Marnie

Thank goodness, a result after asking again and explaining circumstances properly they will relist. I also called the doctors as the cla had received no reply to his letter for medical evidence, they said they hadn't received it. So now that has been sorted and also CAMHS contacted for a report. So fingers crossed it will all be done in time so I have a fair chance of success.

Disaster!! The tribunal are adamant they will not reschedule, seems they will make a decision regardless of me being there or not, plus my legal guy has received no evidence back from anywhere to support my claim.

Thanks both so much for that, I thought that was the case! My refusal was apparently solely based on a school report. The school won't even recognise he has a problem, the CAMHs people set up a meeting that the Senco was going to attend and she didn't saying she had the wrong date. I believe they are trying to avoid the issue and so does CAMHS, so a report by them was never going to back me up, even though I had gone in prior and had an in depth meeting about it all.

I have finally had a date come through for the tribunal, but it's 6th June, 20 miles away and at 3.20pm!! My community legal advice guy is trying to get a postponement to allow more time for his paperwork to be completed. My question is do I have to take my son with me, the cla guy is basically saying I should. My son gets quite upset and sad if he is being talked about in general let alone all I assume will be asked at this. He can't go that day anyway as he has an event through the school, I never had any paperwork for this until yesterday, and I have also been invited to go with him. I feel every hurdle on this "journey" has been made as bad as it can to make me give up. When I sent the GL24 off I had a letter telling me it was too late, they hadn't noted the extra two weeks allowed for a written statement! I sent back the forms for an oral hearing after that was sorted and then had a letter telling me I had struck out, that I had sent the form back too late, I then had to wrote and sent copies of the letter with the date on from them and telling them when I had posted it. I then had a letter telling me a tribunal could be had, and another form to send back, I made sure I got a posting certificate for that one! That was last week and yesterday I get a date for just over a fortnight! Can't believe it.

Thank you for that. I had similar with my daughter who is 21, she was eventually diagnosed with only ADHD, I don;t say only lightly, it's just that therre was and is a lot more than that but we have never had a definitive diagnosis, I have never had any help with practical support or financial help. She left and went to live with her father 18 months ago and has gone steadily downhill, thats another story. But my point I've rambled away from is she was consistently discriminated against through school, because she "looked normal". It was obvious once you had spent a bit of time with her she had problems but on the surface not. I had this all through school.

Thanks for that. I have been told by CAMHS they have arrange a meeting for the 8th May, but it appears just the senco will be involved in that, unfortunately the meeting is over 20 miles away at 3.30pm, no way can I be in two places at once and to be honest the location would be extremely difficult for me to get to. I have therefore had to settle for a follow up meeting being set to have my chance to respond to what is said! The person I generally deal with at CAMHS is very nice and I know will do what she can and put my points across for me, also the psychologist is apparently very upset that I received the letter from the school. He will put things right on that score for me at least. I can't believe the school has no other children with problems, the law of averages means they must have and to deal with children in the manner they have with us is unacceptable. I believe they have made a big mistake sending me that letter when I told them 6 months ago what had been diagnosed!

i've only just had the paperwork back to put in for the tribunal! It's taking ages. I went to see my doctor yesterday as he has been on a sabbatical and we haven't seen him for well over a year. Just to really bring him up to speed and let him know the DLA was going on and he would more than likely get some thing through about it all. He asked me why i had applied for it as my son wasn't disabled! Gobsmacked or what. Maybe not disabled in the way a lot of people imagine disabled children, but I would like him to live with the problems I do and not think there are issues that i have to deal with on a day to day basis others with children without these conditions don't! I'm beginning to get really fed up with the attitudes of these so called professionals.

My son is 13 and is the same has been for years. He never wants to throw anything away and does have displays of things here there and everywhere. My living room slowly gets taken over with stuff he keeps going up to his room and "finding" he gets it all out, brings it down and leaves it there. With his Wii games they are all stacked in the order he got them. When I called in the psychology people I was concerned his behaviour was OCD. They diagnosed Aspergers. I'm a bit of a hoarder myself and theres only the two of us in the house since my divorce and it does get me down. We are hoping to move this year so I'm hopeful we can get some stuff gone then.

Thank you both. i am waiting on a meeting that the psychology people are going to organise and these are the type of points i will yet again try to get across to them. I too believe it is a form of discrimination and trying to put the blame on me is not going to resolve the issues. I never go in all guns blazing etc. I am reasonable but firm. But feel at least for now I am hitting my head against a brick wall, it's as though they are not interested in anyone with a problem!

This is what is annoying. I had a lengthy meeting with this teacher and the senco last November and basically told them all the problems and how it all affected my son. They really didn't want to know. Again when the tent business happened I went over yet again how he couldn't cope with being in a tent with people he didn't know. At that meeting when the year manager asked the senco what set up the school had for children with Aspergers, she said nothing, we don't argue with them, if they don't want to do something they can sit at the back of the class! She also said he didn't need friends as he had himself. With that type of attitude to be honest I'm not surprised with the letter! He has a handful of friends at school, no one outside school. They know him and hes comfortable with them. They accept him how he is. I find it really unacceptable that the school can't see that some really minor adjustments at school will help so much.

Thank you all for your replies. I think because my son will not kick up at school because as far as he is concerned you abide by the rules! they don't see him as having any problems. A few weeks ago this year head had all yr 8 sorting out their tent sharing and activity groups for a trip in July. She gave them a deadline which my sons group adhered to. There was one boy who the group didn't want as he wasn't friends with any of them. So my son was in instead of him, this year manager removed his name and reinstated the other boy when he went and complained to her. So 6 boys wanting my son were overuled by her! He came out of school in a foul temper swearing about this teacher and saying he was never going back to school again as she had ruined it all. As far as he was concerned she hadn't played fair. Anyway I called and spoke to the secretary (this was friday and I knew I was up for a weekend of aggro) she assured me it would be sorted out monday. Upshot was this year manager would not budge, even with me explaining that my son needed to be with his handful of frineds and would not be able to cope sleeping in a tent with people he didn't know. i then got the lady at the psychology place to call even she really had no luck. In the end one of the boys not to close to him offered to come out so he was back in, the boy none of them wanted is still in there. When I went in the school for a meeting in November just after he was diagnosed the year manager and senco were like cold fish it was like talking to the wall, the senco asked if I was going to put him into the local school (this one is 12 miles) I said no it would be the worst thing I could do to him, a long story why, the year manager was only interested in getting his attendance up and him continuing to do PE!! When I had the parent/teacher meeting a few weeks ago the senco yet again asked if I was going to move schools, my psychology lady can't believe she keeps saying this! So thats three times now moving him out of the school has been mentioned.

I received a letter last week from the Head. This was in response to a letter I gave in to the tutor a week previously. My son has been having a real terrible time with anxiety over a particular teacher. In school hes no trouble highly intelligent and gives them no problems, at home it's a different matter. He frequently has meltdowns quite often over this particular teacher who also happens to be the year manager. i think it's just her style of teaching he can't cope with. Anyway the letter basically berated me for the issues raised, accused me of being the one with the problems not my son and the end paragraph practically told me to find another school! i was so upset. I've had such a lot to deal with since he started there, a nasty divorce, the house is up for sale, my son was diagnosed with Aspergers after suffering nightmares and panic attacks and displaying what I thought was OCD. He seemed quite suicidal at one point and I had an emergency appointment with the psychologist. Two weeks prior to this letter I had a lovely talk with the tutor at parent/teacher day and then what i thought was - finally - a fruitful talk with the Senco. I am just gobsmacked with the two faced attitude. I have left it with the psychologist people to deal with as none of my sons problems were mentioned in this letter it was all pointed at me.

Hi Anne, I have called the number on the appeal form for the Community Legal Service. They will do all the paperwork and preparation but can't represent me at a tribunal. As I've had bad dealings with the CAB here previously i have said i will go with them, but nothing is set in stone until I sign some forms they send out. I will call the number in the link above tomorrow and go from there. I'm seeing the GP tomorrow to see about a couple of different things so will speak to get as well. i did google welfare rights for this area, but there was nothing apart from an outreach worker from a solicitors 20 miles away. I enquired and was told he wasn't taking on any more benefits appeals for the time being. So for now my best bet is the place I called today, but i won;t fully commit until I have spoken to the NAS welfare rights person tomorrow. What a nightmare!

I haven't located a welfare rights officer either and my CAB is very hard to get seen at. I've only just over a fortnight left to get the appeal in. I will be complaining to the school I think regarding the attitude of the senco. I'll also be grateful of any tips from people who have been through the appeal system. I applied December.

My son doesn't really have mobility problems in the true sense of the word, but doesn't go out to paly (he's 13) he's paranoid about ots of things and worries about everything. I'm annoyed as I went into the school just after the diagnosis to have a meeting with the senco and year manager and it was like talking to two dead fish. The year manager was only interested in getting his attendance up. The senco's attitude left a lot to be desired. She said why don't I change schools, this one is 12 miles away, the local one is a dump and too many problems caused in the past with pupils there now for him to cope with. I said he has a small group of friends he get on with. She said he doesn't need friends aspergers children are happy just with themselves! When the year manager asked the senco what the set up in school was for children with aspergers, she said nothing we don't argue with them, if they don't want to do something, they can sit at the back! I have a 20 yr old daughter with learning problems, we never got a definitive diagnosis mainly adhd buts it's more far reaching than that. I have dealt with lots of special needs, senco's over the years, always trying to work with them to get the best outcome. So this schools attitude has really surprised me.