Children with special educational needs all have learning difficulties or disabilities that make it harder for them to learn than most children of the same age.

Children with special educational needs may need different or extra help because of a range of needs, such as in thinking and understanding, physical or sensory difficulties, emotional and behavioural difficulties, or difficulties with speech and language or how they relate to and behave with other people.

Help for children with special educational needs will usually be in the child's ordinary, mainstream early education setting or school, sometimes with the help of outside specialists.