Types of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

We advise families on the range of special educational needs that may affect a child or young person, helping them understand their needs and identify appropriate support and provision.

Information and guidance on different types of SEN and the support they may require.

Children can experience a wide range of special educational needs (SEN), which may affect how they learn, communicate, behave or manage everyday school life. Some needs are identified early, while others become more apparent as educational demands increase.

Boyes Turner’s specialist SEN solicitors have many years of experience advising thousands of families on the legal framework surrounding special educational needs, including Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), reviews and appeals. This page provides an overview of the different types of SEN, how they can affect children, and how legal support can help families secure appropriate educational provision.

Trusted and nationally recognised special educational needs specialists with decades of experience.
Clear, practical support at every stage, helping families navigate complex SEN processes.

Extensive experience across all SEN appeals, including EHCPs, school placements, and SEND Tribunal proceedings.
Transparent and flexible fee structures, including capped fee options where appropriate.

Types of special educational needs

Cerebral palsy – SEN

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Practical support for families and education providers to understand ADHD-related needs, identify appropriate support and work towards positive outcomes.

Angelman syndrome

Anxiety disorder

Aphasia

Apraxia

Types of SEN FAQs

What are special educational needs (SEN)?

A child has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability that requires special educational provision to be made for them. SEN can affect a child’s ability to:

Learn at the same pace as their peers
Communicate or interact socially
Manage behaviour, emotions or sensory input
Access the school environment safely and effectively

SEN can be short-term or lifelong and may relate to physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural or medical needs.

How can SEN affect a child’s behaviour and learning?

The impact of SEN varies widely depending on the nature and severity of a child’s needs. In an educational setting, SEN may affect:

Attention, concentration and memory
Communication and understanding
Emotional regulation and behaviour
Social interaction and relationships
Physical access, coordination or stamina

Without appropriate support, children may experience frustration, reduced confidence, school avoidance or poor educational outcomes.

Why might a child with SEN need an EHCP?

A child may need an EHCP if their special educational needs cannot be met through the support ordinarily available within a school. An EHCP provides a legal framework to:

Identify a child’s education, health and care needs
Specify the provision required to meet those needs
Name an appropriate educational placement

EHCPs are particularly important where a child requires specialist provision, significant adjustments or long-term support.

Common local authority issues for children with SEN

Families seeking support often encounter difficulties such as:

Refusals to carry out an EHC needs assessment
Delays in decision-making or issuing plans
EHCPs that do not accurately describe a child’s needs
Vague or unenforceable provision
Disputes over educational placement

Understanding the legal duties of local authorities is often key to resolving SEN-related issues. SEN law is complex, and specialist advice can help families navigate processes effectively and ensure that a child’s needs are properly met.

How can solicitors help families navigating SEN?

Specialist SEN solicitors can support families by:

Advising on SEN law and EHCP eligibility
Assisting with assessment requests and evidence
Challenging refusals and inadequate EHCPs
Supporting annual reviews and amendments
Representing families in Tribunal appeals

Our SEN team has developed a detailed understanding of the SEN system and the support children commonly require.

Why use our special educational needs solicitors?

Specialist experience in SEN law: Our solicitors have extensive experience advising families on the full range of special educational needs legal processes. Our expertise ensures you receive clear, accurate advice grounded in a detailed understanding of the law and how local authorities apply it in practice.

Focused, practical solutions: We take the time to understand your child’s individual needs and circumstances. Our advice is tailored to help you secure the right support, whether that means strengthening an EHCP, challenging inadequate provision, or appealing a local authority decision.

Supportive and collaborative approach: The SEN process can be overwhelming. We work closely with families, schools, professionals and other advisers to ensure all evidence and communication is aligned and coherent. This collaborative approach helps streamline the process and strengthens your case.

A leading full-service law firm: Boyes Turner is recognised by Chambers UK and The Legal 500 as a leading law firm. As a full-service firm, our specialist teams can support you with related legal needs where required, including Court of Protection, community care, medical negligence and private wealth, ensuring a cohesive and coordinated approach to your care.

Contact us

If you would like advice about a related matter, please complete the form and one of our SEN specialists will be in touch as soon as possible.

Please note we do not offer legal aid. Read about our fees.

Or give us a call:

0118 467 6547

Special educational needs insights

Our special educational needs solicitors

Our SEN case studies

What our clients say

Tribunal for placement

Laxmi helped with my son tribunal case in regard to section I of his EHCP. Our tribunal got brought forward by 6 months early, not giving us much time to get everything in place. Laxmi was great and said we can do it even with just little time left to get prepared and ready for the Tuesday. As a parent, I didn’t know what we needed to send or do, Laxmi took the time to explain everything to us and what we needed to do to prepare for the tribunal. Laxmi went above and beyond to help us and successfully won getting the school we needed for are son to start in September 2024. I would highly recommend Laxmi to take on the local authority in regard to any EHCP appeals. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.

Natalie

What our clients say

We were immediately impressed

We were immediately impressed with James and our initial judgment proved correct as we went on to negotiate with Essex a care package for our daughter. Throughout the process, James supported us and was always on hand to give us excellent advice, source and guide an ISW in writing a report for us, and assist with crafting skilfully worded emails to the Authority. More importantly for us, James was always kind and understanding, and brought a wonderful sense of humour to our meetings. We feel most fortunate to have found him and would not hesitate to recommend him

Kitty Carrick

What our clients say

SEN Tribunal

Laxmi’s exceptional understanding in SEN law combined with her professional, honest and empathic approach gave us the assurance that we had a solicitor who was and would continually do her best on our behalf. We would highly recommend any one seeking a SEN solicitor to use Laxmi.

David Bernstein

What our clients say

Support with the EHCP appeal

We would like to thank the Boyes Turner team, especially Janata Ali, for the exceptional support throughout the process. Just over a year ago we were lost and scared for our child’s future. It is a completely different reality today. Our child is much happier in the new school, with all the support and the quality of teaching, mentoring that he is receiving. It was the right battle to fight. It would not have been possible without Janata’s help, guidance, experience and commitment to our case. We are endlessly grateful, as this means that our child can have a better quality of life now and better prospects in the future.

Boyes Turner Client

What our clients say

SEN support for EHCP

Janata Ali is an expert in n her field which resulted in us winning our case against the local authority to issue an EHCP for our son. Our son will hopefully now thrive and we will be forever grateful for her help and support with our case.

Boyes Turner Client

What our clients say

I would most definitely recommend

James, Laxmi and Daisy, worked so Patrick’s case, due to his very complex profile we had to go through three tribunals. They all worked so hard to secure our son’s placement. I would most definitely recommend James and Laxmi to anyone wishing to pursue the right provision for their young person.

Cath and Phil

What our clients say

I’m thankful

I’m thankful that we found James, without him my son would have been abandoned by his Local Authority. Moving on from college is a stressful process for all the family, & Local Authority knows this & uses this to try & push parents to the limit, by ignoring their responsibility hoping that you will give up . In came James, took pressure off me & onto them . Highly recommend. We won , my son now can start his transition to his next chapter. Thank you.

Rebecca Wallace

What our clients say

James was a pleasure to deal with

We contacted Boyes Turner earlier this year after we ran into a dispute with our local authority. This was about a social care matter and learning disability. The case was handled with professionalism and tact. James was a pleasure to deal with. Clear communication, humour and detailed knowledge of the law in this area.

Andrew

What our clients say

James was knowledgeable but at the same time very approachable

The help and support we received from James for our son’s EHC plan has been absolutely invaluable. With his help, we were able to secure an outcome that suits our child. James was knowledgeable but at the same time very approachable and made a very stressful process much more manageable.

Boyes Turner Client

What our clients say

Guiding us through EHCP and transition

James Pantling-Skeet helped us prepare my daughter’s EHCP to gain a good placement for the future. He was patient, extremely knowledgeable, had brilliant contacts, helped withe emotional upheaval and organised meetings with all parties to keep everything on track. We had the best outcome we could have had due to his professionalism. He was very caring too. He and his team worked tirelessly and answered our queries promptly. I would highly recommend their service.

Boyes Turner Client

Recognised leading UK law firm

Boyes Turner is consistently ranked as a leading law firm by top legal directories Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

Types of Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Information and guidance on different types of SEN and the support they may require.

Types of special educational needs

Cerebral palsy – SEN

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Angelman syndrome

Anxiety disorder

Aphasia

Apraxia

Types of SEN FAQs

Why use our special educational needs solicitors?

Contact us

0118 467 6547

Special educational needs insights

Our special educational needs solicitors

Laxmi Patel

James Pantling-Skeet

Rachael Allison

Emma Trevett

Steven Baylis

Janata Ali

Lacie Smith

Rachel Baxter

Daisy Fox-Clarkin

Libby Buxton

Amber Puri

Our SEN case studies

What our clients say

Tribunal for placement

What our clients say

We were immediately impressed

What our clients say

SEN Tribunal

What our clients say

Support with the EHCP appeal

What our clients say

SEN support for EHCP

What our clients say

I would most definitely recommend

What our clients say

I’m thankful

What our clients say

James was a pleasure to deal with

What our clients say

James was knowledgeable but at the same time very approachable

What our clients say

Guiding us through EHCP and transition

Recognised leading UK law firm

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