🌱 Supporting families on the waiting list

Your child's support
starts now.
Not in 3 years.

EarlyLane helps families navigating the NHS neurodevelopmental assessment waiting list — with tools, community, and evidence-building that starts from day one.

⏳ Average NHS wait: 3–7 years

👨‍👩‍👧 180,000+ families waiting in England

🔒 GDPR compliant · Your data, your control

💚 Built with neurodivergent families

What EarlyLane does

Everything you need while you wait

The waiting list doesn't have to be a void. Here's how we help from day one.

📔

Observation Journal

Log your child's behaviours, strengths, and challenges over time. Build a rich, structured picture that transforms your assessment appointment — you arrive with months of evidence instead of trying to remember everything.

Start journalling →

🏫

School Toolkit

Template letters to request support. A plain-English guide to EHCPs. Scripts for difficult teacher conversations. Everything you need to advocate for your child today — without waiting for a diagnosis.

Get the toolkit →

💬

Parent Community

Connect with parents who are 6 months, a year, or two years ahead of you on this journey. Safe, moderated, real. Because a conversation with someone who's been there is worth more than any article.

Join the community →

📋

Assessment Passport

Everything you've logged builds toward a structured, verified document — your child's Assessment Passport. It goes into the assessment, comes out as a school support plan, and grows with your child for life.

Learn more →

"I spent two years feeling completely lost. EarlyLane gave me something to do, and something to show. When we finally got our appointment, I walked in prepared."

— Parent of a 9-year-old, Birmingham · On the waiting list 26 months

The journey

You're not alone in this

Here's what the path typically looks like — and where EarlyLane helps at every stage.

📝

GP Referral Submitted

You've taken the first step. Now the wait begins. Most families hear nothing for months. This is where EarlyLane starts — building your evidence from day one.

✓ EarlyLane starts here

⏳

The Waiting Period (months → years)

The hardest part. School struggles may intensify. You're advocating without paperwork. EarlyLane's journal, school toolkit and community support you through this entire period.

Most families: 2–5 years

🏥

Assessment Appointment

You finally get your appointment. With EarlyLane, you arrive with a structured observation record, a wellbeing timeline, and a clear picture of your child. Assessments go faster. Outcomes are better.

✓ Arrive prepared

🌟

Diagnosis & Beyond

Your journal becomes a verified Passport — a living document that follows your child through school, college, and into employment. The work you did during the wait becomes their foundation.

✓ A passport for life

🌟

Oliver

Age 9 · Year 5

⏳ 14 months waiting

51 observations logged
Your Assessment Passport is 68% complete

Oliver's Journal

Building your evidence, one observation at a time

✏️ Add today's observation

Oliver's mood today:

🌟 Strength 18 April 2026

Extraordinary focus during Lego time

Oliver spent 2.5 hours building an intricate Lego city completely unprompted. He designed a working traffic system and explained the logic to me in remarkable detail. This level of focused, systematic thinking is something we see regularly with his special interests.

Special interest Hyperfocus Systematic thinking

👁️ Sensory 15 April 2026

Dinner difficult — strong reaction to food textures

Refused dinner again tonight because the pasta was a different shape than usual. This isn't fussiness — he genuinely seemed distressed by the texture difference. Has been happening more frequently. Ate calmly once I separated everything on the plate with no sauces touching.

Food texture Routine change Distress

🏫 School 12 April 2026

Teacher reported playground difficulties again

Miss Johnson called to say Oliver had another difficult lunchtime. He finds unstructured time very hard — doesn't know how to join group games, ends up wandering alone or having a meltdown if another child is unpredictable. She's trying but there's no formal support plan yet.

Unstructured time Peer interaction School

School Toolkit

Advocate for Oliver today

You don't need a diagnosis to ask for support. These tools help you have the right conversations, in the right way.

📨

Request Support Letter

A template letter to your child's school requesting reasonable adjustments while you await assessment.

Use template →

📋

EHCP Request Letter

Request a statutory Education Health and Care Plan assessment. The school must respond within 6 weeks.

Use template →

🤝

Meeting Request

Request a formal SEND review meeting with the school's SENDCo to discuss your child's needs.

Use template →

📖

What is an EHCP?

A plain-English guide to Education Health and Care Plans — what they are, who qualifies, and how to get one.

Read guide →

⚖️

Your Legal Rights

Schools have duties under the Equality Act 2010 regardless of diagnosis. Here's what you're entitled to ask for.

Read guide →

💡

Reasonable Adjustments

A practical list of adjustments that help neurodivergent children — from seating to break time support — that you can request today.

See the list →

Parent Community

Real parents, real experiences, real support

SR

Sarah R.

Mum of a 10-year-old · 28 months waiting · Manchester

We finally got our assessment date! After 28 months. I genuinely cried. The journal I kept on here was the thing that made the biggest difference — I walked into that appointment with 14 months of structured observations and the assessor actually said she wished all parents came as prepared as I was. It works. Keep going. 💚

Assessment booked Journal helped It gets better

MK

Marcus K.

Dad of a 7-year-old · 9 months waiting · Bristol

Genuinely didn't know about the EHCP route until I found this community. Used the template letter last month and the school suddenly started taking us seriously. They've assigned a teaching assistant for break times and Oliver's meltdowns at school have reduced dramatically. You don't have to wait for the diagnosis to get help.

EHCP School support Practical win

LP

Laura P.

Mum of twins (8) · 18 months waiting · Leeds

Can I ask — does anyone else feel guilty that they're not doing enough? One of my twins seems to be struggling more this term and I feel so helpless. We're 18 months in and no end in sight. Some days I just don't know how to help him. Any advice would mean the world right now.

Need support Parent wellbeing

Your child's supportstarts now.Not in 3 years.

Your child's support
starts now.
Not in 3 years.