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An explanation of the Assess, Plan, Do, Review cycle

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Graduated Response (SEND support in education provision)

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Graduated Response (SEND support in education provision)

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SEND Information, Advice and Support Service for parents covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

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We are the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Here at HW SENDIASS we have a dedicated team of advisors offering legally-based and easily accessible information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

We support parents, carers, children and young people with SEND and our service is impartial and confidential.

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SENDIASS Worcestershire and Herefordshire 

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We are the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service covering Herefordshire and Worcestershire. Here at HW SENDIASS we have a dedicated team of advisors offering legally-based and easily accessible information and advice about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We support parents, carers, children and young people with SEND and our service is impartial and confidential.

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Worcestershire County Council have used cookies to improve the way our website works for you.

(Some may have been set already).

We use cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience.

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information about special educational needs

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Worcestershire County Council have used cookies to improve the way our website works for you. (Some may have been set already). We use cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience.

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Video explaining the support that should be in place for all children in mainstream schools

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SEN Support in Mainstream Settings- The Graduated Response

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Video explaining the graduated response in schools

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SEN Support in Mainstream Settings- The Graduated Response

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Video explaining the SEND Local offer for Worcestershire

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What does this include?
Children and young people with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) have difficulty in communicating with others. This may be because they have difficulty saying what they want to, understanding what is being said to them or they do not understand or use social rules of communication. The profile for every pupil with SLCN is different and their needs may change over time. They may have difficulty with one, some or all of the different aspects of speech, language, or social communication at different times of their lives.

Children and young people with ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorders), including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication, and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

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Speech and Language support and advice

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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I'm worried about a child's speech or language

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Children's Speech and Language Therapy Service information, advice and training

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What does this include?
Support for learning difficulties may be required when children and young people learn at a slower pace than their peers, even with appropriate differentiation. Learning difficulties cover a wide range of needs, including moderate learning difficulties (MLD), severe learning difficulties (SLD), where children are likely to need support in all areas of the curriculum and associated difficulties with mobility and communication, through to profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD), where children are likely to have severe and complex learning difficulties as well as a physical disability or sensory impairment.

Specific learning difficulties (SpLD), affect one or more specific aspects of learning. This encompasses a range of conditions such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia.

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What does this include?
Children and young people may experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive, or disturbing behaviour. These behaviours may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety or depression, self-harming, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other children and young people may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder or attachment disorder.

Schools and colleges have clear processes to support children and young people, including how they will manage the effect of any disruptive behaviour so it does not adversely affect other pupils. The Department for Education publishes guidance on managing pupils’ mental health and behaviour difficulties in schools.

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What does this include?
Some children and young people require special educational provision because they have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the educational facilities generally provided. These difficulties can be age related and may fluctuate over time.
Many children and young people with vision impairment (VI), hearing Impairment (HI) or a multi-sensory impairment (MSI) will require specialist support and/or equipment to access their learning, or rehabilitation support. Children and young people with an MSI have a combination of vision and hearing difficulties.
Information on how to provide services for deaf blind children and young people is available through the Social Care for Deaf blind Children and Adults guidance published by the Department of Health. Some children and young people with a physical disability (PD) require additional on-going support and equipment to access all the opportunities available to their peers.
This broad area of need also includes attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder. It also includes behaviours that may reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety, depression, self-harming and eating disorders.

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Video Explaining what an EHCP is

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What is an Education, Health and Social Care (EHC) plan? (updated 2019)

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Support and advice

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This website places cookies on your computer to improve your experience. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. For more details, see our privacy policy. I agree

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The British Dyslexia Association is the voice for the 10% of the population that are dyslexic

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Advice, support and resources to help children with Dyslexia

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Understanding dyslexia - A Guide for families

This booklet is by parents and children - for parents and children. It's written by Parent Champion Emma Seymour and her son Elliott (8) who has dyslexia.
Understanding dyslexia
Apprenticeships Factsheet

This factsheet has been written for young people who are currently on an Apprenticeship in England who are taking a Functional Skills qualification in English or Maths or for dyslexic people who did not complete an Apprenticeship because they failed a Key Skills qualification in Communication or Application in the past.

Download the Apprenticeships Factsheet from the Dyslexia SpLD Trust website

Questions About Dyslexia

'Ideas to help support your child': A Helen Arkell Dyslexia Centre resource

Parents are the best resource for any child. Teachers and other professionals can offer valuable support to a dyslexic child but experience shows that it is help from home that can make a major impact.

Ideas to help you support your child. (PDF format)

Top tip short films

Julianne Miller, specialist teacher and mum gives you her Top Tips on supporting your child with reading, handwriting, spelling, organisation and memory. These short films contain practical tips aimed at helping children aged 5 to 11 years.
Top tip short films
Springboard for Children

A Parent's Little Guide to Helping Children Read has ten practical top tips on getting your children into reading, and is introduced by BAFTA award-winning children's author and illustrator Nicholas Allan. This booklet is essential for every busy mum or dad.

Individual copies are available free to parents upon request. The guide is also currently available in 6 additional languages - Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Polish, Spanish and Turkish.

To place your booklet or translation sheet order, please email info@springboard.org.uk or go to the Springboard for Children website.

Springboard also delivers workshops for parents, in partnership with schools.

Parent Champion Events Fact-sheet

This fact-sheet is a very useful resource for anyone organising a coffee morning or event for other parents. It includes resources and suggested questions to get people talking. ParentChampionScript

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This booklet is by parents and children - for parents and children. It's written by Parent Champion Emma Seymour and her son Elliott (8) who has dyslexia.

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Advice and activities to support Early Speech

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Speech and Language tips for starting school | Speech and Language tips for starting school | Worcestershire County Council

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Speech and Language tips for starting school

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What should my child's speech look like?

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This is information about what language your child can understand and what they can say between the ages of two to four years. There are also some ideas and activities which will help you to encourage language development in your child.

All this information is very general; please remember that all children develop differently. If you have any concerns about your child's speech and language development, please talk to your Health Visitor or Speech and Language Therapist.

Many children's centres across Worcestershire run 'talking walk-ins' which are drop in sessions to discuss any concerns about your child's speech and language development with a professional. Find a drop in near you on the Children's Centres page.

Now that I am two years old

I will begin to understand:

two main ideas in a sentence eg. "give the apple to teddy"

basic actions

simple stories with pictures

"who, what, where" questions used in everyday situations

I will begin to:

use two word phrases

use at least 50 words (objects, actions, people)

use my own name

ask "what's this?", "where's?"

My speech may still be very unclear at the moment.

Now that I am two years six months

I will begin to understand:

simple ideas about time, place and colour

most everyday words and actions

what objects are used for eg. "what flies in the sky?"

I will begin to:

use three to four word phrases

use words related to past events eg. "me falled over"

use the following sounds: p m b n d t w

My speech may still be unclear and I may still miss off sounds at the ends of words.

Now that I am three years old

I will begin to understand:

three main ideas in a sentence eg. "give daddy the little ball"

words like "in, on, under, big and little"

some "why" questions

I will begin to:

use four or more words in a sentence

use words like 'and' to link words together

use words like "I, he, she" (when I am nearly three and a half)

use plural words eg. "cats"

talk about past and present activities

use the following sounds: k g h f s y

My speech is becoming clearer.

Now that I am four years old

I will begin to understand:

four main ideas in a sentence eg. "the man is walking up the big hill"

"when" questions

story sequences

I will begin to:

use five to eight words in a sentence

ask lots of 'wh' questions

use language for a variety of reasons

retell favourite stories

use a lot more vocabulary

play make believe games

use words like "I will, I'm going to..."

I will now be able to talk clearly.

Ten tips for talking

1. talk about what you can see

2. follow your child's lead and talk about what they are doing

3. turn off the TV and set aside at least five minutes a day to play together

4. use short, simple, clear language

5. when your child talks, repeat back what they have said and add a little more language

6. encourage your child to play turn-taking games

7. give your child a choice eg "do you want a biscuit or an apple?"

8. if your child has a dummy, take it out

9. avoid using lots of open questions such as "what's this?", talk about what is happening

10. praise your child's attempts at talking and avoid correcting them

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speech and language development for children aged 2 to 4 years

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Speech and language development for children aged 2 to 4 years

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This is information about what language your child can understand and what they can say between the ages of two to four years. There are also some ideas and activities which will help you to encourage language development in your child.

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Developmental Co-ordination disorder (Dyspraxia)

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Developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia, is a condition affecting physical co-ordination. It causes a child to perform less well than expected in daily activities for their age, and appear to move clumsily.
This topic is about DCD in children, although the condition often causes continued problems into adulthood.

Find out more about DCD in adults.

Symptoms of DCD

Early developmental milestones of crawling, walking, self-feeding and dressing may be delayed in young children with DCD. Drawing, writing and performance in sports are also usually behind what is expected for their age.

Although signs of the condition are present from an early age, children vary widely in their rate of development. This means a definite diagnosis of DCD does not usually happen until a child with the condition is 5 years old or more.

Find out more about symptoms of DCD in children.

When to seek medical advice

If you're concerned about your child's health or development, talk to a GP or health visitor, or speak to a nurse, doctor or special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) at your child's school.

They may refer your child to an occupational therapist, paediatrician, or another health professional who can assess them and try to identify any developmental problems.

Find out more about diagnosing DCD in children.

Causes of DCD

Doing co-ordinated movements is a complex process that involves many different nerves and parts of the brain.

Any problem in this process could potentially lead to difficulties with movement and co-ordination.

It's not usually clear why co-ordination doesn't develop as well as other abilities in children with DCD.

However, a number of risk factors that can increase a child's likelihood of developing DCD have been identified.

These include:

being born prematurely, before the 37th week of pregnancy

being born with a low birth weight

having a family history of DCD, although it is not clear exactly which genes may be involved in the condition

the mother drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs while pregnant

Treating DCD

There's no cure for DCD, but a number of therapies can help children to manage their problems.

These include:

being taught ways of do activities they find difficult, such as breaking down difficult movements into smaller parts and practicing them regularly

adapting tasks to make them easier, such as using special grips on pens and pencils so they are easier to hold

Although DCD does not affect how intelligent a child is, it can make it more difficult for them to learn and they may need extra help to keep up at school.

Treatment for DCD will be tailored to your child and usually involves a number of different healthcare professionals working together.

Although the physical co-ordination of a child with DCD will remain below average, this may be less of a problem as they get older and develop coping strategies. Some children may continue to have problems.

However, difficulties in school - particularly producing written work - can become much more prominent and require extra help from parents and teachers.

Find out more about treating DCD in children.

Dyspraxia or DCD?

While many people in the UK use the term dyspraxia to refer to the difficulties with movement and co-ordination that first develop in young children, this term is used less often by healthcare professionals.

Instead, most healthcare professionals use the term developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD) to describe the condition.

This term is generally preferred by healthcare professionals because dyspraxia can have several meanings.

For example, dyspraxia can be used to describe movement difficulties that happen later in life because of damage to the brain, such as from a stroke or head injury.

Some healthcare professionals may also use the term specific developmental disorder of motor function (SDDMF) to refer to DCD.

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Developmental co-ordination disorder (dyspraxia) in children

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Read about developmental co-ordination disorder (DCD), also known as dyspraxia, a condition that affects physical co-ordination.

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Dizz kidz teens is a sports club for children and young adults with co-ordination difficulties that meets locally in Worcestershire

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Dizz kidz teens is a sports club for children and young adults with co-ordination difficulties. It is a non-competitive club designed for dyspraxic / DCD young people to enjoy sport without the competitiveness and pressure of most sports clubs. It is designed to increase confidence and abilities to participate in sport.

We meet every Wednesday at Perdiswell leisure center for an activity club. We have a trampolining instructor, who hosts a trampolining session. We also have 2 multisport instructors who provide a variety of activities.

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Dizz kidz teens is a sports club for children and young adults with co-ordination difficulties. It is a non-competitive club designed for dyspraxic / DCD young people to enjoy sport without the competitiveness and pressure of most sports clubs. It is designed to increase confidence and abilities to participate in sport.

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Advice and Support

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Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with mathematics. It will be unexpected in relation to age, level of education and experience and occurs across all ages and abilities.

Mathematics difficulties are best thought of as a continuum, not a distinct category, and they have many causal factors. Dyscalculia falls at one end of the spectrum and will be distinguishable from other maths issues due to the severity of difficulties with number sense, including subitising, symbolic and non-symbolic magnitude comparison, and ordering. It can occur singly but often co-occurs with other specific learning difficulties, mathematics anxiety and medical conditions.

(BDA Definition)

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Dyscalculia - British Dyslexia Association

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What is Dyscalculia? Dyscalculia is a specific and persistent difficulty in understanding numbers which can lead to a diverse range of difficulties with...

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Mental Health help and support for young people and their families

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We provide mental health help to children, young people and their families across Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

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The Reach4Wellbeing team aims to promote positive wellbeing, reach children and young people in their communities and reduce the stigma of mental health.

We currently provide short-term group programmes for children and young people age 5-18 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and low mood.

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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The Reach4Wellbeing team aims to promote positive wellbeing, reach children and young people in their communities and reduce the stigma of mental health.

We currently provide short-term group programmes for children and young people age 5-18 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and low mood.

About us

We are passionate about improving the emotional and mental wellness of children and young people. Our team are friendly, knowledgeable and supportive of all children and young people we work with.

The CAMHS Reach4Wellbeing team delivers interactive online group programmes for young people and parents of primary school age children using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles. We accept self-referrals and referrals from professionals

Each of the online sessions are evidence based and we are currently able to offer the following:

*A six week anxiety and low mood programme for young people (years 7 to 13)

*A six week anxiety programme for parents/carers to support the emotional wellbeing needs of their children who are in reception to year 6.

Our programmes rely on practising skills outside the weekly group sessions. Research has shown that the more children and young people practice skills learnt in the groups, the more they saw improvements in their anxiety/depression and experienced greater positive well-being by the end of, and following the group. Like any change, this entails hard work, persistence and time, if you currently cannot put in this additional commitment, our programmes will not be effective.

To benefit from this treatment please only attend a Reach4Wellbeing group when you feel ready to participate in the programme and complete the practice tasks between sessions.

Some of the feedback comments from our online groups:
"Thank you, that session was more powerful than you could ever know" "After last week's meeting, I walked around like clear, blue sky!" "This meeting has structured my thought process about stuff better" "It feels good to know I'm not alone and there are other families coping with the same difficulties" "I found the course content has been clear and concise, it's provoked opportunity to talk and created thoughtful conversations."
Contact information

Service hours: Monday - Friday; 8.30am - 4.30pm

Location: Countywide community locations

Team Lead: Catherine Eastwell

Email: whcnhs.reach4wellbeing@nhs.net

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Reach4Wellbeing team aims to promote positive wellbeing, reach children and young people in their communities and reduce the stigma of mental health. We currently provide short-term group programmes for children and young people age 5-18 experiencing mild to moderate anxiety and low mood.

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Dyspraxia Foundation support and advice

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Supporting individuals and families affected by dyspraxia/DCD

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Advice and Support

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The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity - an integrated health and education service.

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As parents and carers you play an important role in teaching children and young people how to understand and manage their feelings as they grow up.

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How to support your child’s mental health – Place2Be

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Place2Be works with schools to help parents support their child’s mental health and improve their emotional wellbeing.

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We provide young people with tools to look after their mental health. Our website is full of advice and information on what to do if you're struggling with how you feel.

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YoungMinds | Mental Health Charity For Children And Young People

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YoungMinds are a mental health charity for children, young people and their parents, making sure all young people can get the mental health support they need.

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Paediatric Occupational Therapy enables children or young people to take part in daily life which is made up of many activities which they may be finding more difficult to participate in. These activities include self-care, being productive (going to nursery or school) and leisure activities like playtime.

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Our service operates as two teams; South and North. South will take referrals for South Worcestershire and North will take referrals for Wyre Forest, Redditch & Bromsgrove. Please note North referrals should be sent to the Redditch & Bromsgrove base. The Paediatric Occupational Therapy department support children and young people from birth to eighteen.

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We work with children who have neurological, developmental, and orthopaedic conditions who may also have complex long-term medical, social and learning needs. The focus is on maximising a child or young person's physical ability within their everyday activities at home, in education and in their community

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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COVID 19 (CORONAVIRUS) - UPDATE FROM THE PAEDIATRIC PHYSIOTHERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AND SPECIALIST PLAY TEAM IN WORCESTERSHIRE We would like to thank you for your patience and support during the Covid-19 pandemic. We continue to work together with our Health, Education and Social Care colleagues recovering services whilst ensuring that patients and staff remain safe and secure.

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Help, advice and a selection of therapeutic activities to do at home

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Every parent knows how challenging it can be when the baby is growing, especially in the first few years. It's an age where children are exploring their independence, pushing boundaries, and learning more about the world around them. While this is an essential phase for their growth, it often leads to moments of defiance that ... Read more

As a parent, I'll never forget the day when my four-year-old managed to scale our kitchen counters, raid the cookie jar, and create an art masterpiece on the living room wall, all while I was on a brief 10-minute phone call. That's the unmatched energy of children for you! While I sometimes wish I had ... Read more

Back when I was juggling a full-time job, night classes, and personal commitments, I often found myself running on empty. Every morning, despite having my day planned to the minute, I would wonder why my energy levels were consistently low. I initially chalked it up to just being "busy." It wasn't until a particularly draining ... Read more

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Every parent knows how challenging it can be when the baby is growing, especially in the first few years. It's an age where children are exploring their independence, pushing boundaries, and learning more about the world around them. While this is an essential phase for their growth, it often leads to moments of defiance that ...

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What does this include?
Children and young people with ASD, including Asperger’s Syndrome and Autism, are likely to have particular difficulties with social interaction. They may also experience difficulties with language, communication and imagination, which can impact on how they relate to others.

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Advice and support

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We are the UKs leading charity for autistic people and their families. Since 1962, we have been providing support, guidance and advice, as well as campaigning for improved rights, services and opportunities to help create a society that works for autistic people.

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Advice and Support

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Since 2016, this group of young people, ages 15-25, have shared their voices and lived experiences to steer, influence and advise the work we do. As well as advising on AET materials and strategy, Panel members speak at events, co-deliver training and support autism education networks.

Find out how this group of young people are supporting, co-producing and advising the AET.

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Helping you support autistic children and young people since 2007

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This guide can help if you or someone you care about is autistic or might be autistic.

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NHS guide to autism. Find out what autism is and what the common signs are. Get help and advice if you or your child are autistic.

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A video explain Autism

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The Annual review process

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What is an Annual Review of an Education, Health and Social Care (EHC) plan? (updated 2019)

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Umbrella Pathway is an assessment and diagnosis for children and young people who may have signs consistent with the autism spectrum

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust

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Service referral criteria are in place to ensure that this service works with the child/young people and their families who need and will benefit from further highly specialist assessment.

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Groups for parents and carers with children who have a special educational need or disability

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Parent carers have told us that they get a lot of support and information from other parent carers, in a variety of ways. You may wish to join a local support group or you might prefer to make contact on social media or online or all of these!

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What makes you different, makes you beautiful

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What makes you different, makes you beautiful

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We are a special needs Charity which offer a wide range of projects and services that run from our Malvern Support Centre, across Worcestershire and the neighbouring counties. The Charity provides a family-centered care approach, supporting parents, carers, friends, siblings and children with disabilities aged 0-19 years.

We offer a range of activities that help reduce isolation and bring people together, helping families and their children gain confidence, reduce social isolation and increase independence.

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What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful, Malvern Worcestershire

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Home - What Makes You Different Makes You Beautiful, Malvern Worcestershire

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
We are a special needs Charity which offer a wide range of projects and services that run from our Malvern Support Centre, across Worcestershire and the neighbouring counties. The Charity provides a family-centered care approach, supporting parents, carers, friends, siblings and children with disabilities aged 0-19 years.

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Sensory happiness for people with disabilities and additional needs

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Sensory happiness for people with disabilities and additional needs

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Worcester Snoezelen is a leisure therapy centre offering a range of person-centred multisensory activities that empower, bring joy, and help members make choices and communicate through alternative means.

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Worcester Snoezelen – Sensory happiness for people with disabilities and additional needs

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Advice and support

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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Speech and Language UK: Changing young lives

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We are Speech and Language UK - we want every child to face the future with confidence. For 1.7 million children in the UK, learning to talk and understand words feel like an impossible hurdle.

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Support strategies for in the classroom and at home

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Brilliant tips and ideas for support and diagnosis.

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What is ADHD?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects behaviour and concentration.

Children and young people with ADHD often seem unusually restless, impulsive or distracted. They may speak or act without thinking, struggle with organisation, find it hard to focus or appear to be always on the go. Some people with ADHD do not experience hyperactivity. This used to be called attention deficit disorder (ADD), though this term in no longer used officially.

ADHD is not a mental health condition or a learning disability. But children and young people with ADHD may also have other conditions or experience mental health problems.

Living with ADHD can be very challenging, for children and young people as well as for their parents and carers. But the right diagnosis and support can make a big difference to a child's learning, life skills and relationships, as well as making family life easier. There is also lots you can do as a parent or carer to help your child manage the things they find difficult.

What are the most common signs of ADHD?

A child with ADHD may:

be easily distracted, finding it difficult to start or finish tasks

often feel unable to concentrate

often feel restless or fidgety

be very talkative, often interrupting or blurting things out

act impulsively, for example doing something before considering consequences or being prone to taking risks

be easily angry or frustrated, or struggle to deal with emotions

find making or maintaining friendships difficult

be disorganised, for instance often losing things or being late

lack awareness of time

Every child or young person with ADHD is an individual and they may not display all of these behaviours. Many of these behaviours are normal in younger children. They can also be caused by traumatic experiences. So if your child is showing some of these signs, it does not necessarily mean they have ADHD.

It's important to understand that age and gender can also affect how someone with ADHD behaves. This can make it harder to spot signs of ADHD, particularly in girls. Girls are more likely to be undiagnosed or wrongly diagnosed with other conditions.

Typically, the signs of ADHD develop in early childhood and they may become particularly noticeable at times of significant change, such as when a child starts or changes school.

What to do if you think your child might have ADHD

If your child frequently experiences some of these things and it's affecting their day-to-day life, discuss your concerns with your child's GP. Before doing this, talk to your child's teacher and the school special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) about what they have noticed.

The GP may want to refer your child for assessment, as ADHD can only be diagnosed by a specialist such as a child and adolescent psychiatrist or paediatrician.

Sometimes parents are reluctant to pursue assessment. They may be worried about 'labelling' their child or about stigma, or they may prefer to watch and wait. These feelings are normal. But parents and young people who do seek diagnosis can find it helps them access the right support, understand and manage challenges, and identify individual strengths.

We have more information about getting support from the GP, CAMHS and school in our guide.

ADHD diagnosis and support

ADHD assessment is usually done through the NHS mental health service for children and young people, known as CAMHS. Diagnosis is most commonly made in childhood. In the majority of cases, young people continue to experience ADHD behaviours and qualities into adulthood.

There is no single, definitive test for ADHD. Specialists will base a clinical diagnosis on their observations of your child, discussions and questionnaires (with you and your child), and information from your child's school.

They will consider how long the behaviours have been present, how much they impact daily life and whether they might be due to another condition. The NHS states that around 60-80% of children with ADHD have at least one other condition (such as autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, anxiety or behaviour issues). In some cases, this means a child may be given more than one diagnosis.

You and your child should be offered support and advice to help you manage some of the challenges that might be affecting day-to-day life. Medication and talking therapies may also be offered. These options should be discussed with you when your child is diagnosed.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides guidelines for NHS treatments. The support they recommend for ADHD is outlined in the their guidelines. Your child may be offered:

Therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can support children and young people with ADHD to understand themselves and find coping strategies when things are hard. For more information about therapy, see our parent guide to counselling and therapy.

Many children and young people with ADHD do not take medication. But medication may sometimes be offered to support someone in managing challenges that are affecting their day-to-day life. Medication should only ever be prescribed and overseen by a specialist.

You may also be offered ADHD-focused parent training. This does not mean your parenting is somehow wrong. It is designed to provide support and to empower you with specific strategies and skills that can help your family thrive.

Jack is still perennially late, disorganised and impulsive; but he's also energetic, original and creative. The medication is helping him make the most of all of that.

What you can do to support your child with ADHD

Be explicit and consistent about unacceptable behaviour, such as violence. Set appropriate consequences and follow them through, but try to stay calm in the moment to avoid escalation. Dealing with challenging behaviour can be very hard, and our parent guide has helpful advice.

Plan the day so your child knows what to expect. Maintaining regular sleep patterns, physical activity and mealtimes can help your child. Some people find dietary change and/or certain supplements helpful. But the NHS states that there is no clinical evidence for this, and medical advice should be sought first. Our young person's guide has helpful advice on sleep problems.

My son has had times of feeling down about his ADHD, but increasingly he is able to recognise that it also part of his creativity, originality and energy.

The impact of ADHD on your child's mental health

Any child or young person can struggle with their mental health and wellbeing, whether or not they have ADHD. This might be caused by things like family change, bullying, exam stress or a traumatic event.

But having ADHD may also mean your child has extra challenges - such as social difficulties, struggling to manage their emotions or getting into trouble at school. This can leave them more vulnerable to low self-esteem, anxiety or depression.

Children and young people with ADHD frequently have other developmental or mental health conditions. It is important to ensure they have the appropriate support for these.

As a parent there is a lot you can do to support your child with their wellbeing and mental health:

Encourage your child to talk about how they are feeling with you. Our starting a conversation guide has ideas for keeping communication open

If you feel your child may have a mental health problem or another condition alongside ADHD, discuss your concerns with their GP or ADHD specialist.

Our son's challenging behaviour with ADHD had an enormous impact on the whole family, as we and his brothers bore the brunt of his anger.

The hardest thing for me is that I get angry so easily. I can't control it and it makes me feel awful afterwards.

Working with school if your child has ADHD

ADHD is a special education need (SEN), and it may be referred to as a specific learning difference (SpLD). Your child is entitled to appropriate support to help them thrive socially and educationally. This could include potential adjustments in certain situations, such as extra time or rest breaks for exams, movement breaks in lessons, written instructions for tasks and a seating plan that minimises distractions.

Discuss the diagnosis and needs with the school's SENCO, taking a list of your concerns and background information to the meeting.

Your child may be entitled to an education, health and care plan (EHC plan) which details the support they need and how it will be provided. (The National Autistic Society has helpful information about EHC plans).

Good communication between you and school can be really helpful in ensuring your child thrives in education and meets their potential. Our parent guide to support has more advice on talking to school or college.

ADHD in teenagers and beyond

If your child is a teenager or young person, their needs and the support you give may well be different from when they were younger. They may like to read our young person's guide to ADHD and mental health. But there are still many ways you can help.

Looking after your own wellbeing

Parenting a child with ADHD can sometimes be isolating, upsetting or exhausting. Sometimes parents feel judged or blamed by others (unjustifiably as parenting does not cause ADHD). It is entirely understandable if you are finding things difficult.

It's important to recognise the impact the situation is having on you, and think about ways you can take care of yourself - including getting support from other people so that you can take some time off. It's okay to ask for help when you need it, and to share your worries with someone you trust. We have advice on looking after yourself as well as your child.

Useful helplines and websites

While we take care to ensure that the organisations we signpost to provide high quality information and advice, we cannot take responsibility for any specific pieces of advice they may offer. We encourage parents and carers to always explore the website of a linked service or organisation to understand who they are and what support they offer before engaging with them.
This page was reviewed in March 2022. It was created with parents and carers with lived experience of supporting their child or young person with ADHD. We will next review the page in 2025. YoungMinds is a proud member of PIF TICK - the UK's quality mark for trusted health information.
Whether you love the page or think something is missing, we appreciate your feedback. It all helps us to support more young people with their mental health.

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ADHD Support For Your Child | Parents Advice Guide

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If your child is struggling to manage their ADHD, read our tips on what you can do to support them, how to get a diagnosis and where to find help.

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The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity - an integrated health and education service.