Applying for an EHCP if your child has dyslexia or reading difficulties

Many parents are told that dyslexia or reading difficulties aren’t enough for an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Others worry that because their child doesn’t have a diagnosis they won’t qualify for support.

So can you apply for an EHCP if your child has dyslexia or significant reading difficulties? The short answer is yes but it depends on impact, not labels.

What is an EHCP?

An EHCP is a legal document for children and young people aged 0–25 who need a higher level of support than schools can provide through their usual SEN support. It sets out your child’s needs, the provision required to meet those needs and the outcomes they are working towards. It is based on need and impact not diagnosis alone.

Does dyslexia qualify for an EHCP?

Dyslexia on its own does not automatically lead to an EHCP but neither does autism, ADHD or any other diagnosis.

What matters is whether:

• Your child has significant and long-term difficulties

• Those difficulties impact access to learning, progress or wellbeing

• The school has put appropriate support in place

• That support has not been sufficient

Many children with dyslexia do well with good quality SEN or quality first teaching support. However, some children have more complex or severe profiles where reading and writing difficulties significantly affect their learning, confidence, emotional wellbeing or ability to access the curriculum. In these cases, an EHCP may be appropriate.

Reading difficulties without a dyslexia diagnosis

You do not need a formal dyslexia diagnosis to apply for an EHCP. Local authorities must consider areas such as functional needs, evidence of difficulty and evidence of impact, not whether a child has a specific label. If your child has persistent reading difficulties, slow progress despite support or significant barriers to accessing learning this can still form the basis of an EHCP request.

When might an EHCP be appropriate for reading difficulties?

An EHCP may be appropriate if reading and literacy difficulties:

• Are severe and persistent

• Affect most areas of the curriculum

• Impact confidence, anxiety, behaviour or school attendance

• Require specialist teaching or adaptations beyond what the school can usually provide

What evidence do you need?

This is the part parents often find most confusing and most stressful. Evidence needs to show what your child’s needs are, what support has been tried and that support hasn’t been enough.

Useful evidence can include:

• SEN support plans or provision maps

• Records of interventions and their outcomes

• Progress data showing slow or limited progres

• Teacher reports describing difficulties in class

• Notes on avoidance, anxiety or emotional impact

• Standardised reading or spelling scores

• Reports from specialist teachers or assessors

• Cognitive assessments. This does not have to be a full diagnostic report, although these can be helpful.

• Parent and child views

What happens after you apply?

Once an EHCP assessment is requested, the local authority must decide whether to assess within six weeks. If they agree, they will gather advice from the school, professionals involved, parents and the child. If they refuse to assess or later refuse to issue an EHCP, you have the right to challenge this. Many families are refused initially but this does not mean your case is weak.

If you are considering an EHCP, it’s often helpful to seek guidance early, organise evidence clearly and focus on how your child is affected day to day.