Multi-disciplinary Assessment
Younger children who are referred to the service may be offered a Multi-Disciplinary Assessment (MDA) if there are significant concerns about one or more areas of development including large motor and fine motor movements, speech, language and behaviour.
The MDA involves appropriate professionals from the relevant team. The main aim of the MDA is to establish your child’s developmental needs and to agree a plan to help ensure your child achieves his/her potential.
Children aged over 5 who are attending school may need detailed individual assessments and may already be involved with community school services such as speech and language therapy. In this case a review meeting may be arranged following individual professional assessments.
MDAs have 2 hours allotted for the appointment. In the first part the aim is to:
•find out about the family’s concerns
•obtain necessary medical history,
observe and assess the child’s play and development
•complete a medical examination including weighing and measuring
This helps us to understand more clearly the nature of your child’s needs and plan ways to help. We may need to arrange further assessments or tests which we will discuss with you.In order to decide on these things we have a short break so the team can discuss together what we have seen and heard while you and your child also have a break.
We then meet with you to discuss our findings and to agree with you about the best ways to help. You will be given a brief handwritten summary to take away and a more detailed typed report will follow.
A review meeting, lasting up to 1 hour, may be arranged at this point for a future date and all the professionals working with your child will be invited to attend. This gives you a chance to review your child’s progress with all those involved
What is an Education, Health & Care (EHC) needs assessment / Statutory Assessment?
A Statutory Assessment, is a process for working out what special educational needs a child or young person has, and the special educational provision they need.
In England, the process is an EHC needs assessment. In Wales, it is referred to as a Statutory Assessment.
The EHC needs assessment has to be completed before a child or young person can be issued with an Education Health and Care Plan. A Statutory Assessment must be completed before a child or young person can be issued with a Statement of Special Educational Needs.
A child’s parents, guardians or school can request an EHC needs assessment. In England, a young person, between 16 and 25, may make a request for an EHC needs assessment themselves.
An EHC needs assessment is completed by the child or young person’s local authority.
The local authority must conduct an EHC needs assessment if a child or young person may have special educational needs and that those needs might need the support of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Once the local authority receives a request for an EHC needs assessment / Statutory Assessment, it has six weeks to decide whether to make the assessment.
If the local authority refuses to conduct an EHC needs assessment / Statutory Assessment it is possible to appeal this decision to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST). The Tribunal will consider the legal test and the evidence that is available. It is often advisable to secure expert legal advice to prepare your appeal. Appeals against a refusal to assess are often dealt with on the papers, so it is very important to make sure that the appeal is prepared well, including detailed grounds of appeal.
During the EHC needs assessment, the local authority must seek advice from involved education, social care and medical professionals. Parents can also request further specific advice. If your local authority has agreed to make an assessment, it is worth taking advice about the process and what you are entitled to.