SEND Advocacy Blog

Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) is a profile on the autism spectrum where a child experiences extreme anxiety when faced with everyday demands and expectations. Unlike typical demand avoidance, PDA-driven behaviour is rooted in anxiety rather than defiance. Understanding PDA can make a significant difference to how parents and schools support a child effectively.

Adopted children are disproportionately represented in SEND statistics, and many adoptive parents find themselves navigating a system they were not prepared for. Understanding how adoption intersects with special educational needs is an important first step in getting the right support in place for your child.

Stimming, short for self-stimulatory behaviour, refers to repetitive movements or sounds that many children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions use to regulate their sensory experience or emotions. Rather than something to be stopped, stimming often serves an important purpose. This post explains what it is and how parents can respond in a supportive, informed way.

Sensory Processing Disorder describes a condition where the brain has difficulty receiving and responding to information that comes in through the senses. For children with SEND, this can mean everyday sensory experiences such as noise, light, texture or movement become overwhelming or, in some cases, barely noticeable at all. Understanding SPD helps parents and schools create environments where a child can actually learn.

Dyscalculia is a specific learning difficulty that affects a person's ability to understand and work with numbers. Often described as the maths equivalent of dyslexia, it is more than just struggling with arithmetic. For children with SEND, dyscalculia can affect everyday tasks, confidence and academic progress. This post helps parents understand what it looks like and what support is available.

Autism, or Autism Spectrum Condition, is a lifelong neurodevelopmental difference that affects how a person experiences and interacts with the world around them. It is not an illness and it is not something to be fixed. Understanding autism properly helps parents advocate more effectively for their child and work with schools to put the right support in place from an early stage.

Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the natural variation in how human brains work and process information. It encompasses conditions including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and more. Rather than viewing these differences as deficits, the neurodiversity movement recognises them as part of normal human variation. Understanding this concept helps parents and educators approach SEND from a more positive and informed perspective.

A blog post on situational mutism for parents and carers.

A blog post on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ("CAMHS") for parents/carers of children and young people with SEND.

A blog post on Post 16 education for parents/carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND")

A blog post on disability discrimination law for parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND")

A blog post on dyspraxia for parents/carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilites ("SEND")

A blog on Developmental Language Disorder ("DLD") for parents/carers of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND").

A blog post on inclusive education for parents/carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilites ("SEND")

A blog post on the role of a SENCo (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) for parents and carers of children and young people with SEND.

A blog on social care assessments for parents/carers of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities ("SEND")

A blog post on appeals against placement (section I) in Education Health and Care Plans (EHC Plans)

This is a blog post on how to appeal the Health and Social Care aspects of Education Health and Care Plans ("EHC Plans").

A blog post for parents and carers on how to appeal the content of an Education Health and Care Plan ("EHC Plan")

A blog post about how to appeal the decision of a local authority not to carry out an Education Health and Care Needs Assessment ("EHCNA")