Daisydot

Definitely keep DH School in mind, or at least an assessment from them.

Sally, Not sure where you live but may I recommend you visit the ICAN website and look at the provision they offer in their schools. Even if one of their schools is not viable for you, they have assessment services where your son could be properly assessed and have reports written which you could present at a tribunal. They are experts in the field of speech & language. I am not allowed to name schools here but definitely recommend the school beginning with M and the assessment centre. We went down this route and never looked back.

The Dyslexia Institute use a similar system to THRASS, I am not sure what it is called though. You are definitely on the right track, and it sounds like our DS's have similar difficulties. I would be asking for specific input from a SALT who has experience with auditory processing and auditory discriminiation and phonological awareness. Since my son gets weekly individual and group sessions from a SALT plus daily teaching from a teacher who is highly experienced in teaching children with such language problems, I guess thats maybe along the lines of what you should be looking for in provision for your son. I know the THRASS system is used in at least two specialist speech & language schools. As far as asking a tribunal for a specific teaching method, I would think you would need an independent SALT to recommend the specific system in their report for the tribunal. Then you have the evidence and its up to the tribunal to consider it.

sounds very interesting.... is there a brochure available yet and will this school have provision for those with major speech & language problems? DS is not aspergers but lots of speech & language probs plus dyspraxia and is affected by ASD and sensory issues.

Sorry to blow my own trumpet again but the petition I started back in September (which some of you fab folk have signed) has now got 270 signatures. Thank you so much everyone for signing it. However, apparently, we need 500 signatures to get a proper reply from the PM so please do sign it if you agree with me and have not already signed. I am asking the Prime Minister to allow pupils with SEN access to specialist schools, something I personally feel very strongly about. Here is the link <'> http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/SE-NEEDS/ Thanks a million to those who have signed. ... and I promise not to post this link again !

I am unsure about the specific teaching method you suggest, as it is not one I have come accross. However, our DS has a diagnosis of severe speech & language difficulties, phonological awareness difficulties, dyslexia and auditory processing difficulties. The SALT at school has spedifically recommended NOT to use any system which uses phonics when teaching him to read and spell (ie Jolly Phonics). So, when he spells a word, he uses the letter names, rather than the sounds. Ditto, when he comes across a word he cannot read, he spells out the word using the letter names rather than trying to sound it out. Apparently, phonic systems are a disaster for some children like our DS (yet schools seem hell bent on ramming this kind of approach down everyones throats). This approach has been hugely successful with our DS, and he can suddenly spell lots of words and read just about anything, wheras a year ago he could not spell anything with more than 2-3 letters. Interestingly, his writing has improved hugely as well. Apparently, having auditory processing problems means that he will never ever learn through phonics as he cannot process the sounds. So, my advice would be to look at/consider using a system that does not use phonics. At DS school, they use a system called THRASS which seems very successful with pupils with speech & language difficulties.

Felt just the same after fighting for three years to get our son into an appropriate school, where his needs were understood. For several months after we won our case, I just didnt want to know anything about school of any sort, but it was such a relief not having to WORRY about him all the time, knowing he was getting all the help and understanding he needed. Dont worry about having nothing left to do - not sure how old he is but the way things are going in education at the moment, things are getting worse so there is bound to be more fighting to do further down the line. In the meantime, relax and enjoy Christmas

So did I. DS is diagnosed with ASD, Dyspraxia, Specific Language Disorder and is said to have dyslexia and discalculia as well. I understood that specific language disorders and dyslexia are two manefestations of the same route thing (phonological difficulties). Just to confuse everyone even more !!

Its MS - which is a neurological disease but its also an auto-immune disease, and GP says DHs immune system is compromised. You may be right that he will not be offered it but we will - although GP told him the other week he would be offered it- I am really worried about the Thimerserol in the vaccine though as the whole Thimerserol / ASD /Mytochondrial disease possible link has been rumbling round for years.

Its clearly an amazing piece of work - art even - but my initial thought was - why on earth would you want to ? (make an oil rig out of matchsticks). I am always amazed people have this much patience, but perhaps if I was his wife, I would have played him at his own game and made a washing machine, cooker, hoover, freezer, iron and ironing board out of matchsticks, and let him get on with it.

Our family is likely to be offered the swine flu vaccine sooner rather than later as one of our family members falls into the "high risk" categories of having an immune disease. I am really unsure whether or not to have this vaccine, or even more worrying, whether to agree to the children having it (11 and 12). I understand the British vaccine contains Thimeserol, a mercury based preservative. Both my DS are diagnosed with ASD amongst other things. I am just worried that the vaccine hasnt been tested thoroughly enough. Any thoughts ?

Thanks Sally, one of my sons gets OT every week at school and sensory integration therapy, but nothing like this. I will ask his OT if she knows anything about this technique. This is a specific pressure on the shoulders, maybe its more like an acupressure thing, but I am not sure what where when or how to do it properly, if you see what I mean. If I ever find out I will post more. Julie - I am one for a backrub too - - chance would be a fine thing !

But dont you think most people know what he really stands for and are far more intelligent than to take what any politician says on telly as the whole story. I don't think appearing on TV will have done him any favours, and if anything it will have done him and the BNP a disfavour. As one very eloquent young lady on GMTV yesterday morning said "let him hang himself (metaphorically of course)". If people really did object to him being on question time, they will have switched off or over to another channel, but I bet the BBC viewing figures for Question Time were up this week, because everyone wanted to watch him squirm. And incidentally, there are plenty of "moderate" politicians who have been rather less whiter than white and in some cases illegal (I refer to the expenses fandango for which 27 politicians are now being investigated).. I switched off the TV on the night, but have succumbed to the Iplayer version. I thought MrG made a complete t*t of himself, so well done the BBC for facilitating this. I thought the ladies on the panel were the real stars of the show.

The whole point of being British is that we have free speech, something which many countries do not allow. Whilst I am not in any way advocating or agreeing with anything Mr Griffin says, he has the right to free speech, as does any other British Citizen, and we all have the right to consider what he says and agree or disagree with it. I havent seen the recording of Question Time yet, but I think it was the right decision to let him on there.

I have heard mention several times recently of using deep shoulder pressure on a child with ADHD as it helps them concentrate and calms them down. I believe this is a specific technique to do with sensory integration rather than a general shoulder rub, does anyone know where I can find out more information about this, or tell me how to do it and had anyone used this or similar techniques.? thanks o wise ones.