Can a child get an IDP in Wales without a medical diagnosis?

What matters legally

The ALN test focuses on whether the learner has a learning difficulty or disability and whether this calls for additional learning provision. A medical label may help explain needs, but it is not the threshold for an IDP.

Useful evidence while waiting for diagnosis

• teacher observations and progress information
• attendance or distress patterns
• examples of work
• speech, occupational therapy or other professional advice already available
• parent and learner views
• records of strategies tried and their impact

What to ask the school

Ask what barriers the school has identified, what support has already been tried, what additional or different provision may be needed, and whether the school is making a formal ALN decision.

Do not wait for a label to describe need

Describe the actual difficulty: for example understanding language, regulating sensory input, recording work, reading, concentration, communication or attendance. This makes the conversation about provision rather than a diagnosis alone.