Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) – parents' views and use: research findings 2025

7 Supporting children with ASN

This chapter explores the experiences of families with children with ASN, including their experiences of finding and choosing ELC to meet their child’s ASN, their level of satisfaction with their ELC provider and any reasons for dissatisfaction.

Parents with children eligible for funded ELC were asked if any of their eligible children had ASN. In total, 18% of parents said at least one of their eligible children had additional needs. They were given a list of 11 ASN to choose from and could also select ‘other’. The most common types of ASN mentioned were language, speech and communication difficulties (7%), autistic spectrum disorder (6%) and social, emotional or behavioural difficulty (5%). This is consistent with findings in 2022. It is important to note that a number of parents reported that their children had multiple ASN, with the most common ASN often selected together.

7.1 Choosing a funded ELC provider

In the survey, parents of all children with ASN were asked how they chose an ELC provider to meet the ASN of their child, based on a list of nine options (plus ‘Other’) (Figure 7.1).

Base: Parent respondents of children under 6 with ASN (unweighted base, n=1,297)

Staff were important in parents’ decision making. Four in five parents (80%) reported that they wanted staff who took time to get to know their child well and how best to support them. Around two-thirds wanted staff to be able to work with their child in ways which meet their needs (68%) and staff who work with them and other professionals to make sure that their child’s needs are met (66%). These findings are similar to the findings in 2022.

7.2 Difficulties finding funded ELC that meets additional needs

Survey respondents were also asked if they faced any difficulties in finding funded ELC that met their child’s ASN (Figure 7.2). Respondents were provided with a list of nine potential difficulties to choose from or could select ‘Other’. Around two-thirds (65%) of parents said they had no difficulties in finding funded ELC that meets their child’s ASN. This was consistent with 2022 (69%), compared with 52% in 2018.

Base: Parent respondents of child under 6 with ASN (unweighted base, n=1,297)

Households with no parent in work were more likely to have experienced no difficulties in finding ELC that meets their child’s ASN (73%, compared with 63% of households with one parent in work and 62% with two parents in work). In 2022 there were differences by income and SIMD; this was not the case in 2025.

Around one-third (35%) of respondents experienced difficulties in finding funded ELC that met their child’s ASN. The most common difficulties were: a lack of information on what support was available to their children with ASN or how they can access support (14%), low confidence that staff had time to meet their child’s needs (13%), and a lack of information on how ELC settings support children with ASN (10%).

There were few notable differences between subgroups by type of difficulty. An exception was that respondents in households in which English was an additional language were more likely to report language barriers between staff and either themselves or their child, leading to communication difficulties (7%, compared with 2% for households with English as a first language). In interviews, parents with children with ASN also mentioned communication difficulties with staff (Chapter 9).

7.3 Satisfaction with funded ELC provision for children with ASN

Respondents who said that they had a child aged under six with ASN and were eligible for funded ELC were asked how satisfied they were that their funded ELC met their children’s ASN. The majority (89%) of parents said that they were either satisfied (33%) or very satisfied (56%) and only 6% were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. This was similar to the findings in 2022 where 85% were satisfied or very satisfied. There were no notable differences by subgroups in 2025.

In interviews, parents shared why they were satisfied with funded ELC provision for their children with ASN. The understanding, experience and skills of staff were central. Participants stated that their children’s ASN were well met when the ELC setting had staff who understood the ASN of their children and had the knowledge, experience and access to materials and tools to support these needs.

[Child’s] autism meant that she needed a lot more extra support especially with like transitioning to school and things. But the nursery they were really good, they arranged a lot of additional support for her. So she got extra visits to the school, visits to her new teacher, things like that. They made a lot of adjustments for her in the nursery as well. […] she’s really really sensitive to noises. She could also wear her ear defenders whenever she needed them and they were really really good at giving her quiet time when she needed it. (Parent of a two-year-old and a three- to five-year-old)

Participants emphasised the importance of staff taking time to get to know their children and their needs to ensure that they could put the right support in place. In some instances, staff took it upon themselves to learn more about the needs of children and the tools that could support them. In others, they adopted strategies and tools parents used successfully at home. This was sometimes reciprocated, with ELC staff giving advice on tools or strategies for parents to try at home.

They’ve been great to be fair […] they’ve even given me tips to try at home with her that I feel are really beneficial. So, I think they handle her kind of outbursts quite well but they’re also positively impacting her in the home as well. (Parent of a two-year-old)

Participants said they felt confident that their child’s ASN were being met when ELC staff took time to communicate with parents about what activities they have been doing with their child, and how the child was developing. ELC settings communicated in a range of ways, including online journals, ‘stay and play’ parental visits to the ELC setting, and meetings with parents.

They try their best to give support to the child. […] They have something called a Learning Journal which is an online page. […] They occasionally record things about our child, like what he did today, what exceptionally he did, something like that just to encourage the child, like okay he has written this word today or he came for lunch today. So that really keeps us informed on his progress at the nursery. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Finally, participants were satisfied when ELC providers were willing and able to work with external support to meet the child’s needs, for example, providing space in the ELC setting for appointments with external support staff, instead of the child being taken out of ELC to attend appointments. This helped to minimise disruption for both the child and the parent. It was also well received by participants when ELC providers adopted techniques in the nursery setting that were recommended by specialists to help a child’s development. A parent shared that staff developed this learning into a group activity which meant their child was not singled out.

7.4 Dissatisfaction with funded ELC provision for children with ASN

Respondents who reported they were dissatisfied with their child’s ELC meeting their ASN (n=71, 6%), were asked why this was. They were given a list of 11 reasons to choose from (selecting all that were applicable) or could select ‘other’. Some of the most commonly selected reasons for being dissatisfied were in relation to staff: there were not enough staff at the setting to meet their child’s ASN (e.g. lack of 1 to 1 support) (53%); staff did not have the time to meet their child’s needs (49%); and staff did not have the right training, knowledge or experience to meet their child’s needs (45%). Other reasons related to aspects of ELC settings: the playrooms were too busy and noisy for their child (57%), there was a lack of appropriate planning to meet their child’s needs (32%), a lack of activities for their child’s development (e.g. speech and language or sensory activities) (31%) and there were not the right facilities or equipment to meet their child’s needs (17%).

Parents expanded on all of these issues in interviews. Interview participants were dissatisfied primarily because they felt ELC staff did not have sufficient understanding, training and skills to support their children’s ASN. They reported that this could delay their child’s development or could put their child at risk. It was felt that it was the responsibility of local authorities to provide this training to staff.

I don’t think they [nursery] had a lot of knowledge on children with Additional Support Needs. It often felt like they maybe didn’t know what they were doing. […] We went to pick [name of child] up one day and they didn’t know where he’d gone and he was in a room on his own […] So we did take him out that day and didn’t put him back in after that. […] We needed to be 100% sure that we knew he was safe. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

If you’re working with a child with Additional Support Needs you should get training on what neurodiversity is and there should be resources to help you cope with that. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Participants said that they talked to ELC staff to inform them of their child’s needs and shared tools they implemented at home that assisted their child to communicate, engage and moderate their emotions. Despite this, some participants voiced their frustration that support tools were being implemented inconsistently or not at all. This led to children getting upset or their behaviour escalated which resulted in parents being called into the ELC setting to intervene. Not only did this cause distress to the child and disrupt their learning, but it could also disrupt parents’ work. While some participants reported that their employers were understanding and supportive when this happened, other employers were not, which caused additional stress for parents.

If they’re not doing it [implementing support] then it’s a massive impact on them [child] and could be the difference between them having meltdowns and not. […] I don’t think there’s enough information for the staff there to be able to deal with and cope with the children that are coming in with Additional Support Needs. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Participants said that when ELC staff did not implement support tools consistently, or at all, they felt that they were not being taken seriously. As a result, some submitted complaints to their LA or sought official diagnoses for their child in order that their child’s ASN was taken more seriously. Participants were frustrated that this course of action was needed to ensure appropriate support was made available.

We’ve actually had to involve our local Health Visitor who has came to different meetings and everything. The school nursery has failed [child] really because they just weren’t paying attention to his needs. […] It’s took us pushing at them to actually work with [name of child] and do what they need to do to get him ready for school. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Participants were also dissatisfied with the staff-to-child ratio in some ELC settings^[27]. They felt that even if ELC staff had the skills and training to support children’s ASN, the number of children in a setting made it difficult for staff to implement tailored support, particularly where one-to-one support was needed. There were families who chose their ELC setting because it was smaller and could therefore provide more focused support to children with ASN.

I’ve noticed in busier settings it’s very difficult to have that communication and that level of quality anymore with the parents. […] So I do think the quality of care has decreased with these higher number of children in the setting […] So it is putting a demand on for staff and staff are feeling more the stress and pressure of the job now I’ve noticed. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Finally, some participants were dissatisfied with their ELC setting’s communication. They argued that ELC staff were not proactive in giving feedback on how their child was coping and what they were doing to support their child’s ASN.

I will ask [staff] how has their day went, what were they struggling with today, things like that, so that I can help at home by working on things at home. […] With the nursery I don’t really feel I get much back […] You’ll go to a meeting and it’s like oh well she’s been struggling with this for so long […] I feel sometimes I’m kind of pulling teeth and it’s like you’re coming to me with all the problems and I’m trying to help you but you need to come to me sooner. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

7.5 Improving provision for children with ASN

To address the range of challenges faced by parents with children with ASN, interview participants suggested a wide range of improvements to existing funded ELC provision to make it more accessible for children with ASN. These included:

• More ASN training for ELC staff to increase their understanding of a range of ASN and how best to support these needs.
• More specialised ASN support staff within all funded ELC settings.
• Improvements to ELC settings to better meet the needs of children with ASN including: reduced class sizes to improve staff to child ratio, provision of quiet spaces, and appropriate toys and activities to meet a range of ASN.
• Increased number of funded hours available for children with ASN.
• More education about ASN for children within ELC settings to help other children understand the behaviour of children with ASN.

Within existing funded ELC providers, participants emphasised the need for increased ASN training for staff, noting the wide range of ways that additional support needs present, and the importance of thorough training to properly equip practitioners to provide the correct care for these needs. Some also suggested there should be more specialised funded ELC providers exclusively for children with ASN.

It would be handy if in mainstream nurseries there was something in the curriculum to explain to other children why children might be acting the way that they are or just an openness to it. (Parent of a three- to five-year-old)

Finally, participants would like to see improvements to the information available about funded ELC. There were those who were not aware what ELC provision was available in their area, and those which provided funded ELC spaces. This was particularly the case for parents who were new to an area. Participants wanted information about funded ELC to be made more accessible to parents, including information about which providers in their local area offer funded ELC hours, and which providers currently have spaces available. A parent suggested a website with an interactive map to help parents find this information. Participants also said they would like more transparent information about how spaces are allocated within ELC providers.