pim

Hi Kathryn, I haven't posted for a while. I was wondering the same what's going to happen if the schools around here become academies. I've heard that the secondary beginning with S has written to parents asking for their opinions and is likely to. So would it prompt the others to. Especially the one where your DS goes to, because that is where my kids will go. I don't know how it will affect my DS. Will they take him and provide the hours written into his statement? How will it work with a statemented child if the hours for the statement come out of the LEA budget, can that child go to an Academy when their budget goes directly to them? the My local infant and Juniors have both written to parents in their newsletters that they are going to take a wait and see approach ATM. Pim

I have read a bit about Steiner Schools as I was considering it for my DD, but I don't think it would be a good place for kids on the spectrum. I've heard that some may be good. But overall I've heard more bad things about them than good. Their teaching is based on Anthroposophy ( I hope I spelt that right). It informs everything they do. Such things like they don't teach or encourage children to read or write until they are 7 as they don't believe the childs body is ready until they lose their milk teeths. I popped into the local Steiner nursery and I felt it was so weird. I told them DD has speech dyspraxia. The teachers reply was oh we don't believe in labels. I hope that helps. pim

Hi, Your son is slightly older then mine and there are similarities. I was puzzled as to why you think he wouldn't get any support in school. There are other ways of offering support other than 1:1 help in the class. I don't know much about Steiner Schools, but as a private school it's a different set up than state school. You asked what support could your son get if he was Dx. The main support for us has been 1:1 help in school. But not only that the school have been more understanding of him and given him certain allowances. Some teachers, not all though, have gone out of their way to help him be an active member of the class. In the class they have worked on his social skills and all the children like him and accept him. If it wasn't for the dx then I think the other children wouldn't have been taught to have been so accepting of him. He would have been an easy target to be bullied, because he is different. He is also the youngest in the class. It's not all been rosy. There have been extreme ups and downs. My ds went to a Montessori school (before dx), and after a very good start, had a very bad time there. I thought the small class sizes would be beneficial for him and doing things at the childs own pace. But I found they were more rigid, less understnding and had considerable less experience in working with children with SEN. Hope that helps. pim

Hi, I've read about it mainly on the OASIS site and couldn't really make head or tale of it. The impression I had was that you had either one or the other, but not both together. Also that the NVLD had some of the impairments but not all 3 of the triad to qualify for an ASD Dx. But i could be wrong. pim

Hi, I know exactly how you feel, as with DS I don't think mainstream or the MLD school is appropriate. There's no other choice in this LEA. My Ds is different from yours in that we feel he has a learning difficulty. He can't do the work at school, but the Ed psych says his IQ is not low enough to qualify for MLD. Sooner or later we will have to fight to move him out of Mainstream, but where to..... I have researched and also come up with zilch in this area, even out of county. SO good luck with the tribunal and sorry I don't have any advice. pim

That is good news. I really don't understand what the outcome of it would be. But it is shocking what is happening here. Busylizzie I hope things are going well with your tribunal. I'l be going down that route next term, once Ds statement is amended to put his Juniour school on it. pim

Hi, I'm also another Herts mum. Ds has a statement with 15 hours. The school and ourselves have been fighting to get more. He was put forward to exceptional needs, which he didn't qualify for. Two of the criteria is that the child needs to have a rare condition, which ASD is not. Another was that the condition should be severe in what the child has. Yes if DS was severely autistic then he would most likely need to go to a special school. Even though DS has 15 hours written on his statement, it doesn't mean from next April hat the school would provide it as the school would no longer receive the transistion money to cover this. DS school budget has drastically decreased since the new SEN funding came in. We were having problems with DS school and I had been looking at other schools for him. They were all even the ones who have very good SEN records advising me that they did not want my child. This was all said in a very nice way. BAsically they could not afford to have him as all their SEn budget has been allocated and if I decided to move him they could not offer any 1 to 1 support, even the 15 hours specified in his statement. That's our story. I know other parents who have recently got statements with no hours specified. The school has then said we can only give 4-5 hours when both the school and parents know the child needs 15+ hours. I think even if a child has a statement it doesn't guarentee that the school can offer the support a child requires. It just makes me so mad. pim

Hi, You must be so proud of L. Well done!! pim

I so know how you are feeling, that there is absolutely nowhere here that is able to meet the needs of our DS's. I haven't found anything out of _ounty either. (sorry about missing letter!) I am thinking of putting DS forward to the panel. We were told to wait until the autism outrea_h had put some of her strategies into pla_e to see if they worked. Ds is happier now going 4 days a week. But LEA want him to go full-time without them or the shool putting in any additional hours of support. Ahhhhhh. I feel like shouting too. pim

Hi, I was wondering how everything was going. I'm sad to hear that they don't think a spe_ial s_hool would suit him. (sorry my keyboard is still not working, I'm still missing a letter!) So what are they suggesting, that where he is, is the best pla_e for him? I was told this for DS too, (but we didn't go to panel), even though he is way behind his peers , he is not behind enough to be MLD. We're trying to get more hours written into his statement. I feel this will be a losing battle for us. What are you going to do, are you able to appeal this? as I remember you're statement was amended so you have more grounds to appeal. PM if you want to talk. Pim

Hi, Poor you. I've been in a very similar situation with my 3 at the dotors. (sorry one of my letters, after B on the keyboard is not working). DS got stressed after a 20 min wait. I had to restrain him. This made him ten times worse. I had to as he was throwing toys and hitting out. Eldest DD was getting upset and almost in tears to see DS like that and wondering if it was her fault. Youngest DD was a handful, trying to run off. Every-one in the waiting room saw Ds in a meltdown. I dragged him to the front desk to try and bring our appointment forward. On the way he hit an old lady, who gave us a filthy stare. I don't blame her. The reeptionist trying to talk to our dotor was unable to hear above DS shouts. Our appointment was bought forward and by then DS was his usual self as if nothing had happened. But I was almost in tears and all the awful stares I got saying why don't you manage your kids better. It was so stressful that I vowed never to go to the dotors with my 3 on my own ever again. I refuse to go out with my 3 on my own unless it's to a friends or family house. Fortunately so far I haven't had to. But I know exatly how you must have felt. pim

Hi, It's such a dilema isn't it. We' re going through the same thing. All the professionals dealing with Ds say he needs something in the middle between Mainstream and Special and there just isn't anything, as you all too well know. I can guess which MLD school you liked. DS goes to panel too, most probably the same one and we've been told he wouldn't qualify as all the professionals think he should be in Mainstream. Just had the documents back from the statement review and of course LEA are not going to increase his support, as all the money has gone to the schools now. This doesn't help as DS school budget has actually decreased this year even with the transistion money. I feel like I'm hitting my head against a brick wall. Have you ever asked any HT's at the MLD schools if they have any bright kids? They most probably deny it or not be openly up front about it. I had a look at Priory schools and sadly there are none nearby + the Gabbitas site and again couldn't find anything except the MLD schools. I also worry for now much longer DS can manage in Mainstream before it's all too much for him. Sorry no advice but I'm feeling exactly the same as you. pim

Happy Birthday to L!!! You didn't mention it when I bumped into you but let me talk about all my problems!! You should have said. I'm happy to hear you had such a good day after everything you have gone through. pim

Hi, I completely understand. It's so difficult knowing which school is the right place for our children. One HT said to me it's about finding the closest fit as there is no best fit. Apart from outlining the difficulties your DS would have in getting a place, you haven't said out of the 4 you visited which one would be the one you could imagine your child going to. I'm in that situation in trying to find a suitable placement for DS. He struggles in mainstream. His teacher thinks he shouldn't be there as she has no experience in how to handle him. Then I looked at MLD schools and I didn't think DS was as far down the spectrum as the other children who attended. I've been pulled in 2 directions from school saying he should be in special school to the Autism Advisor, Ed pysch and his Paeditrician saying he should be in mainstream. In the end it's about finding a place where your child would be happiest. pim

Well I've been given an explanation by his LSA as to why his scores are lower this year. Last year it was evaluated on what they thought he knew verbally. This year it was determined on written proof. DS finds writing extremely difficult. So as he can't write the numbers and words he knows they took that to mean he doesn't know them. I don't know if that's right or not. pim