Education support services for autistic children and young people
Education support services are available for children and young people with special educational needs, including those who are autistic.
Special educational needs
Special educational needs (SEN) refer to children with learning difficulties or disabilities that means they are likely to need extra support, or support in a different way, to make sure they are able to learn.
This may include Autistic children and young people.
If your child has SEN, schools can often provide extra help and sometimes use specialists to give that help.
Information on how schools can help children with SEN, getting help for your child and talking to your child’s school is available at:
More information to help parents/ carers to understand what SEN are, what schools and what the Education Authority (EA) can do to help is available at:
Provision of autism education services
Autistic children and young people need an education that helps them learn the same important skills and knowledge that other children often pick up more easily. With the right support, they can thrive and reach their full potential.
Given the wide-ranging differences between autistic people, there is no single educational programme that is suitable for everyone.
Assessments
Depending on your child’s needs, they may go to:
- a mainstream school
- a specialist unit within a mainstream school
- a special school
A decision on what type of school will best suit your child’s individual needs will often begin with an assessment.
If the help your child needs isn’t available at a mainstream school, the EA may carry out an assessment to see what your child’s needs are and how they can be supported.
Information on SEN assessments is available at:
You have the right to ask for your child to be sent to whatever school bests suits your child’s needs depending on certain measures.
More information on choosing a school for your child is available at:
Special educational needs statements
After the EA has assessed your child, they may record the information they collect in a statement of special educational needs.
The SEN statement lays out your child’s needs and the help they should get. The statement is reviewed each year to make sure they get any more support they need.
Information on SEN statements is available at:
Support for children with special educational needs
If your child has SEN, including ASD, there are a range of people responsible for assessing their needs and helping them.
These people are specialists that look after your child’s health, welfare and education and include:
- educational psychologists
- learning support teachers
- school-based assistants
- speech and language therapists
- special educational needs co-ordinators (SENCO)
More information on people who provide support for children and young people with SEN is available at:
Transition Plan
A Transition Plan is a way to plan what you want to achieve in teenage years as you move into adult life. The document will also identify what support you’ll need to live as independently as possible and will look at all aspects of your life.
Transition Plans usually begin in Year 10 with the help of your head teacher and parents/ carers.
Information on Transition Plans is available at:
Support for young people with ASD in Further Education
There are six further education colleges in Northern Ireland all of which provide a range of courses for people over the age of 16.
All further education colleges provide a range of additional support for students with learning difficulties and/ or disabilities including those with autism. This support can range from discrete provision for those unable to access mainstream further education provision through to technical and individual personal support, such as one to one sessions with lecturers, support workers and study skills advisers. Support is provided by teaching and support staff that have had training and/or experience in working with students on the autism spectrum.
Colleges have a duty to make 'reasonable adjustments' to help students with disabilities gain access to, participate in and achieve their goals in Further Education.
Details of how to obtain disability support at college are available at:
Contact details for the Further Education (FE) Colleges are available at:
Further advice and guidance
The Equality Commission has published relevant advisory guides on Further and Higher Education, including:
Parental rights in education
Children’s school years are vital to their personal development and in getting ready for later life.
Parents/ carers, including those who have children with SEN, need to be aware of their rights, what to expect from a child’s school and what to do if they need to make a complaint.
Information on parental rights in the education system is available at:
Education Authority
The Education Authority (EA) has a helpline for Special Educational Needs. Details of how to contact this helpline are available at:
General contact details for the EA, including regional offices, are available at: