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bettyhen

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About bettyhen

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  1. bettyhen

    How many LSAs?

    Most schools only have attached TAs for core subjects. We had a brilliant TA in the English Department and she was very skilled at getting children to contribute rather than just doing the work for them because she understood why the children were being asked to do things and didn't muddle output with achievement (English is a very process-driven subject). If we got a substitute TA it was often better to send the TA away (especially if she was a 'shouter') rather than have someone mess up the delicate relationships that had been set up in the classroom. I imagine a good maths TA is similarly experienced but I don't know. I suppose what I'm saying is that 11 TAs are clearly wrong BUT one or two lousy TAs could be worse because they could make your child feel wholly inadequate and if you have a couple of good TAs it would be best to keep them whilst shelving the others. You need to make sure that whoever is with your child has the skills to be able to work with someone with ASD. A one day course run but the SENCo would, in my opinion, be insufficient. Is your child able to convey to you what these TAs are like? Could you score them on kindness, ability to explain things etc and then go in with an idea of who you want to be the main TAs?
  2. Thanks for your reply. I think he is anxious and that manifests itself negatively. He was certainly worried last night as he was up from 1.30 til 5.30 for a variety of reasons - all really associated with going back to school today I think. At least he had the reassurance of knowing he could tell everyone he was in his Dr Who magazine - a photo of him and his snow dalek - which gives him something to talk about!
  3. Thanks for your advice. I will ask for an ed psych referral perhaps that will be forthcoming from CAMHss my son's behaviour after Christmas has been dreadful: intense anger and physical aggression. He's been hitting, biting and kicking and we are all feeling anxious and fraught because of it. . We did go to see the movement and learning centre and are going to give that a go as it should speed up work with the motor skills. We have got a referral to OT but it's apparently a TWO year wait so we feel we need to do something. My son loved the therapist so that's a positive.
  4. Thanks for your swift reply. It is much appreciated. We only moved to Scotland in August and my son was assessed as ASD in England. We have been referred to CAMHS in Stirling but our first appointment is in January. I don't know how they will react to my questioning about dyspraxia. I hadn't heard of dysgraphia but perhaps that is a more likely diagnosis than dyspraxia. Was it through CAMHs that you got the diagnosis of dysgraphia? I had thought of looking at this organisation - http://www.mlcscotland.com -but know nothing of them other than their claims that they can help!
  5. My 7 year old son is (in my opinion) very bright and his reading age is way above his real age. However, he can't write properly and hates school because of this. I have asked to be referred to an OT to see if he's dyspraxic or whether he just doesn't want to write. There is a massive waiting list though. I am trying to find a private OT in Scotland but to no avail. Does anyone know of one?
  6. [Thanks - I will push but don't know how long it will take. It's such a nightmare when your child is permanently angry!
  7. My son moves out of the Aspergers category and into more severe autism when he has gluten.
  8. We moved to Scotland in August and my 7 year old son started a new school. I much prefer it to the old one and although my son says he doesn't like it because they make him write, he goes in without the separation anxiety he had before. His behaviour is very good and though there have been social issues, school have helped immediately and htey try to ensure he has people to play with. He has asked to go to discos and after school clubs! At home, however, he is vile. He is very angry going from 0 to 60 in seconds flat. He is violent towards us - hitting and biting - and no sanctions or rewards seem to work even though we are consistent. His behaviour is making the whole family unhappy and I shrink away whenever he runs toward me because I'm expecting to be hit. Our Camhs referral has not come through but I think we need to do something ASAP and wondered if anyone had any suggestions of good counsellors/play therapists. We are an hour from Glasgow and 40 minutes from Stirling. I am very wary of just picking someone off a list as I think he needs careful handling. He would like to talk to someone, I think. Alternatively, any practical suggestions would be useful. I'm quite desperate to be honest.
  9. Try your local Barnardos as they may know someone useful. My son is taken swimming as part of their ASD scheme by a chap whose day job is working with adults with learning difficulties. He is absolutely brilliant with F. I imagine they have similar schemes across the country and so they may know of people who have the appropriate skills set to deal with you as well as children.
  10. My six year old AS son loves puns and often makes them himself. He also likes slapstick (which I hate). I'm not sure though that he understands when you laugh out loud and when you don't - he seems to be exploring it at the moment, explaining to me the other day that something was funny but not the sort of thing you'd laugh out loud to.
  11. My own son has normal traits too but then something happens and I realise that he really is on the spectrum. For instance, when they changed the lining up system at school, he couldn't cope at all. As far as having an official diagnosis is concerned, I think it's vital. I used to work in Exclusions for a Local Authority and a diagnosis means that an exclusion is less likely in the future because the school has to take the diagnosis into account. This doesn't mean your child can't be excluded but it is helpful. It will move up to School Action Plus and will mean that they have to have an IEP. Also, as some other posters have said, it explains why your child reacts so differently from others. My son's school still persists in believing that it's a maturity issue and that he'll settle in the end and be able to cope better but they can't take that approach because of his diagnosis. Also, you will have access to the ASD support team. The one from our LA came in and observed my son and gave the teacher tips and made it clear that planning for his ASD will eradicate many problems. Good luck.
  12. In Scotland they have a two tier system but go up to secondary school a year later, which would be good! Unfortunately it's in a very isolated area and there is only one school nearby - about 5 miles away. It sounds like it's good but I realise the limitations to inspections! We would have lots of benefits in terms of moving there - the potential for tree houses, ponies and sailling but we'd have rubbish weather and midges too!
  13. Thanks for both your replies which have given me a lot to think about. It's hard to know whether a school is the right place until he's been there - I'm a teacher and know all too well the double-speak that exists. Some so-called GOOD schools are awful places! He has got a good friend at school (another geeky kid) but he tends to rely on him overmuch and is fed up when his friend plays with other kids and plays games that he doesn't like. Interestingly, he gets on really well with the reception girls as they comfort him when he cries (mixed-age class, he's Y1). So, I don't know whether it's unfair to get him to leave this situation or not. I called the school today (very rural) and they have places so that isn't an issue. I imagine the classes are pretty small too. Also, in Scotland they can't have more than 25 in a mixed-age class; he's one of 30 at the moment. Let's hope time to reflect over Easter (in Scotland) will help. Thanks once again for all your useful advice.
  14. We're considering moving to Scotland for all sorts of reasons - employment being the main one. My son, who is mildly ASD, was a nightmare when he started at his primary school but is pretty settled now with a few blips. I don't think the school get him, or plan for his deeds but he says he likes school apart from some breaks when he has no-one to play with (partly his fault - he won't play tig; partly the school's fault - they promised but have yet to set up a social skills group). We know the house we'd moved to very well and he likes it there but I worry that the change will all be too much for him and he'll regress and start hitting etc when he starts at the new school. Does any one have any views/experiences re this? We don't HAVE to move but I feel it would be better to move now when he's in Y1 than later on. If it weren't for his needs, I'd be eager to move.
  15. "I presume they have symbols for all the different sounds. How do they use symbols to teach the words that you cannot sound out phonetically?" They have symbols for all of the different sounds including things like st and dr. The first lessons are learning all of the different sounds with games etc and then it goes onto text with symbols used for all of the sounds. For instance we had oxygen the other day which he read easily and Dutchman which he found harder (I'm not sure he knows what it means). "How long did it take before you began to notice an improvement in your sons reading and spelling?" I think it took 3 months. We finished the course yesterday and after 9 months he is reading fairly well including reading in his head at times. He's ORT level 7 at school but they never move them on quickly so he may be better. How much do the lessons cost and how long do they last. It is very expensive. £370 if you pay in advance (lots more if you stage it) but that is 200+ lessons and you are registered for a year. I think you can get a refund if you are unhappy. I think it might be worth seeing if the school/LA will fund it as part of the support for your son. There is a section for teachers and it is a lot cheaper than getting in a dyslexic specialist for a year. It might be worth talking to the director - he will phone you back. We did it because my son's teacher is useless at teaching kids to read let alone my son who needs to do anything daily or he won't do it. F loved the daily nature of the lessons though we still struggled with motivation sometimes. He has now become obsessed by 'David' the director of the company whose voice you hear and he wants to meet up with him! He loved the spy toys too.
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