Elaine

Thankyou all for your input. For several reasons, we've decided to keep his current placement, but try to get more support. We met with the SENCO in December and again went over the problems he's having. We asked for the teachers to provide classnotes and/or textbooks as he can't write decent class notes. We also asked that the homework be more appropriate so that he can do it independently. She couldn't promise any of that, but his homework assignments and class hand-outs seem to have improved since the meeting, so maybe she had some influence over the teachers. I have also discussed the problems with the CC Inclusion Officer, who said that she'll speak to the SENCO and attend his annual review. So we're keeping on top of matters and are supporting him at home as best we can.

Thanks very much for your reply Sally44 In answer to your questions: School – It's a voluntary controlled state school, not enhanced resource or anything like that. Class numbers are around 30. It seemed to be good for SEN when we visited. It is small (about 400), they run several clubs at lunchtime, including one for SEN children, so my son can avoid being in the playground and the SENCO came across very well at the time. They do have a fair number of ASD children. Annual review. That was in April last year. Next one is planned for March. At the review there was only the SENCO and one of the T.A.s. No one else was there. No one submitted any reports. The SENCO said this was normal in secondary school. I don't know about that but in primary school we had the inclusion officer as well as the speech therapist, educational psychologist, autism outreach representative all of whom submitted reports. It felt like we'd just been dropped. Professional input – at the moment none at all. All help seemed to disappear when he went to secondary school. Alternatives – there's very little choice nearby. There is an enhanced resource school about half an hour away, but it's over twice the size of the current school and he'd still have to share the playground/dinner hall/hallways with all those other children. Most, if not all, of the lessons would be in normal classes. Being a state school, I would expect them to use the same style of teaching as in the current school. There’s very little in the way of autistic schools and most are for more severely affected children with behavioural difficulties. My son is quiet and behaves himself in school, which is why he has so little support. I can only think of one independent special school which sounds suitable but that's about an hour away, which isn't practical. I'll give the parent partnership a call tomorrow and the inclusion officer and see what they say.

Hi – I was wondering if anyone out there, with a child in secondary school, could offer some advice. I've got an ASD son (12) in Y8 of secondary school. Things aren't working out educationally and I'm not sure where to go from here. The problem seems to be their style of teaching. I have no idea if this is typical of secondary schools these days or not. Things were certainly a lot better in my day. Basically instead of teachers writing notes on the white board or giving handouts, pupils are expected to write their own notes based on what was said in class or what they read in a textbook. Maybe this is OK for some pupils, but it's too hard for him. He has difficulty concentrating, difficulty remembering what was said, difficulty with reading and writing. End result is that his class notes are utterly useless and he learns next to nothing. He isn't keeping up and his teachers and T.A.s are doing nothing to help. Homework is all internet based research type pieces, with no guidance about where to look, which again is too difficult for him (I help him with this). I can't do much about the classwork as they don't give textbooks out, and I don't know what he's supposed to have been taught. I have spoken to the SENCO a few times about our concerns. But whatever issues I raise, they always deny everything. Her primary concern appears to be in defending the reputation of the school, not in helping the children. The worst part is that we spent ages looking into secondary schools and moved here (a couple of years ago) in order to get him into this school as it was small and gave the impression of being SEN friendly! (He can't cope with noisy crowded places and the schools round here are huge) Anyway, I'm not sure how to progress matters. Any ideas? Are subjects taught in this way in your schools? How do your children manage? He does have a statement with a few hours (I think about 10 or 12) and he does have access to a T.A. for each lesson. (I also have two other children to consider, who are still in the feeder primary school, so changing schools would be a last resort. My daughter is getting on well and has friends there, but my younger son is quite badly autistic and hyperactive too, so I dread to think how he'll cope with the secondary school.) Sorry for the long post and thanks for reading

No, this board not anti-vax, everyone has their own opinions. However, if you look at the MMR Patient Information Leaflet, produced by the vaccine manufacturer Merck and published on the NHS website here You will see that at the end of the extremely long list of known adverse reactions is listed "death". Seems to me that the vaccines issue has become so political that when children suffer known adverse reactions to vaccines, it's just too controversial to admit. I feel so sorry for the parents, it must be heartbreaking

Thanks for all the information Lynne. If things don't work out with the state schools, I'll try the independent route, but don't hold out much hope, my CC is awful. (Last year, my youngest son was due to go to a special ASD unit, it was written into his statement. Anyway, at first the CC refused to provide transport as, they claimed, all schools can take ASD children, therefore it was our 'choice' to send him there. Eventually, after a lot of phone calls they agreed, but refused to provide him with an escort (he was only 4 at the time). Again more calls and they agreed to that too. Then, when everything seemed to be going our way, they closed down the unit !!!!! ) Thanks for replying Suze and Canopus. I am a member of a local support group and have asked around about schools already. (And I've asked the other Mums at my children's school). There is one school that is good in terms of academic achievement and some people have found it quite helpful (others haven't), but it has 1500 pupils. It's the sheer size of it that concerns me. Knowing my children, they'll find it overwhelming. (And I would like a school where the teachers and the head actually know who the children are, which isn't going to happen in a school that size.) I'll pay it a visit anyway........

Thanks for the relies everyone! Lynne, would you mind telling me how you managed to get funding for an independent school? My CC take the view that all schools should be able to take ASD children, so if you choose another school (even if it's a special school) then it's parental choice and they wont pay.

Hi Do any of you have experience of, or opinions on, what sort of secondary school is best for ASD children? My eldest son is in Year 5 of a local mainstream primary school. Over the years, the school has been very supportive and he's doing well. Recently he's started to worry about going to secondary school. He finds the idea of going to a large school daunting. Unfortunately, all the secondary schools in our local area are large (1000 to 1500 ish). (And all have their share of bullies) Given the choice, I'd send him to a small independent school. But we can't afford an independent school and the nearest small state secondary school is in a neighbouring county. (It's about � hr. away, so we'd either spend a lot of time in the car, or move house.) It's so hard predicting what would be best. I'd be interested to hear other peoples experiences of secondary school. Thanks Elaine

Hi all I thought I'd update you on this, just in case it's of any help to other people on the diet. As most of the diet/autism information I'd read listed gluten as the offending part of wheat, I decided to give gluten-free wheat starch a trial. (My boys did not like the regular wheat and gluten free bread and were fed up with the diet) I found a couple of suppliers of inexpensive, gluten free wheat starch based mixes and tried them out with my sons. The bread produced by these mixes was great. It looked and tasted pretty much like normal bread and was even good enough for sandwiches for one or two days. The cake mixes were even better, producing cakes indistinguishable from regular ones. We were delighted - unfortunately, after a few days, my sons started having stomach aches again. I put them back on a wheat -free diet again and they felt better. After a while, I tried them out again with the GF wheat starch based mixes, again they had stomach aches after a few days. In total, they tried it out three times, each time they got stomach aches, so it seems that wheat (whether gluten free or not) does not agree with them. Still, some good has come out of this. I've found an amazing online shop, based in Germany, which sells a vast range of gluten free products at very reasonable prices and I've found a WF/GF/DF bread mix which the boys like. So, now they're happier with the diet and feeling well.

Hi. I was at the talk too (and found it very interesting). One thing that he mentioned stuck in my mind. He referenced a study which indicated that (many) ASD kids who have been vaccinated do not produce an antibody response to the vaccination (whereas NT kids do). Which presumably would mean that they could still catch an illness despite having been vaccinated against it. As this has major implications, I wanted to check it up myself. Unfortunately this bit was rather rushed and I did not take down the details of the study. I've been to the Sunderland website and couldn't find anything there. A Google search also proved unhelpful. Does anyone remember this bit and/or take notes? Thanks

That's absolutely appalling! I've never been in that situation, but it might be worth phoning your 'Parent Partnership' advisor. In the past I've found them helpful. Sorry you're being put through this.

I have found home/school diaries quite useful and have certainly used them to query things. (Although with anything of importance I usually ask for a chat.) Bard, Brooke and Flora have said it all really. The teacher is being over-sensitive. It's not your problem.

Hi, Thanks for all your relies. Just wanted to say that I went with my gut feeling and have arranged to keep my son on in nursery for another year. Initially I was concerned that the people involved would be irritated at me for changing things, after the statement had been finalized. However nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone involved (the CDC staff, the C.C. Assessment and Monitoring team, the Nursery) were shocked at the way the change from Unit to Provision was being handled by the Head and supported my decision fully.

Hi I'm also considering using enzymes for my two boys. They're GF/CF, but I'm pretty sure there are other foods which also affect them,such as apples and bananas. Big Mamma, do you have to use the full range (Zyme Prime, Peptizyde, No Fenol) ? Thanks

Hi, I've been doing GF/CF with my two sons for the best part of 5 years by now, but still can't produce nice tasting bread with the standard GF mixes. I was wondering about trying baking with gluten free wheat starch. For anyone using the gluten and casein free diet. Have any of you tried using products made with gluten free wheat starch? And if so, were there any problems? Thanks

Hi Just wanted to back up what others have said. Melatonin isn't a medicine, it's a supplement and can be bought without a prescription (eg from Biovea). I've been using it off and on with my two boys for 4 years and have found it a great help. They usually need it during the light Summer months. It helps them get off to sleep really quickly (usually within half an hour) and has no side effects (unlike sleep deprivation). It is also completely non-addictive. Elaine