Kathryn

Hi Sharon, You asked this question a while ago when you were going through the assessment process and I answered on your previous thread. Here's the link as I would have said the same thing here re funding between LA's (and I'm a slow and lazy typist ). http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/Index.php?/topic/26933-la-just-agreed-to-assess/page__p__309648__fromsearch__1#entry309648 It's great that things have moved on and you've actually got the statement. Try not to worry - from what you say there are strong reasons, backed up by evidence from others, for him to remain in his current schooland it's unlikely the LA will want to move him. In the unlikely event that they did name a different school you could appeal to the SEN tribunal. The main thing to focus on now is ensuring the statement is as accurate and detailed as it can be and that the amount and kind of extra help your son needs is clearly set out in part 3. I'm sure you're on to it! K x

Sorry I'm a bit late to this thread but - fantastic news Suze! 7 GCSE's - what an achievement, you must be so proud. Isn't it great to hear that schools and teachers can make a positive difference and turn a bad situation around. Not to take any credit away from your son who has obviously worked so hard to get this far, and you who supported him all the way. I await the next chapter with interest: good luck to him this coming year and I hope he enjoys his course. K x

Well I've had chilli ice- cream. Your taste buds can't quite believe it at first but the combination of cold and heat is actually very nice. K x

Do contact them as Mandapanda said. It's their job. They won't judge you and I'm sure they are well used to seeing people like yourself who have good and bad times. Better to get the support now than later when things have got worse and you really can't cope at all to the extent you cannot work. K x

Agree with Suze . I'm very highly academically qualified yet have been made redundant and am struggling to find another job. Asda (or any other) checkout I wouldn't consider, not because it's beneath me but because the level of dexterity, numerical skill, speed and social skills required- and all at the same time- would be difficult for me! I salute all those who do this kind of job. K x

Great news, well done! K x

Hi Beth, It's not an email you want to send but a personal message. Just click on Pancakemaker's name in her post above. This will come up with her profile information. Under her personal info look for "user controls". Click on "send me a message". Type your message in the box that comes up, just as you would do with an ordinary post. Hope that helps K x

Have a great time ! K x

To be honest this persistent repeating of the same points is coming across as irritating.. Just a personal opinion. I've taken the trouble to respond to moat of the points made here. Have you read my post and do you want to respond to anything I've said in particular? K x

Wow - fantastic! :thumbs: Well done to him - and to you for all the support and encouragement you've no doubt been giving! K x

And I wondered why I could never get it to work. At least my screen is now very clean.... I'll try and answer some of these points - and emphasise that they are my own opinion and don't necessarily reflect the collective view of the admins/moderators on this forum. Point taken Darkshine. It's not always possible to cover all the "rules of interaction" in explicit written rules though, and in 7 years of being here I have not noticed people with a declared diagnosis of ASD to be necessarily any less able to follow the rules, technical or otherwise. The internet is a great leveller as it gives time for people who might struggle in "real life" situations, to work out what to do. In fact many are often more technically competent than people like me for example who came here as a parent with only a basic knowledge of computers. However yes, the forum should aim to be accessible to the widest range of people as possible, including those with dyslexia, visual problems and English as a second language, just to name a few groups who might be disadvantaged. What really helps, as in most forums, is for people to lurk for a while, see what other people do and to ask if they don't understand anything. Having too many rules can sometimes be as confusing as too few. I hope people feel they can ask questions about how the forum works and that no question is too "stupid" or trivial. Good idea, and maybe there should be a way to make new members in particular aware of them. I don't know if this happens at the point of registration - so long ago I can't remember! The help section is not written specifically for the forum but is an integral part of this kind of board. Point 1 No idea. Ask Lufty Point 2 No idea. Ditto Point 3 If you pm someone you can use this to check if the pm has been read. I'm not sure if I know the answer to this one - can't say either has worried me very much so far but if it's a problem for anyone else, let us know. You seem to have worked out the solution for yourself and it's probably like a lot of issues - solvable by trial and error. I think it's a reasonable assumption that anyone who has found their way here has basic computer skills, and if they don't there is already a lot elsewhere on the internet to help them. If we tried to cover every possible eventuality, the list could be very long. No, as I'm sure you're well aware. Only admins, not moderators, can change anything to do with the overall look and layout of the forum, e.g. making the Help and Guidelines more prominent, so only Lufty can say what is possible here. I will make him aware of your concerns but you'll have to be patient. We'll all have a discussion about making the existing rules more visible but again, you'll have to be patient, it's holiday time. We're all volunteers who are here in our free time and have many other demands on our time. If we were to do a separate "How to" section covering basic rules and practical issues which aren't already covered in the guidelines, for example, how to quote, suggestions for this would be useful, and more useful than just being generally critical. Thanks for raising these things - it is always useful for those of us who've been here a while to think about how the forum might appear to new people. K x

Hi Mum of 3 monsters Welcome to the forum. If you need any help finding your way around, or knowing how to do things, please just ask. K x

Write to them mentioning the phone calls and ask when you can expect a response. If no response follow their complaints procedure. It's more difficult to ignore something in writing . If you do have to phone, get the person's name and make a note on what they've said. K x

Hi Thames I'm not sure if there's a restriction on studying, if you're studying at home? It's the number of hours you spend caring which qualifies you for the CA. I think you have to be doing it for at least 35 hrs a week but look that up as my memory is a bit hazy on this I used to get CA but had to stop when I got a job which took me over the limit. K x

Things seem to be settling down into a good pattern then. Hope the meeting is productive on Friday K x

I hope the viewings go well over the next couple of days. As for the cats - take them, go on, you know you want to. K x

:lol: Of course it's possible to have a hidden disability AND be a git - the two aren't mutually exclusive. Probably slightly unfair on IDS if he was in an unfamiliar place and he was told to use it, but I suppose as a politician you have to be aware tht all your actions are open to scrutiny. Hope he washed his hands. Is it wrong to use a disabled loo if you're not disabled? I must admit to having nipped into a disabled loo for a wee knowing I can be in and out in less than a minute (and that includes flushing ) and after a quick check to see if anyone else is approaching. I do this at my local M&S for example where there are only 3 toilets, one of which is the disabled loo and which is statistically likely to be empty most of the time. I always feel a bit guilty though. K x

Hopefully Brad Pitt likes tacos too. K x

Hard luck - but have fun gawking at all the action. K x

Hiya Justine, So from your update above, your main issue is that the new county have not amended the statement to reflect the changes in needs and provision that have happened over the past year. Paras 8:113 - 115 of the Code of Practice, deals with the transfer of statements between authorities. When they take over a statement, the new LA can re assess and/or bring forward the annual review, but they don't have to do either of these. However if they were following the COP they should have told you clearly what their plans were.It's possible that the new LA are just being lazy as the statement is so new - maybe they assumed nothing would need changing. From what you say, it would have made sense to bring forward the Annual Review, because the type of provision has changed, and then the views of his new teachers and any other professionals could have been used to update the statement, so ask them to explain why they chose not to do this, and whether they are going with the normal timescales (i.e. reviewing at the beginning of next term). I think you're on the right track with your response: make a list of proposed amendments to parts 2 and 3, along with evidence you have to back them up, if you have it. Weed out any phrases that describe general mainstream provision and don't apply to the more specialised provision he is getting now. The fact he is in a unit is no excuse for vague wording which doesn't quntify/specify exactly what he's getting. This is just my personal opinion, but I would then let them go ahead and finalise the statement as soon as possible and lodge an appeal if the statement still isn't right. This may be the quickest way to getting a better, more accurate statement. Of course the Annual Review should happen, and very soon if the LA are to comply with the law, but don't lose your chance to appeal, as it puts you in a stronger position. K x

Just popped in to say I won't be around for a week as I'm going on holiday. (Edinburgh - yes, again! ) Back next Saturday (13th). Whether you're at home or away, hope you have a great week. K x

Sorry there are no mods around Karen but I can only speak for myself. Having just been made redundant, I'm sure you'll appreciate that looking for another job takes priority over nannying the forum at the moment. I'll be around when I can. In the meantime perhaps you or anyone else who has a problem would like to direct it to one of the other mods via pm.(except Tally who is taking a break at the moment) Failing that, feel free to pm me and I'll do my best to respond when I have a free moment, but I just want to emphasise that it's way down my priority list- right now- nothing personal. Now let's get back to the topic- whatever that is! K x

To be fair BD, Adam has a valid point. You're making negative assumptions about forum users based on your own preconceptions rather than any actual evidence . You can't criticise people then cry victiim when they respond. Adam's post above was no more " flaming" or "baiting" than yours. It's merely a challenge. K x

I agree with Dee. Sounds like the main issue is weak management to me. A manager should monitor what's going on and nip any potential disruptive influence in the bud before it gets to such a level. K x

Great news! Presumably you'll now hand in your notice? K x