EHCP Autism Assessment Evidence: What Your Application Needs

You have your child's autism evaluation — maybe from the NHS, maybe from a private assessment you paid for after years on a waiting list. Now you need to turn that report into evidence that persuades a Local Authority to agree to an EHC needs assessment. The evaluation alone isn't enough. How you present the evidence, which scores you emphasize, and how you frame the link between the clinical findings and your child's educational needs determines whether the LA assesses or refuses.

What the Local Authority Is Looking For

Under the Children and Families Act 2014, a Local Authority must agree to conduct an EHC needs assessment if the child may have special educational needs and it may be necessary for special educational provision to be made through an EHCP. The threshold is "may" — not "definitely has" or "clearly requires." In practice, many LAs apply a higher threshold than the law requires, but understanding what they should be asking helps you frame your evidence.

The LA wants to see that the child has identified SEN that exceed what the school can reasonably provide at SEN Support level. They want evidence that the school has already made reasonable adjustments and that those adjustments are insufficient. And they want to understand the scope and severity of the child's needs across the four areas of the SEND Code of Practice: Communication and Interaction, Cognition and Learning, Social Emotional and Mental Health, and Sensory and Physical.

Autism intersects with all four areas. Your evidence should address each one.

Which Assessment Scores Strengthen the Application

ADOS-2 classification and Calibrated Severity Score. If the ADOS-2 classified "Autism" or "Autism Spectrum," include the CSS alongside the classification. A CSS of 6–10 indicates moderate to high autism symptom severity. If the ADOS-2 classified non-spectrum but other tools showed elevated scores, present the discrepancy and explain that the ADOS-2 has documented limitations with masking, verbal fluency, and brief clinical observations.

SRS-2 T-scores. Parent and teacher T-scores in the moderate (66–75) or severe (≥76) range provide norm-referenced evidence of social communication difficulties across settings. If parent and teacher scores diverge significantly, note that the divergence reflects setting-specific demand differences and masking, not rater error.

Adaptive behavior scores. A Vineland-3 or ABAS-3 Adaptive Behavior Composite significantly below cognitive ability documents that the child's real-world functioning is lower than their intellectual potential. This gap directly supports the argument that SEN Support is insufficient — if the child cannot independently manage daily routines despite average or above-average intelligence, they need more than standard classroom differentiation.

Executive function scores. BRIEF-2 scales above the clinical threshold (T ≥ 65) document difficulties with cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, working memory, and organization that affect learning, social interaction, and independence at school.

Sensory processing. Sensory Profile 2 scores showing elevated Avoiding, Sensitivity, or Seeking patterns can support requests for environmental modifications or occupational-therapy input; the score alone does not decide what services the school provides.

How to Present Private Assessment Evidence

If your child was assessed privately — perhaps after years on an NHS waiting list — you can submit the report as evidence when requesting an EHC needs assessment. The clinical findings can help describe your child's needs, but the LA decides whether the statutory criteria for assessment and an EHCP are met. Some LAs push back on private reports, arguing they lack classroom observation data or were conducted in clinical rather than educational settings.

Counter this by supplementing the private report with school-based evidence: teacher questionnaires (even informal ones documenting concerns), samples of work showing inconsistency, SEN Support plans or individual provision maps, attendance data if school avoidance is a factor, and any records of behavioural incidents or meltdowns at school.

Present the private evaluation and the school evidence together as a coherent package. The private evaluation provides the clinical framework — diagnostic classification, psychometric scores, clinical recommendations. The school evidence provides the educational context — how those clinical findings manifest in the classroom and why existing provision is not meeting need.

Common Rejection Reasons and How to Address Them

"The school has not demonstrated that SEN Support is insufficient." Ask the school to document what adjustments they've made, how long each has been in place, and what measurable progress the child has made. If records are missing, note the gap and provide your own dated examples of how your child's needs continue despite support.

"The child's academic attainment is within the expected range." Educational performance under the SEND Code of Practice is not limited to academic attainment. Social, emotional, and mental health needs, communication difficulties, and sensory needs all constitute SEN regardless of grades.

"We don't accept private assessments." You can submit a private report as evidence, but it does not by itself require the LA to carry out an assessment or issue an EHCP. Ask the LA to explain in writing how it assessed your child's needs against the statutory criteria, and seek independent SEND advice if you disagree with the decision.

The Autism Evaluation Report Decoder explains every assessment tool used in autism evaluations — ADOS-2, SRS-2, ASRS, Vineland-3, BRIEF-2, Sensory Profile — and shows how to present each finding as evidence for the educational provision your child needs.