Dd been put on SEN register at secondary school - what does this actually mean/anything I should do?

[Brontebiscuits]

The school have actually been fantastic and supportive of her - she was extremely anxious about starting secondary (she's in yr 7) and had some CBT while in yr 6 at primary. I'm assuming the SEN is around her emotional/mental health needs (it didnt specify in the letter) although she does seem pretty settled and happy at the moment. Will all her class teachers know about the SEN? I have suspected for a while she may have some milder ASD traits or at least be Highly Sensitive/have some sensory issues but assume the school would tell us if they thought the same? I know we need to contact the school obviously and speak to them about it all but just wanted to get some opinions or similar experiences on here first.

No its unlikely that the school would tell you if they thought your Dd had Asd. They are not qualified to make that suggestion and it would be stepping out of their role.

Also lots of school staff dont recognise Asd issues in girls because they tend to mask rather than kick off! This is extremely bad for their mental health and many undiagnosed girls crash at the beginning of secondary.

I think you need to be proactive and advocate for your Dd to protect her mental health. Make an appointment with the SENCO as soon as the school goes back after the holidays and have a proper conversation with her about your Dd's issues and difficulties.

Good luck

Thanks for replying Ineed, we did go and see the student care head before she started and had a long discussion about her so she was flagged up to them before she even started. She has weekly sessions with someone at student care although I'm not sure if she is the SENCO or not. They have been very good so far in supporting her and I did mention in passing then about ASD. They have access to an educational psychologist apparently. We do need to go in and talk, yes.

Good luck