Sally44

Whilst we were in the process of having my son assessed towards a diagnosis, our Autism Advisory Teacher had organised a seminar by a woman called Olga Bogdashina. She has written a number of very good insightful books. One is about Sensory and Perceptual Differences in Autism and Aspergers. Another one is about language and communications differences for those with ASDs, and the final one is about Theory of Mind for those with ASDs. I haven't read them all yet! But I too have alot of sensory issues, although I am not on the spectrum. I also have central auditory processing disorder. My son also has SID and CAPD. In many ways he is a more exaggerated form of myself. But obviously he also has the autistic wiring and therefore thinks and learns in a different way. But I suppose I have been fortunate in some ways to have a kind of insight into what some of his problems might be. For example I frequently appear deaf. I have no idea why. Usually I am thinking about something. But when that happens I become totally unaware of everything else to the extent that to get my attention you would need to touch me or shout my name a couple of times. I am also touch sensitive and can feel light touch as pain. And I can feel where I have been touched for up to a minute afterwards. So imagine the accumulation of touch feeling as pain that an autistic child can have?? I have problems with fabrics, smells, balance etc. And i've also tried to find out as much information as I can first hand from autistic adults. They can give you the best clue as to how your child experiences things. There are alot of adults on the spectrum trying to tell us what it is like. But up until recently it seems to not have been listened to. And I just became a bit of a detective as to what could be causing my son to do the things he was doing. What part of the process was breaking down or not there. For example, there have been a number of times when my son has been holding a drink or a toy and when I speak to him he drops it and then throws a tantrum. And he then blames me for making him drop the drink/toy. So what has happened? If I take what my son says as true. Then he is suggesting that in some way, when I speak to him, it causes him to lose the 'attention' his body had of holding the cup/toy. Now that becomes very interesting. What are the implications of this in a typical classroom. I have also given up letting him drink or eat whilst sitting on the settee watching TV because experience tells me that he will drop that drink and food because he cannot self monitor himself and watch TV. So he has to be sat at the table with his food and drink on the table if he is also watching TV. That works. But what are the implications of this in the classroom environment?? I did get a private OT to come and assess my son both in school and at home. Her findings were that when he was occupied with something he became totally unaware of what was being asked of him. And that he could only do one thing at a time. So if you wanted him to listen and answer questions you would have to stop him from whatever he was doing and tell him that you wanted him to listen. But our classrooms are not geared up for this. It is all about bombarding all of the senses all of the time. That seems to be the current approach in school. If a child is struggling with that it is hard to adapt the environment or teaching method to take these types of difficulties into consideration. Infact, there is evidence that autistic children, wrongly diagnosed as deaf, tend to do better in schools for the deaf because the support systems used to support deaf children also support autistic children. Another thing I noticed similar to me was how my son behaved in social situations. Back in the 1990's I moved to Greece and lived there for over 7 years. At the time I moved to Greece I did not speak the language, although I did learn it eventually. But interestingly, my behaviour became quite autistic in a foreign country with a language and culture I did not understand. For example I would avoid groups or groups discussions because I could not follow them. Any attempt to communicate was only made one to one. I would also visit coffee shops and listen in to conversataions and watch people (this seemed to be the language equivalent of playing alongside). I would also seek out English people just to be able to listen to them speak, although I never attempted to talk to them. I made many errors with literal interpretation of language. My language processing was always seconds behind everyone else and trying to concentrate on what was being said would frequently give me a headache. And when you don't understand what is being said, what expression should you have on your face. Should you sit politely smiling whilst the person next to you is talking about how her cat died?? I couldn't concentrate for more than 5 minutes at a time and would make my excuses to leave. I also learnt language by how it sounded or felt right, rather than learning the individual words or the grammer (similar to echolalia or gestalt learning). And I remember how happy I was when I understood a joke at the time it was actually said and laughed at the same time as everyone else. So, I believe alot of autistic behaviour is down to an inability or difficulty in both learning and processing language. Indeed it has been said that an autistic person is a foreigner in any country. And I did read an article recently about an autistic savant who, although he can learn a new language within a week, prefers to live abroad because his autistic percularities are always put down to 'being a foreigner'.

I am just concerned, that knowing what I experienced with my LEA, that if there is any chance that the LEA can get out of providing support because they have a get out clause that 'the LASC have advised certain supports, but that that is not their area of clinical expertise', that the LEA will use this to deny that support from being put into any Statement. I don't know for definite that that is the case. But I think it is worth checking. In my case the AAT teacher said something similar to me about OT. She told me that she had been sent on a training course regarding sensory issues so that she could advise schools on how to support a child with sensory needs, however she was not qualified as an OT and therefore was unable to include those types of recommendations in any report that she made towards a SA for a Statement. So a parent might think the AAT can make those recommendations in her report, when she had advised me that she definately could not and that if a parent wanted any input from OT included in their Statement that they parent would need to have had their child assessed by an OT and for them to have made a report. And when I was pushing for my son to be seen by OT I was told then by both the OT department and the LEA that the AAT had training in sensory issues (as my son has a diagnosis of SID), but I knew that eventhough she could advise school, that school were resistant to anything being suggested to them, and the AAT did not put anything in her report about my sons sensory issues apart from acknowledge the fact that he did have substantial sensory issues which impacted on his ability to access the curriculum.

I've been onto the IPSEA website and have pasted a case law statement about Speech Therapy. I am concerned that the right professional needs to assess and for their findings to be in part 2 of a statement for recommendations to be in part 3. I don't know what the legal responsibility or training is for any other professional or organisation if their remit is also in the same area as SALT, especially if those involved are not qualified SALTs themselves. It may have an impact on the Statement and the provision you are able to get in it if the SALT has not made recommendations and LASC has, for example. So I would recommend you check this with IPSEA and the NAS. R vs Lancashire County Council ex parte M (1989) Back to top In this case, known as the ‘Lancashire judgement’, M had a statement which specified speech therapy provision under part 3 as ‘special educational provision’. When that provision was not made, the LEA claimed that they had made a clerical error when writing the statement and that speech therapy must always be ‘non-educational provision’ on the grounds that speech therapists are employed by health authorities. M’s parents challenged this interpretation of the law by seeking judicial review and were successful, in that the court ruled that speech therapy could be either a medical provision or an educational provision, depending on the nature of the child’s needs for the therapy; and, that the question of who employed the therapists was irrelevant to this decision. The LEA appealed against this judgement, but it was upheld by the court of appeal. The judgement included this comment, which is still the only guidance parents have as to whether their child’s needs for any kind of therapy is ‘medical’ or ‘educational’: “To teach an adult who has lost his larynx because of cancer might be considered as treatment rather than education. But to teach a child who has never been able to communicate by language, whether because of some chromosomal disorder ... or because of social cause ... seems to us just as much educational provision as to teach a child to communicate in writing.” Many LEAs still tell parents that speech therapy belongs under the heading ‘non-educational provision’ (i.e. part 6 of a statement, where no-one has a strict legal duty to provide it). They still tell parents that this is because speech therapists are employed by health authorities. However, the Lancashire judgement specifically rejected this argument. It is the child’s need for therapy which is of key importance. The main task for parents is to argue that their child’s need for speech therapy is ‘educational’ rather than ‘medical’. All you have to go on is the judge’s comment above, drawing the distinction between a need for speech therapy following surgery on your larynx (medical) and the need for speech therapy due to chromosomal disorder or social cause (educational). Obviously, under this distinction, the majority of children with special educational needs have speech therapy needs which are ‘educational’ and which therefore should be set out in part 2 of a statement. All Down’s Syndrome children, for example, have an ‘educational’, not ‘medical’, need for speech therapy, according to the distinction made in the Lancashire judgement. Many LEAs openly disregard the Lancashire judgement. Why? Because once the need for speech therapy is accepted as ‘educational’, it must be set out under part 2 of the statement as one of the child's ‘special educational needs’. And, once the need is set out under part 2, then according to ex parts E, the speech therapy provision must be specified under part 3, so that the ultimate responsibility for making the provision then rests with the LEA. They may ask the health service to provide the therapists but, if that isn’t possible, the LEA themselves must make the arrangements needed and cover the cost. The message for parents is: ‘Get your child’s need for speech therapy written into part 2, as a special educational need, and the rest should follow’. Although there is no equivalent to the Lancashire judgement covering other therapies (e.g. occupational therapy), the same argument has been used successfully by parents wanting to make their child’s occupational therapy secure. That is, by arguing that the need for occupational therapy is educational rather than medical, they get the need written into part 2 of the statement. The provision to meet that need must then be specified under part 3, which guarantees the help, as the LEA is ultimately responsible for making the ‘special educational provision’. Back to top

Although it is obvious, I'll still say it anyway. Try to restrict yourself to reading the section that is relevant for where you are in the process at the moment. It is a big book, with alot to take in, and the NAS advised us at their seminar to just concentrate on the relevant bit so we don't get bogged down or overwhelmed. But it is definately an eye opener - well it was for me anyway - to see that the CoP was saying the complete opposite to what my LEA had been telling me. For example my EP said she had not been prescriptive in her report so the school could be flexible in its approach and staffing arrangements (for me this interprets as a get out clause for doing nothing). It clearly says in the CoP that any flexibilty built into the system is to be for the benefit of the child and not for the system. So reports and statement should be very prescriptive. Infact case law says that 'it needs to be specified and quantified to such an extent and everyone is aware of what is required. If that does not happen how will parents be able to challenge the school or LEA that they are not fulfilling the Statement.' Have a look on the IPSEA website, as they have a number of case law items. And Case Law means that a judge has made a ruling about a certain aspect of the CoP, and that ruling is what other judges will use to help them make a similar decision. For example case law says that 'education' is not just academic reading and writing, it is about preparing a child to become an independent adult. So that means that the teaching of Social and Life Skills should be included in the Statement. And case law says that OT is an educational need - which is usually denied by LEAs.

As well as weighted blankets, and tucking in tight at night, your OT department may be able to loan you certain weighted equipment. But they do need to assess first. And there are also lots of other sensory stuff that might turn out to be useful to be done in school ie. she might find it helpful to push against a wall, or pull on a piece of rope. One boy used to push a box of books around. The sensory system (and I don't know a whole lot about it), isn't just about perceiving things (although that is a large part of it), it is also about getting your body into a state where it is ready to do things or ready to stop doing things. And also about being at an optimum state to actually learn. So how the senses are all integrated and working to give the correct information to the brain to process is very important. There are also many children with ASDs that cannot multi task from a sensory point of view. In extreme cases this is called mono-processing. So a child might be able to focus on doing something but be unable to register anyone or anything in its environment at the same time - and how many of our kids appear deaf?? They cannot keep all the sensory channels open at the same time. Some children cannot look and listen at the same time. That is what alot of avoiding eye contact is about. It isn't just about feeling uncomfortable, it is about 'if I look at you I won't be able to hear what you say at the same time'. And multi sensory functioning is crucial for learning in the classroom. How many of our children make 'wrong connections' because their sensory systems are processing out of time, or they cannot get all the sensory information relevant to the thing being done in 'real time' to process it. So some things are processed later and get attached to other totally unconnected information. This can cause some bizarre behaviour, which is logical and normal for an ASD child. For example a child called Tito talks about being frightened by seeing something whilst sitting on the grass in his back garden. After that incident he would have a meltdown whenever he walked on grass because it was associated with the fear of the original event eventhough the grass sensation was in no way related to the incident that happened.

Have you written in again recently? You could hold off the solicitor for just one more attempt yourself. You should send a letter in the following terms 'further to my letter dated xxx in which I informed you that my son was being teased and bullied in school, I have received no response from you. It has again come to my attention through two different children that my son is still being teased and bullied on a daily basis in school. As my son has a diagnosis of Aspergers, and part of that diagnosis is difficulties with language and social interaction, he finds it difficult to communicate these difficulties either to school or at home. I would like a meeting with the yourself and the SENCO to discuss this and what action school will be taking to ensure this does not happen again and to discuss how school can introduce supports like Circle of Friends. My son is very vulnerable, and these instances are making him very unhappy which is affecting his self esteem.' Obviously change it to meet what you want to say, but I think that gives a general idea. I would also take the parent partnerhsip with you. If again you get no response that is evidence. If you have a meeting get PP to make notes and for the minutes to be typed so that everyone knows who will be doing what. If you involve a solicitor things will start to happen. Have you discussed about moving your son to a different school? Have you looked at the different schools in your area? Involving a solicitor will make relationships with school very strained. You must be prepared for that and to be able to work through that in a logical and unemotional way as your child may remain at that school, or may remain there for some time whilst you are looking for a different placement. I am not trying to put you off, because I took the same route. If you are looking at moving him to another school, it might be worth sending a letter in yourself and requesting a meeting as above to see the outcome of that, whilst also visiting other schools. Then, when you are very clear in mind about where you want him to go you could involve the solicitor. But remember that the NAS also has helplines and also a tribunal support service. You may find they can help you with this and save you some money. It all depends on whether you feel you can cope with this. I know that it can get very tiring and emotionally draining. If you feel you are at the end of your tether then involve someone else. If you feel okay to keep plugging yourself for some time, then do that. If your son is showing behaviour at home that you think is down to teasing/bullying in school, or he is at the point where he is refusing school or showing alot of anxiety about going to school, then take him to the doctors and tell them he is being teased and bullied in school and that you feel he is not being supported. Ask the GP to put that in a letter to you ie. in their opinion your son is showing anxiety due to social and emotional problems related to how he is being supported in school and that bullying is also suspected. That is also evidence. And a GP can do this because mine was happy to do it for me.

Yes I would get her eyes tested, and try to find an optician that has experience of children with ASDs. I could see that my son's eyes looked 'strange' eg. they didn't seem to work together with close up work, and his pupils seemed to dilate and go in and out like he couldn't focus. I mentioned this to the optician for 3 years before they finally discovered he did not have binocular vision. However prior to that he did not have the language skills to respond to their questions during eye examinations. When he has to focus on something and they move it closer towards him (ie. towards his nose), he should become cross eyed. But as the thing he is looking at gets closer one of his eyes turns outwards. It is just weak muscles, and he has to do daily exercises to improve the muscle strength.

Have you considered whether your son is actually using delayed echolalia? He sounds like he uses quite alot of pre-heard phrases etc, and he uses them in the appropriate moment, but the meaning is not necessarily correct or relevant. There is alot of evidence of delayed echolalia being used in this way. Ie. the child knows how a conversation should go to and fro, but they don't have the language or processing skills to do it in real time. So when asked a question they might give a totally unrelated answer. Or they may want to talk with someone, but may say a strange statement or ask a strange question because they don't know a more appropriate way to initiate conversation. He is also putting his hand up in class, showing he knows that that is something that is done when the teacher asks a question, and he knows that he has to give an answer, but he doesn't necessarily know the answer to the question and so he says something unrelated or cannot retrieve an answer in the time allocated for him to do so. The fact that he isn't really that interested in the answer would appear to indicate that he doesn't really understand the meaning of the questions he is asking. My son also mixed up pronouns and took nearly 2 years to get them right. He also used to copy alot of the other children in his class. He used to physically copy them ie. he didn't understand the instructions the teacher was giving out and would watch and copy what the other children were doing. He also copied their answers during things like carpet time when everyone has to give an answer. I have sat through some of these sessions and I know that my son had absolutely no idea about what he was being asked eg. say something you like to do - and he would say what one of the other children had said even if it was something that I knew he absolutely hated! But it was an answer he could give in the timeframe allowed, because if you really wanted my son to answer a question like that you would have to give him a couple of minutes to think about it before you got an answer - by that time the lesson has finished. As your son has difficulties dealing with anything other than real time, however his language processing skills may not work well in real time, causing him to almost be out of sync with everyone else, and yet not be able to function in any other time period than here and now? Does that sound possible?

In our area it is totally different. The Autism Outreach Teacher gives advice to school on how to use things like visual timetables etc. But she works alone and has over 200 children on her books, so in reality she can only offer around one days input per year per child. For many children with an ASD trying to get supported in mainstream that just doesn't even scratch the surface. Plus alot of schools just don't like being shown or told that they need to do things differently, or present it in a different way. The attitude seems to be that the children that can 'fit in' stay and those that can't leave. And although no school is allowed to refuse a child being in their school, they do make it just do damn hard and resist any and everything that most parents decide that the school's attitude is just not worth fighting against. The SALT's remit is to assess all aspects of speech and language communication. This also involves social interaction and anybehaviour resulting from difficulties relating to language or social interaction/understanding. However, the SALT you get does not have to have had any training with ASDs. But if you request a SALT with experience of ASDs you usually get one - you just have to ask for it. My son's current SALT is also trained as a special need teacher as well as a SALT and therefore she has lots of knowledge about ASDs. The Ed Psych in our area deals with learning issues and how to present work differently in class, or come up with ways to help improve certain skills. Unless it is sensory based in which case you ask for a referal to OT, then wait for 2 years. I just thought, from the above post, that if the child is copying the children in the class he may not be listening and processing what the teacher is saying, otherwise he wouldn't need to copy. If his understanding or processing is so severe that he has to copy the other children he will have no understanding of what he is doing as he is just following the other children. That is also very stressful and tiring to be having to do that for any length of time throughout the day. My son also used to do that and it was very obvious ie. he did everything about 5-10 seconds after everyone else. I was told that his ability to do this was a positive - which in some aspects it is. However it is a very clear demonstration that a child intelligent enough to use these copying strategies actually needs things presenting and reinforcing in a visual way so that they understand what they are supposed to do. Otherwise they are not learning they are just copying, and not learning how to use systems to become independent in his learning. A child with this type of difficulties may need to move to small group work, if whole class environments are difficult for him to follow. He would probably benefit from a TA checking with him that he knows what he should be doing before he begins the task, and for it to be set out visually for him to follow. If another professional can assess for that okay. But it is important to get the right professional assessing the relevant skills they were trained to assess otherwise the root cause of the difficulty never gets identified and the wrong supports/structures or even therapies can be used which are totally inappropriate and ineffectual.

Can LASC assess for language and social communication/comprehension skills etc and put together a programme to be carried out in school?

I haven't read her books either, but I did have email correspondence with her about some issues to do with my son. Very insightful, and useful. It is very important to know that there is just as much a 'spectrum' of people with ASDs as those without. Not everyone is like Temple Grandin. Donna Williams is just a different part on the rainbow. But I think any information coming from autistic people themselves is worth reading because they are talking about their experience. It makes a change from other professionals telling us 'what they think it might be like'. They can actually tell us what it is like.

Could be any of those. It could also be down to difficulties with imagination. Those on the spectrum are typically supposed to have difficulties with imagination. They can tell you about stuff they have already seen or heard. But not make it up. Some can, but again it is not at the same level as peers. Sometimes at bedtime I encourage my son to make up a bedtime story. We do this by taking turns at adding to the story. So I might start off by saying 'once upon a time', then he will say 'there were three ghosts'. Then i'll add to it eg. 'these were three pirate ghosts'. These difficulties can also tie into Theory of Mind. To write a story you have to have different characters in your mind and you have to have a plot and think about who knows what. There are tests you can do regarding theory of mind. One is to have two dolls (or actionmen), and a bar of chocolate. You put actionman 1 and actionman2 on the sofa. You tell the child that actionman 1 has some chocolate. He eats some of it and puts it behind cushion A on the sofa and leaves the room (you take actionman1 out of the room). You tell the child, whilst actionman1 is out of the room, actionman2 gets the chocolate, eats some of it and puts the chocolate behind cushion B. Then you bring actionman1 back into the room and ask your child 'where will actionman1 look for the chocolate? A child with theory of mind will say behind cushion A (because he didn't see actionman2 move the chocolate). A child with poor or absent theory of mind will say behind cushion B (because he doesn't understand that actionman1 did not have access to the same information as he did). You can see how difficulties with this type of knowledge and thinking is going to make it very difficult for them to write a story. And as you say, there can be speech difficulties in accessing the words the child needs to express what they want to say. Or it could be disordered thought processes, or thought sequencing problems. There really is a long list of possibilities. Can you give an example of difficulties answering questions? It is usually very hard to get any professional to do indepth assessments to identify exactly where the difficulty is. But it is worth asking. There are different ways of trying to improve thought processes depending on what the root of the problem is. For example you could encourage your child to think about outcomes by reading a book together and when you get to a critical part ask him 'what do you think happens next'. If he can't come up with anything, give him a couple of options. If it is problems with expressive language the SALT should assess and have some targets to improve that. One thing they do with my son is he takes an object or picture into school for his Social Skills Group and the other children ask him questions about it. And when it is another child's turn he has to think of questions to ask the child (he tends to find that harder).

You can also look at the diagnostic criteria. Google DSM IV Autism and also Aspergers (I think the code is 299 for autism). For a diagnosis a child has to have enough characteristics in 3 areas. Sensory and perceptual differences are not even included in the diagnostic criteria, but most if not all those on the spectrum have sensory issues. You can ask your GP or Paediatrician for a referal to a multi disciplinary team that has experience in diagnosising autistic spectrum disorders including Aspergers. Children on the spectrum can be very rigid concrete thinkers and tend to want to do things in one way. They also like routines and get upset when changes are made or when you try to do something differently, or with transitions ie. getting them to stop doing something and moving them onto something else. This can come across as being very stubborn, willful, spoilt etc. And to some extent all children have this behaviour. Usually around the 2-3 year old. But other kids grow out of that phase. Those with ASDs remain with this behaviour and throwing tantrums when things don't go their way. It begins to be age inappropriate compared to peers. Of course they do develop, but will typically have problems around these areas of difficulty for all their lives.

I'm happy for you that she's covered everything. Has she made recommendations against the needs she has identified? As you are going through the Statementing process, it is worth having someone from the NAS look through the reports and proposed statement before you agree to it. Do you have a copy of the Code of Practice that says how a Statement should be put together and what it should contain? If not get a copy sent to you.

With my son it is lego. He doesn't obsess in wanting to talk about it. He just builds lego models all day long. So it's all the different types of lego kits. He looks at the lego magazine for hours. He's also into playmobil. And DVDs/TV. Today he spent the whole day making models and watching TV. He didn't even get dressed! He spent all day in his pants. But tomorrow we're out all day, so I let him have a slob day.

A Statutory Assessment means the LEA will ask all professionals involved with your son to produce reports. Those professionals should cover and identify all of his needs and should make recommendations about how those needs should be met in school. You can still write to school about individual things such as other children in class laughing at your son about how he talks or walks. If he had cerebal palsy they wouldn't let him be laughted at. The Statutory Assessment, if it leads to a Statement also has a section (in the Statement) where you say which school placement you want for your child. If you think this current school is not capable of meeting his needs you can name a different school. But you need to start looking at other schools that have experience of teaching children with ASDs. Visit them and speak with the SENCo. See what structures they have in place in the classroom and during breaktimes.

My son also used to be made fun of. He has an American accent (picked up off TV), strange intonation and emphasis the wrong sylabel of words. He also used to need to wear ear defenders at dinnertime/playtime and in assembly. I wrote in a number of times about incidents that took place. I was always told by my daughter or other children because my son said nothing. Put it in writing. Tell them you have been told by another child that (and name the children) are laughing at your child because of how he talks etc. Say that as your son has an ASD he has difficulties with language and social communication and that he will not know how to deal with these situations. Say it is unacceptable for a vulnerable child to be treated in this way and that it is affecting his self esteem. Don't just say these things in school. Put it in a letter and ask the school to respond with how they are going to make sure this does not happen in the future. I had so many instances like this that in the end the headmistress wrote me a letter saying that 'it is becoming more and more obvious to us that you are not happy with the level of support and provison in this school and it might be advisable to look at alternative arrangements. We have to cater for all the children in this school and we cannot change all of our ways of doing things just for one child'. I used that as evidence that this school was not suitable for my child. He is now at a school that has experience of ASDs. That type of behaviour is not tolerated in this school. All the children accept the other children because they are taught about how their diagnosis affects them. For example the whole school learns sign language to enable mainstream and ASD children to be able to communicate. Because sometimes when a child with an ASD is upset/angry etc - even if they are verbal - they can find it easier to sign than to speak. Not all parents are happy with this school. Some parents are moving their 'typical' children into other mainstream schools. But you are better off without those types. It's okay to get angry. Just make sure you keep your goal insight and don't just get abusive or emotional. But I have been at meetings where I have been very close to hitting the inclusion officer. Especially when they denied my son a school place at the school he is now at. The reason she gave was that 'children with ASDs need alot of support and routine. These classrooms have a set limit of ASD children because just adding one more child to that class can upset the balance and cause those children an enormous amount of upset and distress'. To which I replied 'I agree with everything you say, however you seem to forget that you are denying access to my child who also has an ASD and who is also extremely distraught and upset on a daily basis in his current school and you are denying him access to the kind of school environment he needs'. Anyway, we won in the end. So it is possible. Infact it is more possible than impossible.

For attention, listening and co-operation, She noted he was quite active, constantly moving around the room and ended up on the floor to play their games. poor listening skills, especially when engaged in an activity and a question was asked, he either ignored completely or answered inappropriately (this indicates to me that he doesn't understand what was asked) He needed the question repeated to gain his attention for him to answer correctly. It was difficult to disengage him from a self-chosen activity and was nearly impossible for her to change the rules he had made. Took 5 firm instructions fo rher to be able to keep a counter. From the above in the SALT report, how is your son supposed to listen and pay attention to classroom instructions and learning through auditory only means? And yes, my son used to give totally different answers to the questions asked. Difficulties with transitions and leaving anything before it is finished or complete is typical too. I think if you ask for a re-assessment by SALT you need to write in and ask for someone with specific experience and training in the language and communication/Social interaction difficulties typical of those with ASDs. You also mentioned he could identify emotions. But that was by using pictures. That is how you reinforce language, through pictures or other visual means. That is how most children with ASD have their learning reinforced. Would he have been able to identify emotions from the therapists facial features, tone of voice etc? Speak with LASC and see if they would write to the SALT Department themselves? Or ask them if they will support you in writing to the SALT department. I would also directly ask SALT why she feels that input from their department would have minimal effect for your son with a diagnosis of ASD. That is totally the opposite of what the advice is for children with ASDs. What is recommended is very specific SALT programmes targeting areas of difficulty. The child may never fully understand the reasoning behind the language, but they need to learn communication and social skills if they are to function and have some success in the real world. In some cases these may be rote learnt scripts that the child learns to use in certain situations. Once they have been learnt, the child will then become more independent and successful with social interaction. For example, a child that doesn't know how to initiate play may be taught to say 'lets play XXX', or 'Can I play with you', or 'shall we play a war game', etc. Although it is rote learnt, it is a conversation opener, and children who are able to cope in mainstream school are usually able enough to use these types of scripts to gain them access to social interaction. Without those learnt phrases they would not interact at all. Also google SCERTS. This is an ongoing social interaction assessment tool specifically to be used by all professionals involved with children with ASDs. And it is put into place by the SALT! Does the SALT department within your LEA pass on all ASD cases to LASC? If not they should be meeting the needs of these children. Whatever ways they use to determine whether a child needs support you need to (a) check it is correct through PP or the NAS and ( any kind of measurement of ability has to take into consideration (i) the cognitive ability of the child, and (ii) what is the baseline assessment from which we start to measure improvement? If you have a child with average cogntiive ability, and they only make one years academic progress in three years, then you know that something is hindering their access to learning. If the child is way below average cognitive ability then that same level of progress might be typical for them. If they don't have IEPs/MEPs for your son how are they measuring his progress, or setting targets? Is it just through the yearly school report? It is perfectly possible for a child with Aspergers to be a genius, yet because they are not supported so that they can achieve to that level, they would only progress at an average rate. But a child in that situation would be seriously underachieving. I am not suggesting that is the case with your son, but I think you understand what I am getting at.

LASC is a new one on me!! They should recognise straight away the importance of an accurate picture of your son's language and communication skills. Not sure where SALT and LASC meet or cross over?? Could LASC support your request for further assessments by SALT due to behavioural problems which could be down to language and communication problems typical of a diagnosis of an ASD?? I think it is reasonable to ask SALT to assess your son again thoroughly to rule that in or out. If he has severe comprehension or receptive speech difficulties that is going to be a major player in his difficulties in the classroom. No you don't need to wait until your child is 3 years behind before you get SEN support through School Action or School Action Plus. (And anyway, how do you define that?? ie. 3 years behind what?? What is the baseline assessment, the cognitive assessment). His diagnosis means he will always have difficulties with certain things, that is how he got that diagnosis. Sounds like you are getting things together. Hope it all goes well at the meeting.

I think you do need to sit down and draw up an action plan regarding the upcoming meeting, and also for what you will do afterwards. You have got organisations supporting you who know the difficulties you have with your son. Get them to give you their advice in writing rather than just verbal. Unfortunately no professional can 'force' their way into school. I had a similar difficulty with my son ie. outside professionals were telling me what he needed, but school were not even asking them to come in and were saying that they were 'coping' and meeting his needs. So you do need to gather evidence that that is not the case. It also sounds like some professionals have not taken their role seriously or done the required amount of assessments. Eg. SALT. If your son cannot understand what he reads that is called 'comprehension' and would also suggest difficulties with 'inference' as well. You can test this yourself by asking him what it means when he has read a story. These things can be assessed for. The way a child copes with this in the classroom situation is by trying to copy what the other children in class are doing. That is what my son also did. My son also had age appropriate expressive speech and I was concerned he would be discharged from SALT in the near future. But his receptive speech, comprehension, auditory processing, auditory memory, sequencing verbal instructions, inference, literal and concrete interpretation of lanuage, delays in processng language - all added up to mean he could not learn verbally or follow verbal instructions. My son also uses delayed echolalia (google 'delayed echolalia and autism' to see if your son does it.) (also google Semantic Pragmatic Speech Disorder).You can write a letter to the SALT department and say what you have put in your post and request that his understanding of expressive speech, comprehension, inference, etc etc (as i've listed), is assessed by a SALT that has experience of both speech disorders and autistic spectrum disorders. School Action and School Action Plus are brought in (I think) due to academic or behavioural issues. If your son is on the national curriculum and isn't showing behavioural problems at school that seems to be where you are. But what is his cognitive ability? Is he achieving to his ability? He may be getting low results when he is higher than average cognitive ability, but because of his difficulties he cannot access the curriculum. And his difficulties with comprehension and inference will mean he won't understand the point of homework. He won't know what he is aiming towards, or trying to prove or achieve or demonstrate etc. At my son's previous school I refused to do homework unless they set it relevant to what he could do. They didn't. He could not do what the class was doing, so I stopped trying for some time. He would just throw tantrums because he didn't understand it. Now he does do homework, it is relevant, it is at his level, he understands it. He doesn't always want to do it, but it is something we can all cope with. I would seriously think about what you want school to do in supporting him. Get outside agencies to support you in writing and to support you in the fact that many children with ASDs have no behavioural problems at school, but that what you are experiencing at home is unacceptable. If the difficulty was reversed eg. behaviour at school, but not at home, how would school feel if you just said 'that's not my problem - deal with it yourself'. Request that the PP comes to the meeting with you to take notes. And always take them to future meetings to take notes. Mention that the previous school nurse say your son self harm out of frustration (ie. punch himself in the face). And say that this has never been acted on or the implications of it taken seriously. If, at this meeting, and after trying things recommended by the NAS school are still not doing anything (and make sure that is also in writing ie. write to them after the meeting with what is agreed, or what they refused to agree with timescales etc). Then, if nothing happens you might be forced to look at private reports. But I would put the LEA SALT department on the spot first to see what their response is. If they assess and find the difficulties you mention he will need supports in class and he will automatically move to school action plus with IEP/MEPs. Sometimes the mention of the prospect of getting private reports galvanises then into action. But you need to follow through if you use that as a threat. A private SALT will not make up things he needs. But they need to be independent (ie. not work for the LEA or the NHS), and you want one that has experience of attending Educational Tribunals as expert witness. From their report, if his difficulties are as you suggested, you should get evidence to get him on school action plus. Get IEPs/MEPs, and you can use the SALT report as evidence towards a Statutory Assessment towards a Statement. To ask for a SA the school also needs to have done at least two IEPs. Your school is refusing this. Speak with the NAS about that. It would be useful to get that refusal by the school in writing. Although the situation seems dire now, if the school keep denying this and not supporting him, you are slowly gathering evidence etc. In my case one LEA professional broke ranks and sent me an addendum to her report and a couple of emails condeming how her employers were behaving. I know she put her job on the line for that. Everyone seems to be supporting you in approaching school, so try to get that support in writing. They obviously don't think it is a parental control problem, but due to school - that is the whole point of the meeting.

My son also has an interest in plumbing, or more specifically in blocking the pipes! After our long discussion about him earning his reward (trip to the theme park), I found him 5 minutes later in the toilet pushing toilet paper down the plug hole. It took 20 mins using chop sticks to get it all out. His excuse, 'I wasn't thinking'. Too right mate!! At his previous school he frequently blocked the toilets with paper. He gets absorbed in the repetitive action of putting paper down. I got a warning from the Caretaker that if he had to unblock another toilet he would be very angry. Although I know what they mean, I asked for that in writing please - evidence towards the Statement (we now have). As I was also concerned that he was frequently finding opportunities to leave the classroom for enough time to block the toilets. And also what was the motivation to keep leaving the classroom, he obviously wanted to escape that environment.

Me and my typos!! I meant to say that the same sensory experience can be pleasurable on one occasion and painful on another. (that in itself can be responsible for some of the tantrum like behaviour our children show). They don't know how it will be until they experience it. My son can set the TV volume very loud or so quiet that I cannot hear it. For him he is just setting it to the level he needs to hear it. And that variation can be experienced in any or all of the sensory channels. My son also has difficulties multi tasking from a sensory point of view. He easily loses body sensation. So if he is looking at something or someone speaks to him, it is common for him to drop something he is holding. This has a big implication for his ability to write during classroom environments. If he cannot feel body sensation, and also has problems with motor planning, an accumulation of sensory input and overload is going to make that an almost impossible task for him.

As my son now has a statement, we did get it included in the Statement that the OT would review how he was doing in school on a termly basis. At the moment he has alot of input going on, and therapies and things being put into place. So I haven't pushed for yet more stuff at the moment. But when they review next, I want them to identify how my son uses his own strategies to deal with sensory issues. And I want that to be built into his daily timetable. For example he has access to ear defenders, and one of his targets is to get him to identify when he will need them. I want to speak with the OT about that because (a) sensory perception varies dramatically between hyper and hypo. So the same sensory experience might be painful on one occasion and painful on another. I don't know how they expect my son to be able to make that judgement??? I prefer that he is reminded prior to something that he might need them, and to take them incase. My son will remove them if he doesn't need them. If he does need them, and doesn't have access to them he will become over stimulated, retreat into himself, and you won't be able to do anything with him for the rest of the day. He also uses spinning and bouncing to get him ready to do tasks. This is clear to see in the home environment and was witnessed by the OT. Eg. when asked to do a certain piece of work he might get up and spin, then sit down and do it. If you stop him from spinning he can't do the work. Or he may get up and bounce around 5 times and then get off and complete the work. I didn't know that this behaviour was infact good and preparing him for work, because a child trying to do this type of stuff in class would be asked to sit back down. But the OT was very happy that he was using such strategies, which do appear to work. But we now have to see how we can incorporate that kind of thing into the classroom environment. He also likes deep pressure at times and the OT also suggested work breaks that might include pulling on a piece of rope, or pushing against a wall. My son tends to lose body sensation, so I think alot of these things are meant to ground him again. If the OT has recognised difficulties in your son to the extent that they have given a programme for school and home then I would be writing to them to ask (a) has the person completing the programme in school been given any training in how to do this? And when will they review progress? OT don't like ongoing commitment. But although they are NHS, and not LEA the LEA is supposed to fund them for any input over and above what they would normally provide. But again, I think that only applies through a Statement because it is legally binding. I don't think the LEA has to provide funding at school action or school action plus - but you would need to check that with the NAS. It is all down to evidence again. My son is getting a listening therapy because I had evidence that my son has Auditory Processing Disorder (which I pushed for through the SALT). Although APD is a recognised medical condition the NHS cannot diagnose it (they have no assessments), or provide therapy for it. But there are private clinics that do assess and give out programmes. They cost money. But they do take NHS referals. So my GP supported my application to the PCT for this therapy at a clinic in London. The PCT suddenly decided to send one of the community OTs on a training course in listening therapies, and my son is receiving it. So, it is worth following things through and asking in writing. If you don't have a Statement this area of OT is further evidence of complex needs. But the LEA will probably let it get to Tribunal stage before they would agree to OT being included in the Statement. And if you did get to that stage, involve the NAS to make sure the wording is right. On my sons' statement he gets a weekly SALT session for a qualified SALT with daily practice with a TA. The reason we got that level of support was because he has such severe and complex needs regarding speech and communication that a TA could not be expected to run the programme on a termly basis on their own. The TA has to sit in on the weekly SALT session to see how it should be delivered and then practices it daily both in the classroom and playground and in the Social Skills Group. Although this input is higher than any other child in his school (including those in the autism unit), I feel that it is not only benefitting my son, but also the schools experience and will have further benefits on other children. The SALT also has to contribute towards the Social Skills Group that my son attends. Previously there was no SALT input. TAs are not qualified to set targets or put programmes into place for Social Interaction. That is what qualified SALTs do. So now all the children in that group benefit from the extra provision I obtained for my son. It shouldn't be like this. But we didn't make the systems, so we have to work with the systems available.

It is near impossible to get services specified without a Statement. For example it took my a 2 year wait for my son to be seen by an OT for Sensory Integration Disorder (part of his initial diagnosis), they assessed him and found areas he needs work on, but they have not put a programme into place and would not comment on the level of support they can provide to children with ASDs in general or my son in particular. He does go to a movement gym run by the school. And he does have a listening therapy that is from OT. OT commented that my son has put together his own strategies for dealing with the sensory issues that he has, which is true. And they won't specify because then parents will try to keep that service at that level. So they never promise anything. What you need is evidence of need for them to assess, and then they need to put together a programme to meet that need, and they should send you a written version of the programme. Sometimes it is hard to even get that ie. they will specify the need, but then make no or little or vague recommendations on how those need should be met. But you need to know who should be doing what, how often and for how long and how it will be monitored. If you son't know that you have no idea if they are meeting the need. So always ask in writing and always get them to reply in writing as well. If you know a certain professional is going into school then send them a letter of your concerns and ask for them to assess for that whilst they are in school and to make recommendations. You then have evidence that you have identified needs and asked for them to be assessed. If that isn't done that is still evidence. If it is done, but without recommendations you can send a further letter asking them to make recommendations or put a programme into place that will meet that recognised need. It does mean you are continually checking, double checking, writing letters etc - so it is a long term jog type of approach. And it is not impossible to get a Statement for a child with Aspergers. But you do need evidence of complex needs. So you need to take away the umbrella diagnosis of aspergers (in your head), and identify every single area of difficulty he has, the sum total of which may be complex needs. Nothing is going to be handed to you on a plate. Resources are very tight. Professionals are few and far between. But that doesn't mean it is okay. Your child has rights (which you can check with the Parent Partnership and the NAS). Unfortunately the parents that get clued up and start asking for what their child needs and keeps pushing for it and getting evidence to support their requests, sometimes to the extent of an educational tribunal, are the ones that get the support. It isn't fair, but we didn't make the systems. Unfortunately LEA inclusion officers seem to have become budget control officers. I know there isn't an endless amount of money. But that also is not my fault or my system. There is money, and other people decide how it is spent. There is law that says how a child's educational needs have to be met. Law always wins. But the LEA are not legally required to do anything under School Action or School Action Plus. It is only the Statement that is legally binding. The NAS (and sometimes the Parent Partnership) run day seminars about the SEN process. The NAS also does Help 1 and Help 2 courses for parents of children with ASDs. They also have seminars on all kinds of other issues as well that you can attend. So, over time you will become your childs Personal Assistant/Advocate, but there is no one else who is going to do that job if you don't.

Sorry in my previous post I said violent disruptive behaviour at 'school' and I meant 'home'.