Impact of managing child’ s special educational needs
Which, if any, of the following have you experienced as a result of having a child with special educational needs?
58 %
Long waiting times for assessments( e. g. from the local authority or NHS)
42 % 40 % 34 %
Difficulty in obtaining a diagnosis for my child with SEN
Mental health problems
Financial strain due to additional costs
33 %
Tensions from family members at home
25 % 22 % 22 %
Difficulty finding schooling with adequate provision for my child with SEN
Parental blame from others
Isolation from other parents
Sample: 5,866 parents in England( 3,391), Scotland( 1,309), Wales( 865) and Northern Ireland( 301) who have at least one child aged 4 to 18 in school. Base: All UK parents whose child has SEN( 1,271)
15 % of parents have given up work to care for their child with special educational needs
Photography: istock. com / SolStock
36 THE NATIONAL PARENT SURVEY 2025