phoebe

Yes please - have PM'd you Phoebe

Has anyone recently received a statement for their child who is HF, but needs help with social interactions, with listening to instruction, with accepting the hierarchy of society and managing their own feelings and stresses.................etc We are trying to get support for our DS who is very rigid in his belief of how to do things and very resistant to others suggestions. He is able, but attempts to alter tasks to accommodate his own interests or goes off on a tangent. He is increasingly losing access to the national curriculum because of his difficulties. We have received a proposed statement of ten hours support, but I know it is too "wooly." Is anyone willing to let me see their unwoolied final statement? I seem to be going round in circles and dont know what to aim for/what or how help can be provided. I have read the AFASIC info on the proposed statement and have read and re-read all the documents but am still struggling. Please help. Thank you Phoebe

I haven't picked through it yet, or checked the wordings for water tightness, but it says "** will require an educational setting where he can receive some 1:1 and small group support. Within a mainstream school he will receive 10 hours per week learning support assisatnace from the school and local authority budgets, in accordance with the curent local authority regulations." There are a list of objectives, which say things like ** will benefit from..... or ** will need to work on...... or ** will need adult support to .......There is a load of stuff about how his progress will be closely monitored and recorded and how he should be given specific, measurable, achievable and realistic targets with an agreed date for completion and which will be reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis. Will the school be able to say that this is what they have been doing through his SA+ targets, because they haven't been all those things and some of them are just carried over and over. If he doesn't get any help how will that change. The school say that ** has used up plenty of 1:1 resource and he is coping well with his current teacher, but is he progressing????? The 1:1 time he "uses" is when they are in a damage limitation and are basically fire fighting. It is not used to help him with his problems or in educating him. ANY THOUGHTS????

Hi, I sympathise with your difficulties and have been through the same with DS now 8. There are a couple of ways that i have tried to deal with this over the years ( and he is too old for the buggy now) . The first was, I wasn't ready for him to be able to escape, so I put reins on him and attached those to the hooks in the buggy and then put the buggy straps on as well. The reins were fitted tighter to his body and so he couldn't wriggle out so easily (he was only 2 with maximum mobility and no sense!). As he got older, we went through various other routines really. Reward based, if he held onto the buggy, then I wouldn't strap him in.......... We walk to school every day and have done since he was 4, so just the repetitiveness of the expectation and reward system worked. It is not a miracle cure and he is still a runner and has little sense, but now he is allowed ahead a bit but must stop if I call him. He doesn't always remember to stay in earshot and sometimes we have to firm the rules up again. Good luck Phoebe

They say that they can and they will always be supportive of DS and consider his needs but as long as there is no extra funding they dont have to employ anyone to help him? How do I get help from IPSEA? Also, we are going on hols for half term, can I get an extension?

That is such fab news. It seems that someone is looking down on you and smiling - at last!! One thing though, why was the annual review only 6 months after the statement was received? We wee told yesterday by our head that the annual review takes place on the anniversary of the finalised statement being issued. Did she tell us wrong(wouldn't be surprised)! Phoebe

So, now we have had a meeting with the school and they are basically saying that although the statement calls for ten hours support per week, in practice, they will not be offering him any more support than he is currently getting. That there are times when he really needs and takes up a lot of time of the senior members of staff, but that 1-2-1 support would not be of any benefit to him in their opinion and thta there is no additional funding attached to this statement anyeay. I have read and printed off some of the links pinned in the ED section about the proposed statement, but am panicking as time is ticking. Any advice - please. Phoebe

I am in receipt of DLA for my 8 y/o and have received the warm front grant this year and had the loft insulated. She is talking nonsense. Try http://www.eagagroup.com/ Warm front organise the companies to do the work but these people control the funding. Good luck Phoebe

So, here I was on a high because we received in the proposed statement that DS would get 10 hours per week support "to be jointly funded by the school and the LEA." Then I have read the other post about putting the funding into the local school's budget and it seems, they may well withdraw the funding in April?????????????????? 15 days to reply with our views - what can I do now? Meeting in school planned for this afternoon too - HELP ANYONE???? Phoebe

So, here I was on a high because we received in the proposed statement that DS would get 10 hours per week support "to be jointly funded by the school and the LEA" and in truth, they may well withdraw the funding in April?????????????????? 15 days to reply with our views - what can I do now? Meeting in school planned for this afternoon too - HELP ANYONE???? Phoebe

Nellie Even as a relative newcomer to the forum, I have been amazed by some of your responses. The font of knowledge that you hold and the amazing links to the right places at times when we newcomers need it most. Thank you - you are simply the best. Do hope that you will pop in from time to time. Phoebe

By the way DS is 8 and was first assessed at 6 and 1/2

Hi, Having recieved the report produced by the EP who assessed our DS as part of the statementing process today, i thought I may be able to answer your question. In this area, the EP spent a morning with ds, observed him in class and took him out of class to do some work with him independently. Also read the reports from the school and spoke with the SENCO and class teacher. He has produced (some three weeks later) a comprehensive report about DS and his difficulties as well as made recommendations for his future educational needs. I must say that I am quietly impressed about his grasp of the condition and my sons character and difficulties. This is the second time that he has been assessed by an EP and it seems they ask you about the childs history, when you first noticed anything odd, what has happenend at school and at home and if you have had any professional involvement(EP, SALT, Behaviour support, whoever). Then they observe the child and carry out psychometric testing to try to work out their level of understanding and intelligence. Dunno if this is any help. PM me if you like Phoebe

Hi I have signed too Will pass it on too. Phoebe

Simon <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> Even though you knew that the end was coming, nothing prepares you for the shock and the reality of the coming few weeks. Take care of you - we will be thinking of you. Words do not seem enough. Love and hugs Phoebe

the school my ds is at, and the behaviour support dept seem to advocate BRAIN GYM and we have been shown how to encourage him to do it. Seems like a load of gobbledeegook to me though and maybe he has picked up on that because he is v reluctant to do any of the exercises. He is 8 and a half and has had anger management probs all his life really. We were told, when he was 5,6,7 + that he was too young yet to do any real anger management training as it was aimed at older children. But - a friend who works for Behaviour Support and who has a son who is ADHD, recommended the books 123 magic and Volcano in my tummy. The first is behaviour management and the second is about giving your child the skills to recognise how he is feeling. It is an excellent resource and we use it techniques from it regularly. Finally, we are booked onto HELP2 Anger Managment which is running in Oxford on 8 FEB. Maybe you could still get a space? I will try to pass on any help from there if you are unable to get on. Love and hugs Phoebe

Not sure if this is a national initiative, but we have just benefitted from having our loft insulated FREE OF CHARGE. Basically an insulation company advertised in our local paper their products as being available under grant to receivers of DLA and other benefits. They come and survey your home and tell you what is available and what you need, then pass the info on to EAGA www.eaga.co.uk / 0800 072 0155 who are a govt funded organisation. They come out as well and survey your home and authorise the work to go ahead and sometime later the original company contacts you to do the work. We already had cavity wall and the loft was insulated to a depth of 4" but the current building regs advise insulation up to 10" and so they come and top it up. Thought this might be handy to others in view of the recent cold weather and ever increasing cost of fuel. The company did the work here under the warm front grant (something that is funded until at least 2008) was Warm space insulation ltd and they can be contacted on 01793877333 (Swindon exchange I think) Hope this is of benefit to someone Cheers Phoebe

Fingers crossed for you!! Let us know how he got on.

I can hardly imagine what you are going through - poor you. <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> <'> Would it be possible for you to have some sorrt of memeorial service when you are out there? Some dsort of service during which to say your goodbyes. How is your mum coping and does she have any support over there? Look after yourself. Sadly, time is the only healer. X Phoebe

My Ds is 8 and a half. He struggles with a knife and forkand would use fingers all the time if allowed. A little while ago, we decided it was one of the things we were going to work on and bought him a "special set of cutlery" with a serrated blade on the knife. It has taken about a year, but he will now use a knife and fork quite reliably if a little awkwardly. He can manage to get himself dressed including socks, but not shoe laces. This skill we worked really hard at in year 1 and 2. The only thing is, if he is allowed to chose his own clothes, he will wear clothes inappropriate to the weather condition and also, once he is dressed, he will not change even if he has out shorts on in mid winter (I hide them away for the summer months now)! He does sleep in a single bed without a bed guard and has done for about 4 years. He is also a major fidget and for ages after we took the bed guard off, I kept a spare duvet on the floor to soften his landing if he fell out!! I still hear the occasional bump in the night!! And as for night time wees. He simply doesn't wake up for them and sleeps through in a wet bed blissfully unaware it seems. He has been "dry at night" for about 3 years, but will still have the occasional accident.

How encouraging. CAn you recommend the resort/ski school? WE would love to take ours skiing, but it is such a lot of money for a gamble on whether it becomes a disaster. My DS can turn any outing into a disaster if he doesn't want to be there (most of the time) Glad that you had a great time and hope you get a chance for a bit of R & R even if it is enforced by injury. Take care of yoiu Phoebe

beep beep cold here too. BUT we just had our loft insulated and doors draught excluded under a grant for those who are in receipt of DLA or other benefits. We already had loft insulation, but they added to it and made it up to the current building regs requirement. It has definitely made a difference to how warm it feels and I have been able to keep the thermostat lower, so hopefully the energy bills will show some benefit too. Anyone want the info - pm me and I will send by return. Phoebe

OH and hoooooooorraaaayy too

WEll done. WEll done Well done SOOOOOO pleased for you Fingers crossed for the next news.

thanks - I needed a laugh this morning!!! Did he see the funy side of it?