We offer support to children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities when they are dealing with the death of someone special.
There are an estimated 44,496 children with SEND bereaved of a parent in the UK and, just like all bereaved children and young people, they need support to understand and cope with their grief. Adults are naturally inclined to want to protect and shield children from difficult and sad situations, and this may be even more so for children with special educational needs and disabilities due to their ability to understand death.
Below is some information and guidance on how to support bereaved children with SEND, and the specialist support Child Bereavement UK can offer grieving families.
Some people may believe that a child with SEND does not have the cognitive ability to understand the death of a parent or sibling, but we know that this is not true. Even a young baby acknowledges the loss of someone close to them. When you tell a child with special educational needs and disabilities the news of a death, provide all of the relevant details to the level of your child’s understanding and using their preferred mode(s) of communication. By giving children with SEND the facts about the death, we are helping them to understand what has happened and supporting them with any changes this may bring about, which is best for the whole family.
The nature of a child’s SEND may make it difficult for them to understand what death really means, and how they can manage the changes that have occurred in their life. So it is really important that those around them know how to support them.
Our experienced team can offer guidance, advice and support to adults supporting bereaved children with SEND. Please see our support service information for more details.
Some neurodivergent children and young people may experience grief in their bodies and brains differently from their neurotypical peers and may face challenges recognising and communicating this. Read more
Each child with a learning disability or special education needs and disabilities (SEND) is different and as a parent or carer you will have a unique understanding of how to meet their specific needs. Read more
Using a Social Story can be a simple and straightforward way to start these discussions with children and young people with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Read more
Ways of recognising and understanding the grief of a bereaved autistic child and providing support. Read more