julieann

The only types of school LAs offer is mainstream, ASD Unit, Special School. For those that cannot access mainstream, there is little point them being moved to a unit that then feeds them over to mainstream for certain lessons. Yet this is what the majority of them do. For those children that are cognitively able, they are not suitable for a MLD special school, where the other children have general learning disabilities, but tend to have reasonably good social communication skills. The wording above is meant to be Sally 44's quote.Obviously I haven't got the hang of quoting paragraphs. I notice that with the new SEN changes Academies and Free schools are going to be added to the schools available. Surely these types of schools are run as a business. The're not going to want to take pupils knowing they will need expensive additional services from day one.

I supported at an all girls school for 8 years. Boys seem to socialise differently to girls. I personally think my pupils difficulties with communicating and socialising were made more obvious to them because it was an all girls school. Would you have prefered to go to a mixed school?

Aeolienne I was just saying that I personally found the book useful. Clearly you didn't which is ok as not everyone thinks the same. Regarding your comment p3 "Girls with AS are often mothered by the other girls"...no way! The pupil that I supported with AS in secondary school from Yr 7 - Yr 10 was mothered by the other girls. In a class of 15 nearly all the girls looked after her. If she was upset they would go and sit with her. They were very protective of her. She seemed to like the attention although it did change at the start of Yr 9 when the other pupils were talking about boys and soap programmes. She wasn't allowed to watch the soaps incase she took them seriously and therefore couldn't talk about them. Everyone is different in what they like and dislike. Another AS pupil I supported would have said exactly the same as you "No way! or even Yuck. She didn't like close contact from anyone. Julie

Hi westie, There is a very useful book called Asperger's and Girls. Featuring Tony Attwood and Temple Grandin, plus 7 more experts. It provides up to date information about girls and women with Asperger's Syndrome. Covering such topics as diagnosies, education, puberty,relationships and careers including dating and marriage Julie

Hi Kathryn, Good to hear from you. I know this site helped me hang on to some of my sanity during my 8 frustrating years supporting as a one man band in a no SEN environment. I am a member of NAS but I prefered to get other peoples views and experiences before I decide what to do. I have moved on to college environment which I love. Unfortunately due to the previously mentioned new policy of not supporting non statemented students and the governments stopping of the EMA, I lost 17+ hours weekly last September and only have 8hrs weekly total. I was aware that this kind of practise is unlawful in school settings but I didn't realise that it also applied to FE. How's your daughter getting on?. I seem to recall she went to university? Julieann

Thank-you for your reply's. You've jogged a thought for me Sally 44 mentioning LA . The school has just (September 2012) become an academy does this affect statementing issues?

Hi Chris 54, Unfortunately she is already in Yr12 and is doing retakes which I believe are in the third week of this month. She thinks that she will have to stay for Yr 13 as well because she has already missed the deadline for applying for FE places. This new directive at the colleges seems to be because we were getting so many students needing SEN support and the college can only claim funding back if they are statemented.I think there getting ready for when compulsory education goes up to 18. At the moment school age students can be sent back to school if their behaviour is unacceptable. As the colleges take students from Yr 10 upwards we often needed 2 + 3 supports in one class at a time. I was put in an IT class last year solely to be a second pair of eyes for the tutor so that when fights broke out one of us could go and get help whilst the other one stayed with the class. The schools are hanging on to the students who will boost the league tables and the ones that won't are being sent to college. Julie

Thank-you Sally 44 for your reply, I am a SEN support worker. I have knowledge of the SEN Code of Practise and I studied for 1 year with Birmingham University to gain my certificate of ASD's. My son 22yrs has HFA. My concerns are that when my students parents were told and believed our newly appointed SENCO that their daughter had grown out of her ASD I was so incensed that I took out a grievance procedure against the SENCO and the head who backed her up. In hindsite perhaps not my best course of action. The outcome was that my student still lost her statement and I lost my job. The heads official version being: "Thank-you for all that you have done but the school no longer need a SEN Support Assistant because we aren't having any statemented pupil's anymore". I feel that if I get involved the school will say that it's just sour grapes because I lost my job. I don't have access to any of the schools statements or paperwork on her anymore. As it is school policy not to give support after Yr 11 I'm not sure if the school will have saved her old paperwork. As I recall my students statement was very hit and miss. It hadn't been re accessed since she first started primary school. It hinted at aspects of autism and giving support as though she had an ASD. She also had dyspraxia which isn't visible in her walk but she finds handwriting very difficult and all aspects of PE were a challenge. She was supposed to have 10 hrs weekly support with me but because I had another student in the same class with more severe needs she rarely got 4 hrs with me. Student X did speak to me in Yr 11 after asking for help from the schools SENCO because she was worried about teachers commenting on her poor handwriting and not hearing anything for over 4 weeks The only help she was offered was a laptop which she says takes longer than writing because of the pain in her fingers. She grips her pen and her knuckles go white when writing.She also has back pain when sitting on a chair too long. I always felt that I had let student X down as I knew that KS4 and onwards would be when she would need the most support. As she is now an adult and has always been more mature than her peers you've got me thinking I could at least put together a case for her. Julieann.

English, Maths and Science are the three core subjects.

A pupil with Asperger's Syndrome I supported in mainstream dual placed at an EBD school in Yr 9 and was frightened of the pupils in her class who would suddenly shout out or throw things around. ASD pupils like to know in advance what is going to happen and EBD pupils are often quite loud and angry pupil's prone to sudden out bursts.

I supported a student who was statemented up until Yr 10. Her statement was ended and changed for a CAF form because she had got 7's in all 3 of her SAT's. Her parents were told that she would be better with a CAF form and school action+ although once her statement finished she didn't recive any further support from the school. Having supported this student for 4 years I new that her main difficulties were organisational skills and time issues. I tried to put a case forward for her to keep her statement but the school weren't interested.The family had additional social issues and the school thought a CAF form would help them be rehoused. I no longer work at the school. I work at the regional college. This student is now 18yrs and has had to stay on at school to retake her 3 science exams. She has contacted me and asked if I can help her get her statement back because from september 2011 the regional colleges in this area only give support to statemented students. The family are on a low income and she says her parents can't afford to pay to get her statemented privately. I'm not really sure what advise to give her. She had been statemented since she was 2 1/2 yrs old. I thought that perhaps the CAB would be a place to start.

Thank-you for your replies Kathryn and Tally. I will know more after Friday. Her mum thinks she is really going to struggle with finding carers etc as her daughter can't be left without an adult and her older daughter who mum has relied on in the past has started at university. My pupil has been very unhappy at mainstream school and has been doing most of her hours at the local MLD school since September but there are still lots of issues and anxieties in this setting. Should I ask her mum if she has ever thought about AS schools or would that be over stepping the professional line as her daughters LSA. I do have coffee with her and a chat every month or so. Julieann

Hi all, I hope I'm in the right place. The Yr 11 pupil that I support is due an interview at the end of the week regarding her education after secondary school. Her mum seems to think that she is only being offered 16 hours at college a week over the next two years. She has also been asked I think by connextions to think about what sort of a job her daughter would like to do. Is this what happens as I have no experience of after secondary as my son 20yrs didn't get past Yr 8. I thought she would be offered full time courses or is 16 hours full time? Julieann

Thats interesting. He is a qualified doctor of Optometry. Are his books seen as controversial in the uk or is it also in New York were he has a centre for visual management. Julieann