Athena

The Government have announced that they will publish a Green Paper on SEN in the Autumn. In which case, why are the Government so keen to fast-track the Academies Bill through parliament before the summer recess and before the publication of the SEN Green Paper? And what happened to the recommendations of the Lamb Inquiry and the implementation plan? Do we need another initiative looking at SEN, when nobody every does anything to fundamentally change the system as a result? The recommendations of the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee Report Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Funding 2006, which recommended separating assessment from funding, were ignored. But despite my cynicism, I do hold on to the hope that the SEN system will be improved; surely it cannot carry on as it is, with LEA's in my experience, being openly hostile to parents who dare to disagree with them, who dare to ask for a Statement, and then have the audacity to actually want a Statement that specifies and quantifies provision! So I look forward to the publication of the Green Paper and the opportunity to comment!

My child has an additional diagnosis of a speech and language disorder, in addition to the social communication difficulties caused by her ASD. Just wondered if anyone else has experience of this and what it means in practice. Is it common to have two forms of Speech and language problems,those caused by the ASD pus another?

Without going into details, I am very unhappy with DD's existing Speech and Language Therapist and I would like to ask for someone different. What are my rights to request a change of SALT and what is the best way to go about it? Do I have to go into details and explain why I consider the existing SALT is no longer suitable? Has anyone else requested a different NHS therapist, either a SALT or OT?

Funny that. I haven't had a reply to my letters to Michael Gove and David Cameron! Wrote to my MP as well and the reply just says that she has asked Michael Gove to reply to the points in my letter!

DD has severe problems with proprioception. She had a fantastic OT, trained in Sensory Integration, and was really making progress, but sadly the OT left and the replacement has no idea at all about proprioception. The "Out of Synch Child" is a great book; also have a look at "The Out of Synch Child has Fun" for useful ideas. We have to do a lot of work at home now, as NHS OT provision locally for ASD children is virtually non-existent.

Does anyone know what has happened to the implementation plan for the Lamb Inquiry and subsequent report? The Plan was published in February 2010. Has it all been forgotten about by the new coalition Government? For example, the Plan states that "the Tribunal will also issue guidelines on the provision of professional and expert evidence by March 2010. Tribunal judicial management will seek feedback from tribunal members as to the guidelines’ impact." I have searched online and cannot find this guidance. The Plan also states "We will launch a dedicated helpline to provide information and advice to parents of children with SEN in April 2010. The first phase of the helpline will be available from April 2010. We will evaluate this service and develop further requirements based on feedback." There is certainly no helpline available! Seems that all we have is the Academies Bill and and a Government that wants to ""target special needs scams"

Oh!! This just gets better and better......on top of the Academies Bill, now we have this attack as well to contend with! Interesting that no mention is made of the fact that the SEN system was looked at under the previous Government by the Lamb Inquiry, which only reported in 2009 or off the previous Parliamentary Select Committee that looked and SEN and whose recommendations, (such as separating out assessment from provision) where ignored.....

I have contacted the NAS and they have told me that they will be working with the Government to ensure that the new Academies are not detrimental to the education of children with SEN. The NAS told me that they were looking for case studies demonstrating where the system has gone wrong, such as academies that had refused to admit or expelled children with SEN, or lack of enforcement of provision in a Statement. They would also like examples of how academies have benefited children with SEN. They told me that case studies of personal experiences provide them with very powerful evidence when they are engaging with civil servants, MPs, Lords and Ministers. I don't have any personal experience of academies, but I thought that I would pass on their request for information from parents. I think that it is very important that we make our concerns known to the NAS. It is essential to ensure that academies are accountable and that includes recourse to SENDIST rather than to KPMG! There also needs to be a proper mechanism for dealing with complaints regarding Statement provision, admissions and exclusions. I hope that this is a case of the government just not thinking things through enough and that as parents we can change and influence the final outcome. I am currently going through an expensive and stressful Tribunal case - if local schools become academies, I will have wasted my time and money, and the Statement will not be worth the paper it is written on, if there is no proper mechanism to enforce it and if my chosen school becomes an academy and refuses to admit her......

Here is the statement from the NAS "Autism Charity welcomes Academies Bill"

Thanks for the link and good for you for writing daniels_mum! I have already written to my MP, to the education secretary and to the NAS, who have issued a statement welcoming the Academies Bill!! I have the bit between my teeth on this one!

It doesn't say much at all in the Bill about Special Educational Needs!!

The first reading for this bill was on 26th May in the House of Lords. The second reading for this Bill is 7th June 2010, so they really are pushing it through at speed! We need to get campaigning FAST!!!

I don't think that we can reasonable stop schools becoming Academies, as this is now clearly Government policy, even if we don't agree with it. What we need to do is to ensure that the Academies Bill protects the rights of children with SEN, in terms of admissions, responsibility for ensuring the provision in a Statement is provided, right of appeal to SENDIST, accountability to some form of higher authority for complaints against the school. I just don't think that the Government have thought this one through!!

I think that this is very bad news for children with SEN. Here is the link to a briefing note produced by ACE It is very worrying! I am going to write to my MP and the NAS to make them aware of the impact on children with SEN and ask them to amend the Bill to make sure that the Academies are accountable and that Statements can be enforced.

First thought, write to them and confirm that they admitted that they are in breach of the SEN Code of Practice. I have learnt to always get and put everything in writing when dealing with LEA. Secondly, have a look at IPSEA's website. Hopefully, someone more knowledgeable than me will come along and be able to advise you.

I am going to Tribunal and I have asked SENDIST for the DVD that the send out, showing you what happens at a Tribunal Hearing, but apparently, they are making a new one so don't have any to send out at the moment, and they don't seem to know when they will have the new ones. Is there anyone who has one and could maybe upload it somehow or put it on youtube? Thanks!

Didn't want your post to go unanswered. So, from experience, keep calm, take someone with you who can take comprehensive notes of what is said, take along the Code of Practice and place it strategically on the desk so that the SEN Officers can see it! If your son needs SALT, then maybe the LEA should pay for a private SALT if the NHS cannot provide one. Good luck!

Sorry to hear of the delay, that must be very disappointing for you. I realise that it is little consolation but our date for our appeal was 5 months after it was submitted. Also the Tribunal doesn't work over August, so there just may not be any other dates available, but it is still worth asking though.

Thanks for replying. If the trip is fairly local, I may let her go, providing she has her 1:1 support, but only during the day, and maybe take her home in the evenings, so she doesn't miss out entirely, but I am really not happy about her camping at such a young age, even if she didn't have ASD and MLD!

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but DD has a camping trip coming up in June, two nights away. She is only just turned 7, and due to her difficulties, is still not dry at night, so she is in night-time pull-ups and needs washing every morning. She cannot dress or wash herself at all, has sensory issues, so needs heavy blankets on her bed. I am all for inclusion, but I just can't see this working, unless maybe I go along as a parent helper, but I also have a young baby, so not easy to go along myself. Am I within my right to ask/demand that she has a full-time helper on the trip? She has a Statement, but we are appealing it as it is worse than useless and does not give her ANY hours of 1:1 support, so we are totally reliant on the good will of the school......

Thanks for your fast and knowledgeable replies. I am appealing against the contents of the Statement, believe that I have a strong case, but didn't want to be "wrong-footed" by the LEA, who haven't had the courtesy to speak to me at all, I have had zero contact with the LEA since the appeal was lodged. But although the LEA have not been in contact with me, they have been speaking to the school and they have told the school that they believe that they can now meet DD's needs, so I suspect that an amended Statement may be in the offing. Just trying to stay one step ahead of their game! Knowledge is power! And I just don't trust the LEA one inch.

Can the LEA issue a new Statement during the appeal process? If so, are we still entitled to continue our appeal against the first Statement? Thanks!

Congratulations and welcome to the forum! Well done to you! Look forward to chatting to you on the boards.

I haven't had a good experience of the Statementing processes. The LEA agreed to assess, agreed to issue a Statement then issued one that wasn't worth the paper it was written on. We have a Tribunal date for the summer. It can, sadly, be a long process, so I agree, you do need a Plan B, just in case. The one silver lining is that if you can show that Sam is not coping during the Statmenting process, it provides more evidence to support your choice of placement. Good luck!

Just wanted to say please don't give up. I have found that NHS professionals tend to be very guarded in their comments and you are better off with independent reports, but I do appreciate that these are expensive to obtain. I haven't used them myself, but I have heard that BIBIC are very good. Good luck and keep strong! You CAN do this!