Kathryn

and I hope 2012 brings you evrything on your wish list. Off to the panto this afternoon! Wouldn't normally go except that I have free tickets. K x

Sorry if I came across as a bit harsh in my last post. Obviously I don't know what you've done to get work - for all I know you could have been applying every single week since you left university. There's no shame in having tried and failed - there are hundreds like you in the same boat, trying to get work, and no shame in finding self employment too tough - it's to your credit that you gave it a go in the first place - many wouldn't have the courage so well done for that. You're rightly very proud of your academic achievements and contrary to what you say, you do have some skills and some organisational ability or you wouldn't have made it through university. You've got to stay positive and focus on what you can do, and accept that the prime responsibility for making something of your life is yours. In all the posts you've made about your situation you come across as somewhat negative and lacking direction Maybe you need help that's more career focused to help you analyse why you aren't getting any work, to work out how to market the skills and talents you have and where to get the training and experience to make yourself more employable. In the meantime there's loads of voluntary work available out there - why not give it a go? It may seem pointless as it doesn't pay but it's good for your cv, good for building confidence and getting into a work routine and can even lead to paid work if you're lucky. I really do wish you all the best and hope that you find something soon K

I asked L as she's been through the process recently, but she didn't know what happened to her application or who saw it - as she applied via college it was a fairly automatic process. She didn't even get to see what her referees wrote about her. . UCAS are fairly helpful - maybe they can tell you? I agree with you and others about mentioning your brother in your statement- if it's not directly relevant, leave it out as you are limited in length and you want to leave room to say as much as possible about your reasons for wanting to do the course. In her personal statement L briefly mentioned that she had been ill, but in her case it was relevant as she wanted to explain why she had not finished school. Your cat is relevant though - and cats are your passion so don't hold back on that as you want to show them what motivates and inspires you and the more interesting your personal statement is, the more it will stand out. Don't worry about following a formula - your personal statement will make more of an impression if it doesn't look like everyone else's. Good luck with it K x

What a fuss over a relatively minor issue and what childish behaviour he's displaying. I think you're right- it's his issue to deal with and all you can do is try to ignore him. K x

In this economic climate where there are loads of talented, skilled and experienced people who have been made redundant, you have to be realistic-you have a lot of competition and your dream job isn't going to drop into your lap. Why not stop thinking about what you can't do and focus on what you do have to offer employers? If you can't think of anything, what skills can you get to make yourself employable? And in the meantime, why not go for anything- even if it's badly paid- just to build up some experience and show yourself and others that you can handle a work routine? Stop making excuses and feeling sorry for yourself- nothing' worth having is going to come to you on a plate so if you really want something you're going to have to step outside your comfort zone a bit.

Happy Christmas all!! Hope it's a peaceful and relaxing one. K x

Depends what you mean by education. A statement only can continue to the end of the academic year in which a young person turns 19 assuming they remain in school. Many specialist FE colleges take students up to 25 - I don't know if any go beyond this age. In the Green paper I think the govt is proposing all young people up to 25 with SEN get some kind of provision, which would be an improvement on the current system and the artificial cut off point of 16 or19 which is not dependent on need but on the kind of establishment the person is at. K x

The new upgrade ate my avatar too. How's everyone getting on with the new look forum now we've had it for a few days? I must say, it displays much better on my IPod than the old one did. K x

Fantastic! Being in a choir is a safe and fun way of learning how to be part of a group and work together on something- good life skills for the future. Hope he has a great time and you enjoy being a proud parent! K x

From the lack of response, I'd say you probably do. Is she the wife of Dumbo? K x

Blimey! It's all very pale on my computer. What's happened to the smileys? K x

Passata is a good alternative too - thick but not as concentrated as purée. But if tomatoes are causing it, as RB has suggested, you'll have to look for a completely different product. K x

Hope the email will resolve things and that you don't have to sit next to him during Christmas dinner! K x

It might be worth asking for one meeting to put your concerns and ask for any amendments you feel are necessary. Or you could just send these in an email: it's up to you. It depends what you're asking for. If you want them to name a costly independent school, it will take more than a meeting to resolve . What you don't want is to delay the issue of the final statement and your chance to appeal if you need to. K x

Please look at the date of a thread before replying to it- the original poster may not be around and even if they are, events will obviously have moved on a bit. The general topic is still an interesting one though. I agree it's impossible to generalise about language ability and AS. People may struggle with the social aspects of language learning but enjoy the phonetic and syntactic elements particularly if they have an analytical mind. My daughter is one of the latter. She did well in French and German and is studying old and middle English as part of her course - and excelling in it, apparently. K x

It's sad there is still so much prejudice and ignorance around - and a lot of it tends to end up on Facebook where people have the protection of anonymity.it's hard but try to ignore it. Be gay and proud! K x

Hi Lindy It will be the local authority where you live. They are the LA who have responsibility for your child and they are the LA who will decide whether to do a statutory assessment. K x

Hi Lindy If you are requesting a Statutory Assessment to be done it will go to your Local Authority. Address it to the director of children's services at your council address. K x

That's lovely. K x

I would do it - for a fee. Actually I'm terrified of messing up your beautiful creation and causing complete chaos and distress. K x

Just seen this. How did the meeting go? K x

Smiley, I think you've made your point - but there's no need to shout or be rude, even if you do feel frustrated. Please can everyone try and keep this discussion polite and constructive. Thanks Kathryn

Moving is a big step but if you think Bristol is right for you, go for it. You seem to have everything well organised so far. Good luck K x

Sounds like fun -our Christmas party will just be a get together in the basement. Look on the bright side: if you're not enjoying the partying,you can just sit and translate the hieroglyphics. K x

Hi Robots, welcome to the forum. Hope you find a job soon. Do you want to work with animals? You sound as though you have a lot of interests to keep you busy in the meantime! K x