Hectorshouse

Viper what a fantastic result for you and yours!!! I've only just picked up this thread and have just back read your situation, good on you, I hope that Ben can now get his education regardless of his toilet issues. Respect HHxx

More lives lost unnecessarily, its all too familiar, no support = a terminal situation! HH

I bow to you Phasmid ... Absolutely spot on!! I'm saving that response for future reference. HHxx

Mother in need, I have just recently moved from cornwall I'll pm you, I not so sure about the etiquette of discussing LEA's openly on the net ... HHxx

Totally !!! Do it all the time, Yep Hector's House was a kids tv prog in the 70's, and i remember it well, it was also my nick name when I was at school, I hated it then but love it now. HHxx

Annie that was a fab link have added it to my favourites ... one for the file definitely. HHxx

... your a star as always phasmid HHxx

phew ... where to begin ... first of all and most importantly get yourself a copy of the DfES Special Education Needs Code of Practice you can call on 0845 60 222 60 or visit the website at http://www.dfes.gov.uk and get a copy of ACE's Special Education Handbook, this de-jargonises the COP from the DfES and makes it parent friendly, you can get a copy from ACE by calling 020 354 8318 check out their website as well loads and loads of REALLY useful statementing stuff http://www.ace-ed.org.uk don't let the SENCO bully you, you as a parent can apply for a statutory assessement if then the LEA refuse to assess you have right to appeal. ask for a copy of your childs education record from the school, you have to do this in writing and they have 15 working days in which to do this, they may ask you to pay for photocopying, if you have a dispute with the SENCO then this information is invaluable. Don't be fobbed off, some schools don't like us parents digging around in their files, but this is your right under the freedom of information act. it does seem like an assessment process is going on, however EP's are involved throughout the sen process before statementing as well. find out if you have a parent partnership service in your area, the LEA and school have a duty to inform you of them, they are meant to be impartial but some areas are better than others. when you have your meeting with the SENCO, make sure it is minuted, also make your own minutes as well, I know from bitter experience that minutes can be inaccurate and that can cause problems as well, I now take a dictaphone into all meetings. ask for a copy of the schools SEN code of practice, every school HAS to have one and it should be readily available to parents. don't worry you are not alone in this, you are on the road to getting what you need, but arm yourself with the relevant codes, learn the lingo and you will be surprised how much more you get. My mantra is very much 'inform the parents and you empower them', it is unfortunate that this information is not given readily to us, but this is a great forum for this kind of information sharing and support needed throughout this ordeal. Welcome aboard, HHxx

Hey Suze .... thanks for the welcome back .... whats with the hectorshorse tho ... I'm hoping thats just a typo! We are in unfamiliar waters at the mo, with a new LEA and all that, I will be putting up a thread soon with the latest but at the mo just enjoying being back on the internet ... only problem is tho, house looks like a bombsite as I'm on here and not doing anything else ... opppssss HHxx

Thanks phas ... link not working tho ... HHxx

I don't know about alternative funding, although there are some charities out there will fund parents in certain situations ... it takes some digging tho. What I do know is that when the tribunal make a decision the LEA must act upon it, they can appeal that decision to the high court but ONLY on points of law. When the tribunal have made their decision the LEA must follow the decision within a fixed period, beginning with the date the decision was issued. Depending on the type of appeal the LEA should follow the timescales below. - to start the assessment or reassessment process - 4 weeks - to make a statement - 5 weeks - to change a statement - 5 weeks - to change the school named in line with parent's wishes - 2 weeks - to continue a statement - immediately - to cancel (cease to maintain) a statement - immediately This info was taken from the SENDIST how to appeal book (09/2002), which you can get by calling 01325 392 555 or visit the website http://www.sendist.gov.uk Hope this helps, HHxx

T was not dx'd until age 9, all his problems before were put down to his chronic glue ear from 6months to 6 years, the death of his father at age 4, poor parenting from me (I was called a refrigerator mother by one of his SENCO's ... witch! ... I prefer microwave mom ...quick to heat up but doesnt usually last long, but show me a mum who doesn't have a short fuse when you've had no sleep for weeks, a child rampaging with extreme rage all through the house and self harming, and then everyone saying its your fault!!!) Early intervention would've helped T and us as a family, without the knowledge and now the understanding of ASD that I have gained since dx we would still be living in a war zone. What we have now is a different way of seeing and understanding T, empathy for his problems and now a greater understanding of myself and my AS, which wasn't dx'd until recently. HHxx

###### banding, when I was in cornwall T was on band 4ASD which was up to 15 hours TA support and other little niceties, he was then moved up to 3ASD which is equivalent of 25 hours TA support etc ... Now we're in Devon its point 8 support which means he will get TA support for 4 days a week plus lunchtime support, the remaining day the school have to fund from there school action plus budget (according to the LEA that is ... !) It is a shame that there is no consistency in these obscure bandings, but it is the advantage of forums such as these that we as parents can share our information and hopefully find a way of understanding the different boroughs jargonised bull! HHxx ps Phasmid, I spent ages on the cornwall lea website trying to find their sen policy let alone their banding criteria, gave up in the end .. if it is there and you could find it could you let me know? Am off the check out Devons website and see what theres says ... here's hoping !

Hi Suze, I have been there with this one as well, and you have already had some very sound advice. This is NOT attention seeking, this is a reaction to a situation and as Phas has said without the communication skills of an NT child this can often be the only way of reacting. T has had many many many of these 'outbursts' or 'non-compliant' episodes that result in a physical lash out. The TA should be trained to understand the triad of impairments which would enable her to defuse the situation or atleast try to resolve it in a way that your child can understand and learn from, also allowing your child the opportunity to try and express what or why it is they feel that this is the only way of reacting, this is where social skills and social stories should be used, perhaps for both yours and the child being lashed out at. T had many children who would enjoy the wind up process and watch him explode, normally it would be T that got in trouble because he had lashed out, whilst the child or children who had set the whole process in motion looked on without being reprimanded. I hope the autism team can help bring your TA up to speed. HHxx

Great news, tenacity is what you need in these situations and I admire yours. Its a shame that we as parents with all that we have to do anyway with our little darlings, that we have to chase up the proffs and bods but it is worth it in the long run. Well done witsend. HHxx

Thought I'd drop in here and say HI I'm back, we've moved and are now drowning in another chaos of schools but hey thats why I love my life Hi to all the newbies, its great to be back in the land of internet again, things might get back on track now. HHxx

I'm joining the queue for the padded cell ... ! I'll bring my diazepam. I'm moving next week, then temporarily homeless whilst paperwork goes through (and they're being no problems that it) for about a week 10 days, so T and I are staying at my mums ... arrghhhh, T & A are away for 1 week with ex-out-laws and 2 weeks with my sister when shes come down camping ... during that time hopefully I'll of moved us in and be settled, just in time for them to de-camp, be thoroughly fed up as we've moved counties and A is gonna sulk BIG TIME, be over spoilt from all the relatives and generally hell for the last 2-3 weeks. Then all I've gotta do is find them a school .. oh happy days!! HHxx

<'> <'> <'> Sallya, how wonderful that he wrote you this, and how sad it must make you feel, lump in my throat as I type. I hope he gets the support he needs and his anxieties are reassured. HHxx

Ok I'm biting the bullet, the draft statement is in front of me and I'm signing it ... I know its not perfect but we're not gonna be here anyway, and I'll carry on the good fight with another LEA. Here's hoping ... for a better chance for T and keeping my family together. HHxx

Hi Denise, its the same for me as well, sometimes I go into post overload and other times, I can only read. My life does sometimes feel like it is in ASDoverload. Good to have you back, HHxx (oh and yep ... I am meant to be packing ... 2 weeks to moving!!!)

I keep reading this thread in stunned amazement, the ignorance of some people astounds me, and having been at the receiving end of a SENCO's retribution myself I still get shocked by the complete unprofessionalism of it all. It does not matter that the autism outreach has known her for years, that does not give her the right to make such snap judgements, that comment alone is worthy of complaint, I would ask to speak to a senior member of the LEA SEN team and ask if this is appropriate, do make a complaint against the SENCO and do follow the procedures, its worth it, it takes its time but its worth it. Hassle again and find out what time the meeting is, go up to school and stay there until they tell you, I've spent my time glowering at the receptionist at school on many an occasion, refusing to leave until I have been informed of what the ###### is going on. You have a right to know, and the fact that you haven't been informed is worthy of another complaint. This is maladministration, and outside of the legislative procedure. Have you contacted Parent Partnership Service, they would be able to accompany you to the meeting, and if you have a social worker, get them on the case, if not speak to them anyway and see if you can get a duty social worker on your side. Sorry don't mean to preach, but I cannot beleive how your being treated and the effect that this must be having on your daughter must be devastating. Hang in there, we will support you however we can. HHxx

Hi Lesley and welcome aboard, I'm probably preaching to the converted here but LEA's are generally more willing to accept the views of their own advisers but they must consider your representations and any evidence you want to give, including a private report (SEN Reg 11) this is taken from the ACE special ed handbook. Also, a speech and language disorder is a disorder, a delay in speech may catch up but that does not mean that the disorder has gone away!!!! what a load of bull and as for not recognising the dx at all I had my son's original dx done independently, if I hadn't I would've had to wait 3 years to be seen for an initial interview, the then LEA didn't like it and refused to assess, but we moved county and that LEA did accept it. They have to provide substantial evidence as to why they are not accepting this dx, and I would advise that you contact IPSEA/ACE and the Disability Law Service, as this is a clear case of discrimination, I've been digging through my COP but I'm sure I've read somewhere that they have a duty to recognise any independent report provided it is from a recognised body .. bit late now but I'm sure someone here will know more than me. Sounds like the EP has got his head stuck firmly up his ar*e!!! I'm sorry your suffering from so much stress, it affects us all like that at one time or another, but you are in very good company here. HHxx

Hi Alex, I was not dx'd until after my son was dx'd, I don't think any of us here are qualified to make that decision, but much of what you have written is very aspie orientated. Try not to worry about it tho, it does not mean you are a freak or anything else like that, you may well be quirky, considered a bit odd by people and being ocd has its benefits sometimes, just not as long as its toooo ocd. Nellies link is really good, I hope your ok, and welcome to the site. HHxx

Great news, its always so fab when you get someone who knows what they are talking about and are supportive. HHxx

<'> <'> <'> try not to worry to much, go and be nice to yourself for a bit. HHxx