Hackney Parent Partnership Service operates from The Learning Trust in Hackney Technology and Learning Centre and from Hackney Carers Centre, where parents can get independent advice and support.

What should I do if I am worried that my child may be having difficulties?
Your child's early years are a very important time for their physical, emotional, intellectual and social development. Your health visitor or doctor might suggest that there could be a problem when they make a routine check. But if you have any worries of your own, you do need to get advice straight away.

If your child is not yet at school or going to an early education setting (playgroup or nursery for example), talk to your doctor or health visitor

If your child goes to an early education setting, talk to the playgroup leader, to nursery teacher, the SENCO (this is the person who has responsibility for co-ordinating help for children with special educational needs) or to the head teacher

You can also contact Hackney Parent Partnership Service:

Scilla Morgan, Parent Partnership Officer at The Learning Trust on 020 8820 7421

0r for help with choosing a secondary school for your child with special educational needs, contact:

Nuray Kunbarji on 020 8820 7122 or Chris Finch on 020 8820 7123

Don't delay ? talking about your worries is the first step to getting help for your child.

Ask whether the playgroup leader, teacher or SENCO has noticed anything about your child, which might mean that he or she has special educational needs. They will be able to explain what will happen next.

Don't forget to share information -

• Say when you first noticed the difficulty and if it is getting worse
• Say whether you have mentioned it to anyone else or your child is seeing someone about the difficulty
• Say if anyone else in the family has similar difficulties
• Say how your child feels and how he or she is at home
• Say if there are any problems at home or if there has been any kind of upset, which might be affecting your child.

The law says that a child has ?special educational needs' if they have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age. These children may need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age.

Children do not have learning difficulties just because their first language is not English, although of course some of these children may have learning difficulties as well.

Children may need extra help because of a range of special educational needs, such as:

• Thinking and understanding
• Physical or sensory (sight, hearing etc.)
• Emotional or behavioural difficulties
• Speech and language difficulties
• Difficulties in how they relate to other people

Many children will have special educational needs of some kind during their education. Schools and other organisations can help most children to overcome these difficulties, but a few children will need extra help for some or all of their time in school.

Remember
You know your child better than anyone else. Have confidence in yourself and be ready to share information

The teacher or playgroup leader sees your child in a different setting and has knowledge and experience that can be shared with you

Sometimes it helps to write down what you would like to say before going into a meeting

Your encouragement and praise for your child is very important

Children pick up feelings from how their parents and other adults talk to them. Working together is important.

Try to listen to what your child says ? it helps them to think carefully and feel that people take notice of what they say

There are other organisations that help parents ? Hackney Parent Partnership Service can put you in touch. It can help to know you are not alone.

Being informed can also help. If you are able to, read leaflets, books and watch TV programmes about special educational needs. If you need information in other languages or on tape, contact the Parent Partnership Service.