it further through mediation and appeals.

Many parents have found it hard to get their child’s needs recognised or properly supported. In these cases, it’s important to know your rights and the relevant legislation in your UK nation.

The legislation and processes differ slightly between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. You can find more detail on the relevant nation pages.

Links, resources and article sources

National Autistic Society

Autism Services Directory: for services and support
Branches: offering support, information and social activities for autistic adults, children and their families in their local areas
Community: our online community is a place for autistic people and their families to meet like-minded people and share their experiences
Diagnostic and Assessment Service: our national specialist service for children, young people and adults led by the Lorna Wing Centre
NAS: Learn: our autism training and best practice services.

Other advice, information and support

Nation-specific information:

General information:

Article sources

This page is based on the relevant legislation in each UK nation, linked below.

It also contains information that comes from our direct experience of helping autistic people and their families understand the relevant legislation and navigate the systems for getting support in each UK nation.

England

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales