Background
Children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) have the right to express their views about matters affecting them. This includes children severely affected by disability who are required to entrust adults to speak on their behalf. The literature exploring the participation of children with complex learning and communication needs (CLCN) in decision-making using person-centred planning (PCP) is limited.

Aims
This study explores how adults understand the views of children with CLCN and how this understanding can inform PCP.

Sample
Three children with CLCN aged 4-11 years attending one special school, their mothers and two professionals working with each child. Other professionals and one father also took part in the PCP meetings.

Method
Social constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed, emphasising researcher reflexivity and co-construction of research with participants. Individual interviews with adult participants took place followed by observations of the children in school, observations of their PCP meetings, and discussion of data analysis with participants.

Results
Research findings relate to three psychological concepts: agency and self-efficacy, social construction, and an ecological perspective upon human development.

Conclusions
Understanding the views of children with CLCN takes place over time in relational and social contexts. Different interpretations of a child’s communication are considered when adults collaborate, leading to shared understandings of a child’s views being socially constructed. Adults infer the meaning of a child’s views about what is important to them for the future from their understanding of the child’s views about their immediate contexts, which informs PCP.