anntham

me too!

Hi Julie1 I have sent you a private message with some school details. I hope it helps you in your search. Ann

Hi It depends what you are looking for, i.e ASD specific, or day versus residential school. You can request a list of all independent schools from your LEA (our parent partnership gave us ours). This list contains all the web addresses and contact details etc and we found it really useful. Also the OFSTED website is a good one to search, alternatively put the type of school you are looking for into google. If you are looking for ASD specific residential schools I can PM you a few names if that helps? Not a lot to go on but I hope it helps. Ann

Hi I am not sure if this will help - but my daughter is 14 and has ASD and significant challenging behaviours. She is currently an inpatient on a specialist childrens unit which specialises in mental health / autism / challenging behaviours etc. This is a very specialist in patient unit and is proving to be a very useful admission. It was and still is exceptionally difficult to have her away from home, but she is responding well to their interventions and the assessment is very comprehensive. I am aware that there are very few units like this one in the country - but they do take referrals from anywhere in the uk. I would say don't be bullied into anything that you don't want to happen, your gut feeling is usually right- but if you do agree make sure it is the right place I am thinking of you all Best Wishes Ann x

Thats really great - good luck with it all x

Hi Frizz I may be wrong but I believe that you can request an early review of the statement if your child's needs have changed, which they clearly have if the school is not meeting her needs and are not fulfilling the elements within Part 3. It is useful to focus on what the current school cannot provide or do for your child rather than what your choice of school can offer. It may be worth requesting an Educational Psychology assessment (if not done recently) this can be requested via SENCO It may also be worth contacting the National Autistic Society Advocacy Service who can advise on statement and tribunal issues. I personally have found them very useful. It is an answer phone service but a worker will ring you back within the week. My personal experience of aggressive or challenging behaviour is that it is usually linked to anxiety, difficulty communicating needs and lack of structure. It makes me cross when I hear attention seeking behaviour. Usually, our children don't hit out for fun there is usually a good reason for it, they should be trying to find it rather that excluding her from school. A little tip - ensure the exclusion is a formal one and is documented otherwise you may find it is denied later down the line (this happened to us). Sorry - it's not much to go on, but will be thinking of you and good luck. Take Care A x

Hi Just wondering if Underley Garden School happened? If so, how are you finding it? My daughter is being assessed by them in 2 weeks time. Very difficult to get information from them. Thanks A x

I think its a really good idea as it is very difficult to find whats out there without word of mouth and experience. Ann