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Is it too easy to get a diagnosis of special education needs?

The government is completely overhauling the SEN system after Ofsted claimed there was massive overdiagnosis.

Can it possibly be true that one in five schoolchildren have a special educational need? Ofsted says hundreds of thousands of these kids just need better teaching.

If you have been told your child has a special educational need was that label thrust on them, or did you fight tooth and nail to get it? Does the label actually help? Is your child getting the help they need or do you feel like you are constantly battling the system?

What will happen to your child in the long run? The sad truth is that almost a third of 18-year-olds with a special educational need are not in any form of education employment or training.

The most extreme special educational needs like autism should mean your child gets a statement - that is a legal document - but does it really guarantee your child a good education?

In the late 1950's, a German company called Grunenthal launched a new drug - a cure for morning sickness. It was available in 46 countries around the world.

It had never been tested on pregnant mammals, let alone women, and caused the deaths of up to 100,000 babies in the womb. Of the 10,000 born, nearly half died in the first year. Those who survived were left with a range of disabilities, typically short limbs and flipper-like arms as well as deafness and blindness

The drug was called Thalidomide.

Nearly 500 people in the UK are now living with those disabilities and they are all approaching their 50 birthdays.

We speak to one of them, Louise Medus-Mansell, who was born in 1962 with no arms or legs.

We hear your views and stories.

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