Guides for SEND Families
Plain-English guides on rights, benefits, evidence and staying resilient. Parent-facing information with linked sources. Check each page’s review scope and the original source before acting. How we check sources and record corrections.
Not sure which guide you need?
Choose an everyday starting point: overload, routines, sleep, school or support for you. You can also find help while waiting for an assessment or check what to ask before booking a therapist.
What do you need help with?
Use 🔬 Research to find summaries of treatment and intervention studies, with evidence limits and original sources. These are editorial guides, not individual treatment recommendations.
Help at Home While Waiting for an Assessment
Communication, routines, a simple support plan and separate Kent and Medway service routes.
Choose a next step →SEND Grants in Kent
How to check current grant programmes, eligibility, permitted uses and application evidence without assuming DLA guarantees an award.
Read guide →Private vs NHS Occupational Therapy for Children
Questions to compare NHS and private OT access, scope, fees, reports and review arrangements; paying does not guarantee better care.
Read guide →Dyslexia Assessment in Kent
School support, assessment options, assessor checks and questions to ask before paying for a report.
Read guide →Private vs NHS Educational Psychology
School and local-authority EP routes, statutory advice, private quotes and questions about the evidence actually needed.
Read guide →What the 2026 Schools White Paper Means for SEND Families
The 2026 Schools White Paper proposes major EHCP reforms. Here's what it means for your child, what stays the same, and what SEND families should do right now.
Read guide →SEND Support UK 2026: What the Reforms Mean for Your Family
What the 2026 SEND proposals say about school support and EHCPs, how proposals differ from current duties, and where to check the latest position.
Read guide →Child DLA Care and Mobility Rules Explained
An introduction to selected child DLA care and mobility rules. Describe the help needed, its frequency and duration; repetitive behaviour does not automatically qualify a child for a care rate.
Read guide →The Golden EHCP Checklist
Use the checklist to compare the needs in Section B with the special educational provision in Section F, spot vague wording and prepare questions about missing support.
Read guide →Sensory Processing Difficulties in Children — Support & Next Steps for Kent Parents
Sensory differences, everyday participation, current professional terminology and the Kent NHS pathway for asking about support.
Read guide →DLA for Autistic Children — Rates, Eligibility & How to Apply
2026/27 rates, care and mobility rules, factual examples of help needed and options if a claim is refused.
Read guide →Section F EHCP: Kent Examples of Strong Provision Wording
Worked Section F wording examples, the requirement for detailed and specific provision, normal quantification and the limits of generic templates.
Read guide →Kent SEND Tribunal Statistics: What 98% and 99% Mean
The Kent 98% Hansard statement and HMCTS's national 2024/25 data use different definitions. Learn the limits before applying either figure to an appeal.
Read guide →SEND Reform 2026 White Paper, in Plain English
What "Every Child Achieving and Thriving" proposed about EHCPs, ISPs and inclusion bases, and the position after consultation closed on 18 May 2026.
Read guide →5 Fictional DLA Claim Illustrations
Fictional examples showing how to describe care and mobility needs, followed by questions about evidence and legal conditions. They are not real decisions or predicted awards.
Read examples →Carer's Allowance for Parents of Disabled Children
How to claim, eligibility rules, what it pays, and how it interacts with other benefits like Universal Credit and DLA.
Read guide →How to Apply for an EHCP in Kent — Step-by-Step Guide
Every stage of the EHCP process explained in plain English — request letters, timelines, what to check in the draft plan, and Kent contacts including IASK.
Read guide →Special Schools in Kent — Parent Guide with Ofsted Ratings
Kent special schools, inspection information and published age ranges, with questions about suitability and the separate placement process.
Read guide →Private Autism Assessment in Kent — Providers, Costs & NHS Acceptance
Current KCHFT and Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS pathways, published waiting information, private-provider checks and how a report may be used.
Read guide →Autism-Friendly Activities in Kent — Free & Low-Cost Guide
Check activities against your child’s interests and support needs, compare short-break routes and verify each venue’s companion-entry policy.
Read guide →Debt & Mental Health: Staying Resilient
Care costs spiral. Stress follows. This guide covers managing financial pressure as a SEND family — with links to StepChange and Mental Health & Money Advice for free, confidential support.
Read guide →First 100 Days After Autism Diagnosis
Your child has just been diagnosed. Here's what to do next — a practical, no-jargon guide for the first 100 days.
Read guide →New Autism Treatment Research in 2026
A UK parent guide to AST-001, arbaclofen, NTI164 and brain stimulation—what was positive, negative or uncertain, plus separate licensing, NICE and NHS status.
Read guide →Autism DNA Test and Genetic Testing: UK Parent Guide
No DNA test diagnoses autism. Learn when NHS genetic or metabolic assessment may help, what results can change and where commercial claims go too far.
Read guide →L1-79 and Autism: What the Trials Really Show
The negative registered main outcome, positive secondary signals, missing full results, safety uncertainties and current UK status.
Read guide →AST-001 and Autism: Why the Phase 3 Result Matters
The small Phase 2 signal, the Phase 3 miss, safety and why shop-bought L-serine is not a substitute.
Read guide →Arbaclofen and Autism: What the 2026 Trial Found
Why uncorrected secondary findings do not overturn a negative primary outcome—and why arbaclofen is not ordinary baclofen.
Read guide →NTI164 and Autism: What the New Trial Really Shows
A positive small Australian study, its important limitations and why the exact trial product cannot be replaced with OTC CBD.
Read guide →Social Stories for Autistic Children: What the Latest Research Shows
A plain-English look at the large UK school trial, the small 2026 review, when a personalised story may help, and where claims go too far.
Read guide →Why So Many Autism Trials Fail: The Placebo Response Problem
How to read "promising new autism treatment" headlines without getting taken in — the pattern behind the failures, and a 5-question parent checklist.
Read guide →Bumetanide for Autism: Why a Promising Drug Failed in Trials
The GABA theory, why early results looked positive, and what the Phase 3 evidence actually showed.
Read guide →Leucovorin (Folinic Acid) and Autism: UK Evidence
The retracted 2024 trial, AAP and NICE guidance, and why the FDA's 2026 approval applies only to FOLR1-related cerebral folate transport deficiency.
Read guide →HBOT Autism UK: What the Evidence Really Shows
Hyperbaric oxygen for autism: what NICE says, the limits of the trials, and questions about risks, itemised costs and other support.
Read guide →Melatonin Autism UK: What Actually Helps Autistic Children's Sleep
Sleep assessment and support, what melatonin trials found, product-specific licensing, possible harms and questions for the prescriber.
Read guide →Medical Cannabis and Autism UK: What the CBD Evidence Shows
A protective guide to mixed evidence, UK prescribing, private-clinic red flags, questions before paying and why OTC CBD is not a trial product.
Read guide →Music Therapy and Autism: Does It Help?
What the Cochrane review says, the TIME-A trial results, how to access it on the NHS or privately in the UK, and what to expect.
Read guide →Neurofeedback and Brain Stimulation for Autism: What Parents Need to Know
Evidence limits for neurofeedback and brain stimulation, relevant NICE guidance and questions about safety, costs and commercial claims.
Read guide →Virtual Reality Therapy and Autism: Does It Work?
VR research findings, study limitations, possible adverse effects and practical questions for UK families.
Read guide →Stem Cell Therapy for Autism: What Parents Need to Know
An honest guide — what the research shows, the risks of unregulated clinics, UK guidance, and how to protect your family from exploitation.
Read guide →Sensory Processing and Autism: Why Your Child's Nervous System Matters
A parent-friendly guide covering why sensory differences happen, the latest peripheral nerve research, what UK guidance says, and practical support for families.
Read guide →Dietary Interventions for Autism: What the Evidence Actually Shows
An honest guide to GFCF diets, probiotics, omega-3, vitamins, food selectivity and ARFID — and what UK guidance actually recommends.
Read guide →Gut Health and Autism: What the Microbiome Research Actually Shows
An evidence-based guide to the gut-brain axis, probiotics, FMT, and what UK families need to know in 2026.
Read guide →NHS vs Private Autism Assessment
Kent waits vary by age, area, provider and stage. Compare the current NHS route, Right to Choose checks and private options.
Read guide →Private Speech Therapy Costs
A named provider fee example, quote components, NHS comparison questions and limits on grants and EHCP funding.
Read guide →Private Occupational Therapy Costs
Named provider fee examples with scope and extras, sensory-intervention evidence limits and questions before paying.
Read guide →Private Behaviour Support Costs
How to compare written quotes, verify practitioner categories and ask about methods, safeguarding and review.
Read guide →EHCP Tribunal — Your Rights & How to Appeal
How to check the deadline, follow directions, prepare evidence and understand why the 2024/25 outcome statistic does not predict an individual appeal.
Read guide →Free EHCP Request Letter Template
A starting template to request an EHC needs assessment; adapt it to the child’s needs and relevant evidence.
Read guide →Transition to Adulthood (16-25)
EHCP changes, benefits, college support. What Kent parents need to know.
Read guide →School Transport Appeals
How to appeal Kent's transport decisions. Template letter included.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideSensory Toys: Comparison and Safety Checks
Compare sensory-product categories, evidence limits, free alternatives and safety questions before buying.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideNoise Cancelling Headphones for Autism UK 2026: Kids, Teens & Earbuds
Hearing protection and audio headphones compared, with fit, volume and appropriate-use checks; no hands-on product testing is claimed.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideChewelry & Chew Toys for Autism: UK Guide 2026
Chew-tool categories, maker-specific strength grades, supervision and replacement checks.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideSensory Lights: Bubble Tubes, Projectors & Calm Corners
Bubble tubes, projectors and optional lighting, with electrical, placement and sensitivity checks.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideSensory Swings for Autism: Pod, Platform & Safe Mounting
Swing categories, manufacturer instructions, fall and entrapment risks, supervision and questions for a competent installer.
Read guide →Oxytocin and Autism: Can the "Love Hormone" Help? (2026)
The larger child trial missed its main social-function outcome. Understand the evidence limits, risks and relevant guidance.
Read guide →EHCP Annual Review Kent
Parent rights, what to challenge, and how to prepare for your child's annual review.
Read guide →EHCP Appeals: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kent Parents
How to challenge an EHCP decision — from mediation through to Tribunal.
Read guide →Right to Choose: Autism Assessment in Kent
How to check eligibility, current provider status and waiting estimates for an NHS-funded alternative referral.
Read guide →SEN Support in Mainstream Schools
What the school must do once your child is on SEN Support — the APDR cycle, provision maps, and how to track evidence.
Read guide →SEND White Paper 2026: What EHCP Changes Mean
What the proposed SEND reforms could change for your child's EHCP and school support.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideWeighted Blankets: Safety and Buying Guide
Evidence limits, individual risk assessment and questions to check before buying.
Read guide → Ad — affiliate guideSensory Products: Comparisons and Safety Checks
Optional product categories, free alternatives, evidence limits and safety checks; verify the exact item before buying.
Read guide →What Is Speech & Language Therapy for Children?
What SLTs assess, when to seek advice, current Kent and Medway routes and questions about goals, reports and fees.
Read guide →What Is Occupational Therapy for Children?
What a paediatric OT does, sensory processing, fine motor skills, and when your child might benefit.
Read guide →What Is an Educational Psychologist?
What an EP does, school and statutory assessment routes, and how to check whether a private report would address an evidence gap.
Read guide →SEND Jargon Glossary
Plain-English explanations of common SEND terms, including EHCP, SENCO, SALT, DLA and SENDIST.
Read guide →