Here you can find a list of frequently asked questions. If you have a question that is not covered below, please do not hesitate to contact us to ask; we look forward to hearing from you. In depth answers to these questions and much more can be found in the short videos and workshops for members, our weekly question and answer live events are available to members & non-members.
Generally this will be either your school class teacher or GP.
In our opinion there is no good or bad school for our children. The best school is the one our child feels comfortable with. Take them round a few schools at different times to get the feel and ask your child which one they felt was right for them.
This is down to the age of the child, their level of understanding, how frustrated they are and how confident you feel in giving them the right information. There is no right or wrong time to talk to your child about their diagnosis.
Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), NHS Trusts or NHS Foundation Trusts who are of the opinion that a child under compulsory school age has or probably has SEN or a disability must give the child’s parents the opportunity to discuss their opinion with them before informing the local authority. Please also refer to SEN Code of Practice 2014.
Transition can mean so many different things from moving from one room to another to moving schools to leaving school and getting a job. The thing that brings all these together is communication, informing the individual what to expect, how to cope with the change, what help is available and practice a few times before the actual event.
Violent and/or aggressive behaviour in the majority of children with Autism, ADHD and other Neurodivergent conditions is not usually due to anger management issues or indeed bad behaviour but more to do with frustration, communication leading to anxiety and stress.
If we deal with the communication and reduce the anxiety we usually reduce the violence and/or aggression.
A local authority must conduct an assessment of education, health and care needs when it considers that it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made for the child or young person in accordance with an EHC plan. The factors a local authority should take into account in deciding whether it needs to undertake an EHC needs assessment are set out in paragraphs 9.14 to 9.15, and the factors a local authority should take into account in deciding whether an EHC plan is necessary are set out in paragraphs 9.53 to 9.56 in SEN Code of Practice.
The EHC needs assessment should not normally be the first step in the process, rather it should follow on from planning already undertaken with parents and young people in conjunction with an early years provider, school, post-16 institution or other provider. In a very small minority of cases children or young people may demonstrate such significant difficulties that a school or other provider may consider it impossible or inappropriate to carry out its full chosen assessment procedure.
For example, where its concerns may have led to a further diagnostic assessment or examination which shows the child or young person to have severe sensory impairment or other impairment which, without immediate specialist intervention beyond the capacity of the school or other provider, would lead to increased learning difficulties. Please refer to SEN Code of Practice 2014.
SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disability.
Schools can only report what they see in the class setting and throughout the school day.
We should provide a one page profile of our child explaining that when my child is happy, relaxed and being themselves this is what they are like. If they are sat quietly and not talking to anyone then they could be struggling and need help. If the school staff does not know what to look for, how can they report there is an issue?
Parenting courses can be very helpful as long as they are not generic and are aimed at helping children with Autism, ADHD, or other Neurodivergent conditions.
Transport is a difficult area to navigate and it is best to look at your local authority’s process and talk through why you would need transport. Depending on the outcome, talk with IPSEA or other organisations who can help and advise on your rights in this area.
Each month new videos are posted to the blog section of the website As a member, you have instant access to all member videos past and present, to view in your own time.
For members to access locked videos, simply log in and the video will become available to you. Navigate to blogs, click on the title of the video and view at your leisure.
To cancel your membership to PAACTFamily, simply go to your Paypal account and stop any payments going to PAACTFamily and your membership will be cancelled with us. Once cancelled, access to all member videos will be restricted.
