nysnanna

bhanks for your reply Mel, I'm not sure what options I could see working to be honest. He just doesn't seem to realise that his behaviour is a problem and therefore consequences appear to be ineffective. I am trying to keep an open mind about residential but I know that he would be extremely opposed to it and would feel we no longer wanted him. My head tells me that it could be the making of him but my heart is telling me differently. We will go and see what the school and LA say tomorrow and see what options they suggest, but we are not feeling optimistic about the outcome. I'm trying to find out what provisions there are that could meet his needs, but that information doesn't appear to be very easy to find. I will let you know how it goes tomorrow. Teresa

Looking for some information/advice please. After a huge battle we finally got our Grandson statemented and a place at a LA special needs school that is entirely made up of pupils with ASD, Aspergers ADHD etc. Now after a year we are told that this placement is at risk - he will not conform or do a lot of the things he is asked to do, he can be unpredictable and has on 2 occasions hit another student. The school expanded in July and he is now in a different base, much larger (old comp school) and is now able to wander the corridors causing disruption, before the classrooms were small and secure. This is part of the problem but not all of it, his Mother struggles to get him to do anything he's asked and he is now 5ft 11in and doing as he likes almost. He has diagnosis of ASD ADHD PDA and is almost 15, only recently started to be seen by CAMHS after getting involved with the criminal justice system caused by his impulsiveness and unpredictability. A security guard in a local store grabbed him after he refused to leave ( he was arguing with him about being followed around the shop) and he lashed out at him, common assault. This week the school will not allow him on site and he has spent the ladt 3 days in various locations being driven around by a member of staff and being taken for macdonalds etc, certainly only being contained. His head has said they cannot meet his needs and has called this urgent meeting on Friday. Attending will be Education Officer, Ed psych (never met any of us), targeted support worker, supporting Families worker (I think she's from social care). The head mentioned that they may look at residential for him as his Mum has admitted she is struggling to cope, can they force him to go into residential against our wishes?. What other options are there around? We live in Nottinghamshire, his behaviour is quite challenging and I imagine other schools will also have the same problems with him. I can't even find out what other schools the LA may use and I don't want to go to the meeting tomorrow knowing nothing as I don't trust LA. Head also mentioned part time one to one done from home and I know this wouldn't work as he will never mix home and school, he would never do homework because of this. I really don't want him to go into residential as he wouldn't understand why, he really doesn't think that there is a problem with his behaviour, he thinks he's fine, but I am getting increasingly concerned that he will either get hurt himself or he will hurt somebody. Sorry for the ramble but I'm rushing this as I'm late for work and my thoughts are so mixed up over this. Any advice/suggestions extremely grateful. Thanks Teresa

No he has never done anything wrong at all but as he likes to dress like some other lads his age, ie trousers hanging down low, baseball caps and hoodies, he can look a bit 'dodgy'. He is very tall and physically mature for his age, 5ft 11in, and if I'm honest, because of his high anxiety levels he can present as a little bit nervy. He has always enjoyed looking at toys etc when he was younger, now dvds and cds, whilst his mum or myself do the shopping and for some reason has always attracted the attention of the security guards. He would never think of stealing and has never been in any kind of trouble. Over recent months he has been getting increasingly wound up as he feels he is being targeted for no reason and the incident on Saturday, sadly, is the result of this. It's difficult to know if he feels any remorse, he is sorry that it has happened but I'm not sure if that is because of the consequences of the incident rather than because he has hurt someone. He certainly is grounded for the foreseeable future, as a punishment, to try and get him to understand the seriousness of the situation and to prevent any more possible incidents. We have been busy phoning around all day and are hoping to get an urgent appointment with CAMHS, he was discharged before because he refused to work with them, he dislikes one to one situations as he finds them too confrontational, but he has been told he has no choice in the matter this time. His school have been great and will now be working with him, looking at coping strategies and the consequences of his actions and have given us some good advice too. He is very able in many ways but this is on a superficial level, when anything unusual or unexpected happens ie something that he has not learned how to handle and respond to, then he doesn't have the skills to cope well. He knows that he has the various diagnosis' but does not believe that he is any different to his 'friends' and wants to have the same freedom as they do. He can be very controlling and will often wear his Mum down until she gives in to him, it's not easy for her but she does appear to have laid down the law now. Thanks for your advice and kind words of support. Teresa

My 14 year old grandson has been arrested on a charge of grevious bodily harm and whilst I don't condone what he's done I have to say that although he's never been violent before, I could see it coming. Security guards in our local tesco have been following him around the store for months, he is a tall lad and wears baseball caps and usual fashion. We have tried speaking to the store and over recent weeks he has been giving the security guards some lip, especially when shopping with his friends. On Saturday night he was in the store with an adult and when they seperated , he was immediately followed by the security guard. After an altercation he was told to leave the store but he decided he would try and find the adult he was with to let her know what had happened. The guard followed him and he ran off, the guard chased him so he continued to run, he panicked and picked up a bottle of alcohol and threw it at the guard to slow him down, when it missed he picked up another and hit him over the head with it. He was restrained by force by the guard snd another male until the police arrived and he was then taken into custody. After being in a cell for 5 hours he was questioned and admitted what he had done. I was with him during the questioning and there was also a duty solicitor, he is now bailed and has to go back to be charged on 31st January. He was anxious and agitated before this happened and I was concerned that he was very much on the edge, now he is really struggling to cope. He has been discharged from CAMHS and it will take months to get any support again. He asked his Mum to get in bed with him last night, something he's not done for about 10 years and said he can't cope with school today (this is a special needs school). What should we be doing for him now, to get him support for his mental health and also to make sure he is properly represented at court in terms of his autism. He has a diagnosis of ASD, ADHD, and PDA but is not currently receiving any support apart from attending specialist school. As I say I do not condone what he has done and although I'm not sure he realises the seriousness of whst he has done, we want to get him as much help as possible. I am worried that he is now so wound up that it will not take much to push him over the edge again. His Mother is a single parent with 3 younger daughters and needs to protect them as well as trying to help him. Any advice greatly appreciated as we just don't know what to do next. Thanks in advance. Teresa

After a lot of heartache, appeals and hard work,eventually our Grandson was offered a place at LA school for ASD. We were happy with the school and Grandson was ok with but not overly enthusiastic. We sold him the positivesand he began to feel quite motivated. Placement is to begin September. We repeatedly have said he needs good transition, everyone working with him agree. He visited in March, statement was finalised April 4th and as time goes by he thinks of more reasons not to go there. We informed everyone that I am away first 2 weeks of July and his Mother and school always struggle with him if I am not around, I have always been the one to collect him and take him to school. We've now been told that the transition will begin first week of July, when I am away. This is unlikely to happen as he is very unlikely to go somewhere new when he is struggling to cope with change in routine. No visits or anything before then. Apparently head teacher does not want any disruption at all to those pupils already there and taking GCSEs, and although I can understand this, it does not help our Grandson. I am so worried that after years of hard work to get here it is all jeopardised because of poor transition.

After a long battle for a stat. assessment we finally got a proposed statement for our grandson. Of course it was not worth the paper it was written on and we have had it amended twice. It is not yet finalised but we have viewed the LA SEN school that is now a school for ASD students. We felt confident that this school could meet his needs but were told it was full, but the SEN officer felt that they could negotiate a place for him. The head of the school visited our boy at his mainstream on Monday and he visited the SEN school this morning. The visit went well and this afternoon the SEN officer phoned to say the head had been in touch and they were offering him a place starting September with a transition beginning 1st July. As the statement is due to be finalised on April 1st and the fact that our grandson is making no progress at all I said that I was not happy that he had to wait a whole term to start and that I did not think that a 3 week transition before a 6 week holiday was enough for him. The SEN officer tried to tell me that as he had a statement in place his current school would have to meet his needs during the next term, but they have not been able to do so over the last year and a half. Eventually she said she would arrange a transition meeting with ourselves, the new school, current school and EP to see what could be done. I know that if dont agree the statement and it goes to appeal that it will take much longer but it doesnt feel right that he should have to wait that long. I am worried that he will just give up with his current school and that he will have too long to worry and become anxious about starting the new school. Any suggestions about how I handle this next stage would be appreciated. I got the impression that she felt we should be grateful he'd got the place and not cause a fuss about having to wait. I feel he should have had the place a long time ago without all the stress and worry. Thanks Tereaa

Hi Sally, thanks for your advice, as always it is greatly appreciated. My Grandson is currently in mainstream secondary school but is making no progress. He is spending most of his in corridors having been sent out of lessons. In lessons he is either disruptive or puts his head on the desk. School now saying that they are not able to meet his needs. As he is 13 now and in year 8 and has made no progress since starting the school I am not really wanting him to spend the rest of this school year wasting his days in corridors when he should be being educated. Do you know how soon the provision should be put in place once the statement has been finalised? I have visited the LA SEN school and I was impressed with what it could offer but I realise that this could just be because I have become used to the lack of understanding in mainstream. I am also visiting Alderwasley next week but am concerned about distance(hours drive each way) and know it will be another battle, especially if they magic up a place at LA school. If there is no place until September and the statement needs to be finalised on April 1st I am wondering what provision will be made for the next term. Thanks Teresa

Over the moon to be told by SEN officer that proposed statement is in the post and we can expect it tomorrow. One battle over but I feel another may be starting. Ed psych suggested we visit our LA SEN school which is now all ASD students, the majority with average academic ability like our grandson. We visited and liked the school but it is full. SEN officer said that they may have a place in September and that if we like the school we should put it down as the preferred school. We are worried about what will happen if they find they do not have a place for him in September and what will happen to him in the time between April 1st when statement is finalised and September if they do have a place. Obviously we may not be happy with the statement and may have to appeal but it sounded over the phone as though at least they are not suggesting that he stays in mainstream as this is definitely not working for him. Should we be looking at alternative schools, none of which are local or LA schools or will we need to wait until a place is available. I know we would have to fight for a different school by which time I imagine a place would be available at the local one. I am really confused about what I should put down as the preferred school if we are happy with the contents of the proposed statement. Any advice appreciated Teresa

Thanks for the advice. I have downloaded a copy of the SEN code of practice and am now busy reading chapters 7 and 8. Does anyone know how I go about finding an independent EP and when would be the best time to ask for an assessment? We are told we will hear if LA are going to write a statement on Feb 4th. The only thing that appears to have happened during the assessment period is the school have been asked for another report and the LA EP observed him in part of a lesson and had a brief chat with him. She also came and spoke to us at home. As he sees the paediatrician very occasionally and the CAMHS input has consisted of one meeting last October I am wondering how they will have managed to assess all of his educational needs. We have very little money but have decided that we will get the money together (if we can) for an EP assessment as this is probably the best one to go for. What do others think, is an EP the right way to go? I spoke to school Senco last week and she told me that her report very clearly states that he is no longer learning anything at school and is not progressing at all so something clearly has to change. Teresa

Some advice needed please. My Grandson aged 13 is eventually having a statutory assessment and the mainstream school he attends have said that he is no longer making any progress at all and the gap between him and his peers is growing even wider. He receives over 15 hours support a week but is not staying in lessons and is not learning. Are the LA likely to suggest another mainstream (all the others in our area are much larger) or do you think they will name a SEN school. The only SEN school that may be appropriate have told us that they have no places and are not expecting to have any. After some insistence they have agreed that we can visit but what is likely to happen if mainstream are unable to meet his needs and SEN school is full? We are also going to visit an independent school that is out of County that sounds brilliant but is about an hours drive away. If we get a statement what should we be asking for and what are the LA likely to suggest if SEN school has no places? Also I have read on this forum about freedom of information requests. What is this? Who would I ask for this and for what reason? What do I ask for and what is it likely to provide me with. I do not want to overlook anything at all. If the LA do not give our grandson a statement or it is not a good one, we will be appealing and as we are not in a position to pay for legal representation I want to be prepared. Many thanks in advance Teresa

Thanks Sally, I've contacted LA and they are going to send me a list of all the schools so hopefully there may be something suitable for him. I'm in the middle of writing my report/views at the moment, this needs to be in by xmas eve. Is there anything that needs to be in this that wasn't included in the original request for assessment. It feels like I am just repeating what was in last one. Ive had a look at Dawn House and Alerwasley on the internet, both are possibilities but I'm not sure the LA would feel he had speech and language problems. Alderwasley looks great but is about an hours drive from us. When I have sent our views, in for xmas eve, what should be my next step? Should I wait for the proposed statement, if he gets one, or start looking round schools first. Many thanks for your advice, it is always so useful and appreciated. Teresa

Hi Sally, thanks for your response, the school thst is full is called Derrymount, quite local and appears to have changed over recent year to be educating more children with ASD. it used to be for moderate learning disabilities. However they are full so its not an option. I will contact LA tomorrow and ask them to send me a list of all schools and see whats on offer. Many thanks Teresa

After having our request for assessment turned down we initially felt that we couldn't carry on fighting anymore. Our grandson is the eldest of our single parent Aspergers daughters four children and we had run out of energy. We picked ourselves up though and put in an appeal which was successful, the LA decided to carry out the assessment, a couple of weeks before the tribunal. GREATso far. In September our grandsons school became an academy and much less inclusive, now in year 8 he has been going to school without too much complaint but is not making any progress with his learning, he is very disruptive and spends very little time in lessons, either being told to leave because of his behaviour or walking out because he doesn't understand and is bored. When we initially applied for an assessment the school reported that his behaviour was manageable and that they could meet his educational needs. At his last review two weeks ago they now say that he is not making any progress at all and his behaviour is becoming so challenging that he is likely to start getting exclusions. As part of the assessment process we met with EP who suggested we have a look round our local SEN school. Initially I was opposed to this as we were always led to believe that our grandson is academically able but struggling to access curriculum because of his ADHD and ASD. After looking at website for school it looks like it may suit our boy, nearly all boys are ASD aspergers or ADHD, some with moderate LD some very able. Telephoned school for a visit and told no chance of even visiting as they are full. What are we supposed to do from here? I don't think there are any other schools in Notts like this. If he gets a proposed statement how can we put a preferred school if there are no places for him? We are not in a position to go down the route of paying for private assessments and don't know where to begin looking for non LA schools. I am still in the process of writing our views to be included but am now struggling to be positive when the system seems to be designed to fail our children instead of helping them. Whatever happened to 'Every disabled child matters'. Although our grandson is attending school he has not progressed at all since he started there in September 2011, he is falling further and further behind and it appears that we are the only ones that are concerned about this. His behaviour at school can be challenging and he has no motivation to learn or take part in lessons, he is just going most days, hanging about the corridors and disrupting other pupils learning. I am desperate to help him before its too late. Does anyone know of any schools in Notts that may meet his needs or how I can go about finding out where schools are and what they provide. What are the LA likely to do if his current school say that they cannot meet his needs but SEN school hafe no places. Any advice welcome and many thanks in advance. Teresa

After having our request for a SA turned down I am in the process of writing to the school to request our Grandsons school records, does anyone know if there is anything specific I should be asking for. Also as the Educational Psychologist has told me that she will not be assessing him but will only be carrying out an observation of a lesson I am going to write to her to formally request that she assess him, what should I be asking her to assess for, what reasons do I give to her for wanting a full assessment rather than just an observation? She told me when I asked on the phone for her to carry out 'standardised assessments', we don't work like that. ????? Not sure what they are supposed to do. Diagnosed ADHD and ASD since age 5 and on school action plus since age 5 but never been assessed by eP, is this usual or is it a Notts County thing again? Many thanks Teresa

I've just been reading through some information about SA and appeals, been up all night and now going to try and remain focussed at work, and it appears that we will not have much chance of winning any appeal, after review in February when I asked about applying for an assessment the school decided that they would make a request for the Autism Team to become involved following the summer term springboard meeting. This meeting is not until June 4th and apparently because the school has not yet tried all of its resources a tribunal would turn down our appeal. I'm so upset because clearly that team are unlikely to start any work with him until mid to late June, how long should we wait to see if their input makes any difference to our boy and all the time he is struggling. Not sure I can face putting any more effort into this, the system is clearly designed to stop children getting any meaningful education and to destroy the rest of the family at the same time. I'm no longer prepared to work with the school, let them manage his behaviour themselves. If he doesn't want to go to school we will no longer send him. Why should he and us struggle when they just do not care.