Special educational needs in Thailand: what schools offer, and what it costs
The least-documented corner of Thai international education, and the one where families most need straight answers.
Provision splits into three tiers: mainstream schools with learning-support departments, mainstream schools that assess and charge for one-to-one support, and a small number of specialist providers. The first two we can price from schools’ own schedules; the third needs the school-by-school conversation this page exists to prepare you for.
- 3 tiers of provision, priced differently
- 40k THB/semester assessed Learning Support (RIS)
- 25–30k THB/month one-to-one support (Prem)
- Assess before fees the rule worth insisting on
Get matched with the right school
Tell us what support your child needs and we will connect you with schools that can genuinely provide it.
What mainstream schools charge for support
The verified figures, from published 2026-27 schedules: RIS bills Learning Support at 40,000 THB per semester based on assessment. Prem charges one-to-one Learning Support at 25,000–30,000 THB per month. Patana provides speech and language therapy at 7,500 THB for assessment and 1,750 per hour. Most schools fund lighter-touch support within tuition; the line where charging starts is the question to ask at the tour, along with who decides and whether the support is compulsory once assessed; at every school we checked that publishes terms, it is.
The ten questions for any school
- Staffing
How many learning-support staff, and what are their qualifications?
- Honest limits
What needs can you genuinely support, and which can you not? A school that names its limits is the trustworthy one.
- Model and cost
Is support in-class, withdrawal, or one-to-one, and at what cost?
- Review
Who reviews the plan, how often, and is the review shared in writing?
- Assessment first
Will you assess before we commit fees?
- EAL vs SEN
They are different needs; are they handled by different staff?
- Exam access
What is the exam-access-arrangements record (extra time and similar)?
- References
Can you name a family we can speak to?
- Therapies
What providers (OT, speech) visit campus, and who pays?
- The honest exit
At what point would you tell us this is not the right school?
Specialist provision in Bangkok
Three established names, each doing a different job; the distinction matters more here than anywhere else in this guide.
The Village International Education Centre (Soi Sukhumvit 42) provides dedicated full and part-time education for children with special needs from age 2 to 20, drawing an international intake. It is the closest thing Bangkok has to a specialist international school.
Steps is a UK-accredited vocational training centre for young people: life skills, independence, and supported transitions into real employment. It is the answer to the question mainstream schools cannot answer, which is what happens after school.
The Rainbow Room (Soi Sukhumvit 38) is not a school and should not be approached as one: it is a special-needs awareness centre and parent support community covering Down syndrome, autism, dyslexia and more. For a newly-arrived family it is often the right first call, before any school tour.
Among mainstream schools, St Andrews Bangkok runs a named SEN programme and openly partners with Steps, LEAP and The Rainbow Room, which is the kind of ecosystem involvement worth asking every school about. ISB maintains a public directory of Bangkok special-education services that is worth bookmarking regardless of which school you choose. Provision outside Bangkok is thinner and school-dependent; ask the regional schools the ten questions above and expect honest variation in the answers.
SEN FAQ
Do international schools in Thailand accept children with SEN?
Many accept mild-to-moderate needs with support plans; capacity for higher needs is limited and school-specific. Assessment before commitment is standard and worth insisting on.
What does learning support cost?
From included-in-tuition through 40,000 THB per semester to 25,000–30,000 per month one-to-one, per the published schedules we compiled.
Is support compulsory if the school says it is needed?
At every school publishing terms, yes, with the fee attached. Ask before assessment.