Causes of learning delays in children?

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I have two children. My eldest is 12 and diagnosed with autism amongst other things going on. My post is not about him.

It is about my youngest. She is nearly 8. She was always late meeting her milestones across the board but despite this she's sociable and confident. She is speech delayed but made huge progress. She has an EHCP. Her only official diagnoses are hyper mobility and low muscle tone. She probably had dyspraxia too.

she is quite far behind academically. Cannot really read other than basic words. Does not seem to retain any information. she has a short attention span.

because of my oldest I always assumed potential autism but she does not seem to meet the criteria for asd. I know girls can mask a lot but she does present like she's on the spectrum at all. She has no sensory issues, she is sociable, despite her language delay has excellent social skills, she's confident, sometimes too confident.

she seen an Ed psych when she was younger but not under then anymore. She needs to be seen by them again I believe but they school are reluctant. She gets help at school, she's the only child in the class with an EHCP but a few of them need support so it's one Ta helping a few of them!

anyone else been through this?

There are a number of potential reasons such as a specific learning difficulty or a learning disability. I wouldn’t rule out ASD either, autism often presents differently in girls, sometimes they can come across as being too confident and very sociable and, as you say, they are often expert maskers. Up to date assessments by SALT, EP, OT, paediatrician will help.


she seen an Ed psych when she was younger but not under then anymore. She needs to be seen by them again I believe but they school are reluctant.

You can formally request a reassessment of needs.

She gets help at school, she's the only child in the class with an EHCP but a few of them need support so it's one Ta helping a few of them!

Is the TA support specified and quantified as 1:1 support in the EHCP?

This is interesting to me as I have a child with some of the same issues presenting. I am not sure where to start with assessments. The school have said they don't have an ed psych, should they?

In England, outwith the EHCNA process schools have very limited EP hours an unless the presenting issues are very severe they won’t have the hours for pupils.

demoted they don’t have their own but they have access to them via the specialist teaching teams - they will have a ‘link’ practitioner. As Thatsnotmycar says, the hours each school has have been cut so much they will use if for the worst cases. That said, it’s often the pushy parents who get support in general isn’t it so worth pushing for.

Thanks very much. Is this something people pay for is school based /la the only option?

Very new to this

You can pay for an independent EP assessment, however they aren’t cheap and have long waits at the moment. If your DC has similar needs to OP’s you should think about applying for an EHCNA which, if the LA agree to, has an EP assessment as part of the process.

Completely agree with @openupmyeagereyes, DC whose parents know the system and can advocate for their DC get better support. It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.

Agreed, it shouldn’t be the case.