Dd6 Autistic Did EHCP Help Your Child Catch Up?

[Mountainsfar]

Hi all,
I’m feeling quite lost right now. My DD6 is Autistic and has made real progress with her behaviour this year. Her teacher says she’s also progressed with reading and writing, and we’ve had regular meetings throughout the year. But despite all this, she’s really struggled in Year 1.

She’s burnt out – falling asleep very late, no interest in breakfast, hardly eating her lunch, and masking all day at school. She is very well-behaved in class, but I know it’s taking a toll.

Her teacher has been supportive, which I really appreciate. But after reading her end-of-year report, I saw that she’s below in all subjects. She just couldn’t keep up. I feel so sad knowing how hard she tried to learn while under so much pressure.

At home, I work with her during weekends and half-terms. I’ve seen some amazing improvements — she’s so capable — but she’s still behind. It’s heartbreaking.

I know some people might say, “Well, what do you expect? She’s SEN.” But as a parent — and not just as a SEN parent — you want to see your child thrive and see the results of all your efforts.

The SENCO now wants to apply for a needs assessment. I just want to say: from early on, I knew my daughter was struggling — not just with learning, but also with behaviour, social interaction, and settling. I’ve always believed she doesn’t have a learning difficulty — she’s bright and can learn — but maybe she just hasn’t had the right support around her.

Here’s part of her end-of-year report:

“She has put a lot of effort into her reading. She knows most phonemes from Reception and some from Year 1. Scored 10 on the phonics screening (I really believe she knew more). Still finds digraphs and trigraphs challenging. Can blend most words but sometimes misses endings. Needs reminders not to guess. Shows good comprehension.”

She struggles with maths (especially recording her thoughts), and her writing lacks spacing and structure. She’s also below in history and geography.

Has anyone had a child like mine – autistic, falling behind at 6 who improved with an EHCP and support at home? Did it help them catch up?

My daughter has an EHCP but I don't view it in terms of "catching up". She is PDA autistic and the stats for PDA kids managing to be in school aren't great, and primary to secondary transition is hard.

So I see it as something she needs to manage same as everyone else.

I have let go of the idea of comparison. I want her to be the best her she can be, not to reach some arbitrary standard.

It is a good idea to start the process now as everything takes such a long time.

Also...your daughter's 6! Parenting is a long journey. Try not to worry about academics. She wouldn't have even started school yet in some other developed countries.

My autistic daughter is older and isn’t behind but her achievement has dropped as has her attendance. She has a similar high masking profile. I’ve been told by an experienced SEND teacher to consider applying for an ECHP as her issue is with the classroom environment and timw out of the classroom requires staff.

Edited to add
My child’s cognitive tests put her in the top 1% of the country but I think education for her may take longer and it maybe she doesn’t take exam at the same time as her peers.

In my experience (and I have 2 with ASD) it really depends if there are underlying learning difficulties. If there are, the gaps tends to be bigger as they get older.

It still doesn't mean that an EHCP is meaningless as it help help your DD to maximise her potential.

The EHCP does potentially mean you can access a wider range of schools and that can be handy.

My very wise friend (daughter diagnosed with ASD at 14 by which time she had an eating disorder and was selectively mute) counselled applying for an ECHP before a crisis occurred, not during (her daughter is now doing very well as a young adult).

It's not about catching up. It's about meeting their needs where they are.

It sounds like they need to look at her current provision, my boy is year 2 and below in some subjects, academically capable but finds school hard. Sometimes they will get him to respond verbally but write for him as writing is difficult for him. Other times he has brain breaks or a calm down space when it all gets too much.

No a ECHP has not made my ds catch up to other his age it never will.
What his Echp does for him is provide him with a education that is tailored to his needs it also gives him the support he needs to thrive in school.
Ds is making lots of progress but at his own pace.

You are measuring her progress against other children who don't have challenges. It's like measuring a fish's ability to climb a tree.

Being able to identify when she is using too much energy or finding things difficult and then being able to ask for help is a bigger focus. Academics can always be caught up.

The correct support will help a child reach their potential: where that is, is individual to each child.

I wouldn't view success in terms of catching up academically, there is so much more to it than that.

An EHCP in itself doesn't necessarily get a child the correct support, and there is plenty of support that can be given without an EHCP (and often kids with them get little support too, it's not a magic fix).