Kirsty, Dean and their daughter Harper

Raising a child in 2025 is not cheap – according to LV, it costs parents an average of £12,400 per year up until they’re 18 years old. (And the more kids you have, the higher this will be.)

For parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the annual cost is even higher – childcare is often more expensive and parents may have to fork out for specialist therapies, home adaptations and medication.

Kirsty, a mum from Berkshire, has opened up about the additional emotional and financial cost of raising a disabled child. Her six-year-old daughter Harper has autism, hyperlexia, sensory processing difficulties, and restrictive eating patterns.

“We first suspected that Harper was autistic when she was just under a year old,” said Kirsty.

“She didn’t respond to her name, and she couldn’t maintain eye contact with us. Later, she was non-verbal, until one day when she surprised us by reading out loud! Over time, we realised it was more complex than autism alone.”

Harper’s additional needs mean her family spends just over £4,000 extra each year for tools and resources to help support her.

These include:

• Specialist therapies (occupational and speech therapy): £80 per hour for each therapy, with one of each session costing £160 a month and £1,920 a year.

• Sensory tools (wobble boards, wobble cushions, ear defenders, etc): About £500 a year.

• Adaptive clothing (sensory clothing, specific fabrics): £500 a........
  

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