Support after a diagnosis
A diagnosis can bring relief, grief and a sense of being proved right. Often all three come in the same afternoon. Your child is just the same person they were the day before. What's changed is that their needs now have a name. In the UK, a name can open doors. Here's what to do with it.
What to do, step by step
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Give it time to settle
There's no deadline for taking in a diagnosis, for you, your child, or the rest of the family. Grandparents may need the most convincing. Your child may have their own questions. The charities below have good guides, for each age, on talking about a diagnosis when you're ready.
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Get the report and make sure you understand it
After the assessment you should get a written report of what the team found. It says what your child is good at and what they might need help with. It also says whether they found any other conditions. Ask the team to explain anything that isn't clear. Ask what they suggest, and whether they will see you again. Keep the original safe and share copies.
Worth gathering
- The full written report: original kept safe, copies for sharing
- Any care plan, or advice they wrote down
- Contact details for follow-up questions
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Take it to school
Share the report with the SENCO SENCO The teacher in your child's school who leads support for children with special educational needs. They are usually the quickest person for a parent to reach. A clinician has not checked this definition yet. Read the full definition of SENCO . Ask them to check your child's support against what the report says. Push for clear answers. What will change, in which lessons, and when will it be checked? A diagnosis often changes how school reads behaviour they've already seen. That change alone can make the meeting worth it.
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Check whether an EHC plan is the right next step
A diagnosis doesn't bring extra help on its own. Support is based on needs. But your child may need more than their school can give. If so, you can ask your local authority for an education, health and care (EHC) needs assessment. The report is strong evidence. The local authority must tell you within 16 weeks whether a plan will be made. It has 20 weeks 20 week timescale The legal time limit in England for the whole EHC plan process. It runs from your request for an assessment to the final plan: 20 weeks in all. A clinician has not checked this definition yet. Read the full definition of 20 week timescale from your request to send the final plan.
Up to 20 weeks from request to final EHC plan.
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Find out what your family may be able to get
Disability Living Allowance Disability Living Allowance for children A benefit that helps when your child needs much more care, or watching over, than other children the same age. Your child does not need a diagnosis to get it. A clinician has not checked this definition yet. Read the full definition of Disability Living Allowance for children (DLA DLA A benefit that helps with the extra costs of looking after a disabled child under 16. In Scotland it is called Child Disability Payment instead. A clinician has not checked this definition yet. Read the full definition of DLA ) for children can apply to a child under 16. It is for a child who needs more looking after than a child of the same age without a disability. The decision is about care needs. The diagnosis and report help show them. Also look up your local authority's Local Offer. It lists the SEND support in your area.
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Build the day-to-day toolkit
A diagnosis explains. It doesn't tell you what to do. The daily work (meltdowns Meltdown A full loss of control that happens when a child is completely overwhelmed. It is not naughtiness and it is not a tantrum: the child is not choosing it. A clinician has not checked this definition yet. Read the full definition of Meltdown , mornings, homework, sleep) still needs ideas that fit your child, not the label. That's where a full picture of their strengths and needs earns its keep. And parents a few years ahead of you are gold.
Common questions
Does the diagnosis mean school must give my child extra help?
Support at school is based on your child's needs, not just the label. But the report is strong evidence of those needs. Use it to make the support plan clear: what, when, and how often it is checked.
Should we tell our child about the diagnosis?
You know your child best, and there's no single right way. Many families find that being honest, in words that suit their age, helps. Children often already know they find some things harder. A good explanation can replace 'I'm bad' with 'my brain works differently'. The charities above have guides for each age.
What if I disagree with parts of the report?
Raise it with the assessment team first. Ask them to talk you through why they said what they did. If you still disagree, ask the GP or the team about a referral somewhere else for a second opinion.
What is the Local Offer?
Every local authority in England publishes a 'Local Offer'. It lists the support near you for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Search your council's name plus 'Local Offer'.
Where next on the journey
Waiting on another referral?
Waiting for an assessment
Many children are assessed for more than one thing. How to handle the next wait.
Read the guideNoticing something in another child?
Thinking about getting help for your child
Where to start when you have concerns about a sibling.
Read the guideThe diagnosis names it. Now map it.
Build a free profile of your child's strengths and needs across 8 dimensions, and turn the report in your hand into a plan for every day.
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