Hi, I was hoping someone would be able to give me some advice please! My little girl (who's just turned 5) has recently been diagnosed with Asperger's (and possibly ADHD as well) and we are having big problems with her school. She is currently only doing mornings in school (and has been for the past month or so) as the LEA have given the school emergency funding of 15 per week until end of this month. I've tried to help the school as much as possible but am now coming to the conclusion that they are not doing anything to help her - in fact I think that she may be in a power struggle with her class teacher... She keeps having HUGE meltdowns which the staff can't handle, huge rage episodes etc. She's been excluded twice so far this term and I'm constantly being called to go and help to calm her down. The last incident I found out that she was restrained by two members of staff (one holding her arms and one holding her legs). They only let go when she urinated on one of them (apparently she had asked to go to the toilet and been taken but refused to go, once back in the staff room where she was being restrained she urinated on one of the TAs)... Following the advice of an autism specialist the school said that she could use a caravan on site to go to with her teaching assistant when she needed some quiet time (in a class of 23 mixed ages - very noisy and she says that it hurts her ears). However, a few days later I found that they were using it as a reward scheme (conform in school and she would be allowed 1/2 hour in the caravan). I told them on the phone that I didn't think that this was a good idea as she should be able to use it as a "safe zone" when things got too much for her. The following day I found that they had ignored my request and continued to use it as an incentive. I had a meeting with the head and made it clear that I was not happy for this to happen. I was told that the teacher believes it should be under her control to say when my daughter can use the caravan. Am I wrong in thinking that my daughter should be allowed to go there whenever she feels things are getting too much? Her behaviour has deteriorated hugely in the last month or two (although we are not seeing any of this at home) - and I have noticed a feeling of "tension" from her class teacher (the way she talks to her, she has said some very negative stuff to me as well). I'm stuck at the moment because I don't want to move schools (as we want to move from this area at the end of the school year so I don't want my daughter to have 3 new schools in one year!)... The school tell me that they have taught children with AS before but have never come across a child with my daughter's behaviour issues. I should add that she is very intelligent and they think that she is "milking" the situation. While I don't dispute the fact that she can be manipulative at times I think that it is slightly unfair to accuse a 5 year old child of this. Does anyone out there have any advice please???
