My child has just been diagnosed with autism — what do I do now?

Tell your child's school SENCO and ask to start or review SEN Support, check your council's Local Offer for local services, and apply for Disability Living Allowance if your child needs extra daily care.

Start with the school

Book a meeting with the SENCO (the teacher in charge of special educational needs) and share the diagnosis report. A diagnosis does not, on its own, change what school must do, but it is strong evidence that your child has special educational needs. That triggers SEN Support: the school's graduated approach of assess, plan, do and review, where they put help in place and check whether it is working. Ask what support is already running and what they will add now. You do not need an EHCP to get this, and most children with autism are supported through SEN Support rather than a formal plan.

Check the Local Offer and your benefits

Every council in England has to publish a Local Offer, a public list of the support, services and groups in your area for children with SEND. Find it on your council's website, or use the National Autistic Society's autism services directory. Then look at money: Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is based on the extra care or supervision your child needs compared with other children their age, not on the diagnosis itself, so you can claim whether or not you have a formal report. Phone the DLA helpline (0800 121 4600) to start, because your claim is backdated to the day you call.

Look after yourselves, and be careful who you trust

There is no rush to overhaul everything this week. The National Autistic Society runs a parent-to-parent helpline and an online community where families talk through the same moment you are in. One practical warning: ignore anything that promises to cure or recover autism. Autism is a lifelong difference in how the brain works, and the useful work is understanding and supporting your child, not treating them. It also helps to explain the diagnosis to family so the people around your child understand it too.

If school support is not enough

Give SEN Support a fair run, but if your child's needs are not being met you can ask the council for an EHC needs assessment, which can lead to an EHCP (a legal plan that names the support your child must get). You can request this yourself without the school's agreement. IPSEA has free template letters and an advice line.

This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.