Elenes

Hi, I was wondering if anyone has a child who displays IBS symtoms when stressed? My child is complaining that she hates the way her tummy feels every day. She is going through a very stressed phaase and school refusal. This morning (4am) she was sick,..and has been sitting on the loo! I would think it was a bug, but she had a bug a couple of weeks ago with the same symptms. Now, i am wondering if actually she is so stressed she is actually having physical symptoms. Has anyone experienced this? Thanks for your help. Elenes

Hi, I know this will sound strange, but has anyone got any experience of whether a hot tub is calming or helpful for a child on the spectrum. Is there any medical evidence to show that it could be harmful or helpful? What about when they are really stressed,...or on the verge of having a blow out? Thanks in advance for any replies. Elenes

Sorry to be thick, but what are the differences between a 'foundation secondary school' and a 'community secondary school'? Hope someone can answer this simply enough. Elenes

Hi, I was wondering if any of you could relate to how I feel just now. I am due to have a weekend 'off' this weekend, and am meant to be joining 5 friends for a get-together. We have not met up for almost 6 months as we come from different parts of the country. The trouble is, so much has been happening at home lately, that I am unsure whether I want to use this time off to socialise with them. I feel really bad for saying this. None of them have children, and one is a teacher , but I couldn't bear to let on how things really are to them. I am so used to seeing people's eyes glaze over when I try and describe something. You can tell they just can't imagine or understand. I don't want to dampen the mood of the weekend by 'fessing up, either. However, I also feel unable to laugh it all off this weekend (had a particularly bad day today, with some major body-blows from the Education system! ). I feel so 'marginalised' and different from everyone else at the mo. I only feel like you all understand. Oh well,..I guess I will decide one way or another tomorrow. Elenes

Hi, I wondered if anyone could tell me what happens if your child is at a school in a different LEA to the one you live in. Specifically, if they are not attending school. Which Education Welfare Service should be dealing? Hope you can help. Elenes

She got a note in lieu of a statement last time. I want to know what funding the school has at their fingertips and how they are 'guided' to use it. I want to know how much pressure I can apply to them and what their financial scope/remit to help is. Hmmm,... Do you know what actually changed from the 1st? Is it documented anywhere on the net? Sorry to ask so many questions! Elenes

Hi, I was wondering if someone could point me in the direction of the appropriate changes in legislation and funding that came into play from 1st April? I have been told that things changed and that our local LEA is only granting statements for children needing 25 hours or more 1-2-1. How is this new allocation of funding applied? What conditions are attached to it? Is it a melting pot of money for the SEN children on the books, or is it allocated per individual child? Why does the school feel that 'the money just isn't there still'. Could I expect to have something like a few hours a day 1-2-1 support from this, or should I still be looking at trying again for a statement? All thoughts, comments, and links greatfully received! Elenes

Hi, I have been watching this thread with interest. I am so pleased that the LEA are responding, but appalled that it takes quotes of the law to prompt action! As some of you may know, my child is going through a significant period of school refusal,...getting worse each week. Last week she was at school for 2 hours, and that's all. She is not excluded, but her anxieties prompt extremely demanding behaviours, which make getting her into school almost impossible now. Anyway, would this act and the info in the DfES link that has been quoted above, apply to her? Is her absence from school due to a 'medical need'? Could I use this to ask the LEA for a tutor if/once 15 consequetive working days have elapsed? She's not ill, but her conditions are making her unable to attend. The school thinks she is controlling, because she wants certain conditions met each day before she will agree to attend school. Or she only attends if there is somethng good happening. She rages, or if she has attended, refuses to come home (my punishment!!) if you try to force her there. Thanks for your invaluable advice. Elenes

Hi again! Thanks Flutter. I was wondering if parents are allowed to attend the multi professional meeting? Does anyone know. Would you advise against it? I believe Health, Education, and probably Social Services will be there. Thanks. Elenes

Thank you for your replies. It just makes me realise that this situation is repeating all over the place! I was even wondering if a fresh start somewhere else would help. If I identified a school that seemed particularly capable with ASD children (just a regular mainstream school, but with more experience), and it had space,...would the LEA agree to a trial?! However, the school i have seen is in a neighbouring LEA! So that would invole two LEA's communicating and agreeing!!! 'Nuff said!! I wish I was not so cynical! Elenes

Hi, I wonder if anyone can advise. My 9 year old child has got stuck in a cycle of school refusal since the middle of March. The EWO have been brought in at ours and the schools request to see if they have any solutions. She attends sporadically, depending on whether her 'conditions' (demands, i.e. that she has a table on her own, or the Head is not allowed to engage with her at all) have been met. She has only been to school for 2 hours this week, and roughly 50% of other weeks. I can understand that her attempts to control the situation are driven by her rising anxieties with school, and her previous form of inhibiting in that environment is taking it's toll. However, all the measures that EWO, the school, and ourselves have employed don't seem to be changing this trend. Quite simply, she is in control just now! She decides if she is going! No steps/interventions have changed this tact. She rages badly, and destroys things..so forcing her is not possible. I would worry about what this would do to her mental health if this development is her way of saying she can no longer cope at school. She lies around the house in her dressing gown, reading,..once we have finally given up. If she does go, but things don't work out,..she refuses to come home because we made her go to school! She had a 'scuffle' with the Head last week after 2 hours of refusing to come home. She doesn't have a statement, because she still inhibits to a large extent at school. She got a note in lieu of a statement a couple of years ago. The only way she displays her anxieties is in actually not attending school,..which does not give her a 'need' that a statement could assist with anyway! Has anyone else had this situation? If so, what happened? At a recent meeting the EWO said that prosecution, etc is not an option, as we are doing everything in our power to change the situation and working in partnership with all the outside agencies and school. They mentioned Home and Hospital Educating for a while as a last resort,...and there is a planned Multi Professional Meeting. I would appreciate your experiences and suggestions. Thanks. Elenes

Sorry to interrupt, but are the units attached to mainstream secondary's again only accessible to a child with a statement? There is one fairly near us and I am thinking towards the future! Elenes

Thank you all very much. Your are a knowledgeable bunch and have given me some idea's!! Elenes

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me whether a child can get into a Special School if they only have a note in lieu of a stetement? If so, how would you recommend I approach this? Do all LEA's have at least one school that is mainstream with an attached ASD unit? Or is this a phenomenon in just some parts of the country? Finally,...sorry,...is there a 'fast track' way of going through the Statutory Assessment process if things have reached crisis point? I would appreciate your advice. Thank you. Elenes

This post is of particular interest to me. Does anyone know if there is a stipulated threshold whereupon parents get prosecuted for failing to get their child to school? Does it have to be continous days absences? What have people's dealings been with EWO's, when their ASD child school refuses or attends regularly late? I would appreciate your thoughts and experiences. Thank you. Elenes