Kathryn

Tez, I've looked through L's file. There's a letter from the senco to the GCSE exam board enclosing our private EP assessment and examples of L's writing and typing speeds, showing her typing speed as 17 wpm and her writing as 8.9 wpm. The EP did all the tests on L and went into a lot of detail in her report about the writing issue as we had discussed it with her as something which was causing L great anxiety. I don't know if permission would have been granted on the basis of this information as the letter was written on 2 July last year and my daughter is no longer in school and not doing exams. I can't see a reply in her file. (I know for her Sats previously the school only wrote a letter saying she needed a laptop and permission was given.) I don't know if this helps! K

Hi Tez, My daughter's handwriting was very neat and she still got the concession, based on speed. I've actually got my daughter's entire SEN file, when I get a chance later I'll look through it and find out exactly what the school did to get it. She didn't see an Ed psych at all, it surprises me that your school is making a big thing out of this. K

I have to add my voice in support of men, who seem to be having a difficult time on this forum at the moment. They do have their uses. Who else would take out the rubbish?

Go get em, Annie <'> K

Hi rabbit, So sorry you're going through all this stress. I can empathise as we are also fighting battles on the education and health fronts. My daughter is getting home and hospital tuition. She has officially been off school due to depression since October. A doctor's letter was good enough, depression of couse counts as a medical condition for home and hospital purposes. A 9 month waiting list isn't good enough. Don't accept this. Keep the pressure on and keep telling them how desperate the situation is. We have had to do the same after being faced with long waiting lists - sometimes you have to take your complaints to a higher level - it's interesting how appointments suddenly materialise when pressure comes from above! K

Carole, Just re read what I said -apologies if my post implies that you have it easy at home! You, of course, are dealing with ASD every day, like all of us, and face the same difficulties. K

Hi Carole, Only just seen this thread! I think I've said this before but just to be sure, please feel free to use anything I've posted on here. I've written loads of other stuff as evidence for panels, etc and you're more than welcome to some of that as well if you want it. You're doing a great job, I suspect many of us would like to take a more active role in campaigning if we were not so bogged down in fighting our own individual battles right now. K

Carole - I think it's a good idea. Reading the many problems on this forum there are certain patterns which emerge - like the difference between behaviour at school and home, and it would be good to point out these trends. (I think we could write a book with all the information on here!) I think it needs to be as objective and factual as possible perhaps with the endorsement of a respected professional or two so that it is not seen as just the collective ravings of a bunch of hysterical parents.

Thanks sylvm Helen and nellie I'm sure you're right! Waiting for it to happen though, feels like being in labour. K

I sympathise, having a daughter with her own unique way of communicating! It all depends on how willing the staff are to learn about her particular needs. I suppose the only way to find out is to talk to them before they meet 'e' and then see how the trial day goes. If you don't have to make a decision till May you could also look at other places and compare them. K

Great news I'm glad you're being taken seriously at last, as a parent and as an expert. It sounds like a great chance for your daughter. Presumably you are going to have a good look at the school before you decide if it's right. I really hope everything works out for you and 'e'. K

Tez, I'm glad the school have shown some common sense in this situation. I really hope things work out for your son. How do you feel about this private school: do you think it would be a good move for him? K

Hi flutter, Welcome to the forum. I look forward to 'talking' with you. I have a daughter too, aged 15, who was diagnosed with aspergers in May. We also had the feeling that she was different to other children even when she was a lot younger, so I know what you're saying. You'll find lots of information and support on here, K

Tez, I've got nothing to add to what's already been said, I agree with it all. This is entirely the school's fault - they should be monitoring the safe area. What do the parents of your son's friend think about the situation? Can you enlist their support? Presumably they have strong feelings about their son being almost strangled. I think your son acted in the only way possible. K

Hi all, Apologies for not posting before. I seem to have caught a touch of the flu so have been feeling like grim death today. Anyway, about the meeting.. Basically all the professionals told the one lone jobsworth from the LEA that my daughter should be statemented, she has potential, she mustn't have her chances taken away from her. They watched the video which I made. So they said all the right things and put a lot of pressure on. The LEA Ed. Psychologist has come out very strongly in support and that counts for a lot. The LEA person, (the same one who was so horrible to me on the phone all those months ago) has asked for some updated info from Connexions and Camhs. Of course she couldn't make a decision on the spot, that would be far too easy But they are going to look at it again. (Heard that one before!) So things are moving slowly in our favour BUT we still have a case statement to prepare for the tribunal. That has to be in by 4th March. So whilst waiting for the LEA to finish their dithering, we still have to plod on with the process and in waiting for this meeting I've lost a bit of momentum in preparing for the appeal. It's looking increasingly unlikely that the LEA will oppose it, but after all we've been through, I don't trust them - until we get something in writing to say they are going to assess my daughter. I was hoping that's what we were going to get yesterday, then we could put the tribunal behind us and turn our minds to where exactly my daughter should go next. We are still waiting for input from the Adolescent outreach team - at last L. will see a real live autism specialist and after six months since her problems became apparent she might start to get therapy which is appropriate. So although it's looking hopeful, I'm far from being thrilled, because I'm tired of waiting and I want some action both on the education and health front. The meeting has changed nothing practically.I'm finding it difficult to hold things together at home. I feel like screaming down the phone at people but I don't want to destroy the support that has been achieved. Thanks for all your good wishes - I couldn't have got even this far but for the support of people who understand all the frustrations. So near yet so far.. K

Lisa, I'm sorry to hear you are facing this uphill struggle, made even more difficult by an unsupportive school. "All they care about is attainment" that's a familiar one. I got hold of our LEA's Criteria for assessing and making statements (the one parents don't get) and it's full of graphs and tables showing how far below normal levels of attainment a child has to be before they meet the criteria. They are incapable of thinking any other way. Don't give up! K

Loulou, Good luck with working through your son's statement and I hope you manage to sort out the worries you have. I can understand your frustration with the previous school, and this "blame the parents attitude", it's something I have come across too. At least your son has the chance of a new start now. K

Aww, thanks everybody <'> <'> I don't think I'll need wine to help me sleep tonight, I am shattered! I'll post an update on here as soon as I can. Happy birthday for tomorrow, Barefoot K

Hi Dylansplace, <'> So very sorry that this has happened. Don't ever blame yourself. You have done your very best. The system is at fault for not adapting to your daughter. She has a right to the education that's best for her. I hope someone will come along soon with some knowledge of the French system and help you work out what your options are from here. K

LKU, I'm a bit late, but just want to say I'm glad the meeting was positive and I hope you get what you want for your son. K

Thanks all for your encouragement, Our Connexions worker who is a real gem, and has been putting pressure on behind the scenes, thinks the enemy is just about won over: i.e. that they will agree to assess and statement my daughter, whose needs are now even more obvious than when we started this process back in September. She will be at the meeting (the connexions worker, that is). So things are looking hopeful but we have to wait and see. We still have the tribunal to fall back on if nothing comes of Tuesday's meeting. That should focus their minds.

Beverley, This is appalling. I think you should take your complaint to the highest level and complain in the strongest terms. In my brief experience as a dinner lady at my son's school, there were four children with nut allergies. Their details and photos were publicised throughout the school, along with clear instructions on what to do in an emergency. All new dinnerladies were made aware of these children. We had to make sure they never sat with children who might be eating products with nut traces. There was at least one training session for staff whilst I was there. A letter was also sent home with every child informing them of the condition and asking that parents didn't put nut products in lunchboxes, including less obvious things like chocolate bars. I think this letter was compiled by the parents involved. It might be worth getting together with the other parent and writing your own letter . Then you know that it has been done and that the information is accurate. It's important to be careful anyway but the teachers should be especially watchful of a child who has communication problems. K

I agree that there should be specialist teachers in all schools. You can't learn everything about autism on a course, you learn by dealing with it on a daily basis because every child with ASD is unique. So having a specialist teacher on site to provide ongoing support to other staff and to deal with problems as they arise is a good idea. In the long run it might even be a more "efficient use of resources" as far as LEAs are concerned, enabling more children to cope in mainstream. I would also like to see better training for teachers. When I trained as a teacher we had a couple of lectures on visual and hearing impairment, that was the sum total of our "special needs" training. Perhaps all trainee teachers should be required to do a month's placement in a specialist school or ASD unit, or even a period in a mainstream classroom working as an LSA to a child with ASD. Teachers need hands on experience in order to recognise the signs and deal with the problems.

LKU, I haven't got any advice to give, just wanted to say good luck for tomorrow's meeting. K

Hi all, Thanks for your input. I see what you're saying - perhaps I am being too trusting. I still don't want to be there though. My brain is all in a fuzz these days: I wouldn't be coherent. In a funny sort of way I think the meeting might be more productive without us: certain people will come out more strongly on our side if we aren't there. I will keep reminding them of the salient points until Tuesday. I think I will try to get someone else to go as an observer, to take notes. You're a great bunch of cynics, what would I do without you? <'> Keep it up! I wish I'd known you all this time last year. K