statutory assessment for high functioners

[phoebe]

Hello,

 

We are travelling the road of trying to get some help for my DS who is CURRENTLY educationally abreast of his peers.

 

WHY? Because although he is intelligent, he needs support to learn the building blocks. He is 8 (year4) and is currently able to carry out most of the tasks set almost "naturally" but he refuses to do things in the way that they want him to.

And because he has issues with social interaction and has been excluded on four separate occasions during '96. (oops 06 thanks ultramum)!!

And because although he is coping at the moment, his teacher and peer group are very carefully selected each year, by a school that have known him for 5 years.

Currently his teacher (now that they have got to know each other and set the ground rules) is BRILL and she is able to keep him on the straight and narrow and to avoid meltdown for the most part.

 

The trouble is, as he is settled at present the EP and the Paed who have seen him only see an intelligent boy who engages well with adults 1 - 1. In fact, he seeks out adult company and would far rather have a conversation with an adult than with his peers.

 

My main concern is that if he doesn't do the tasks the way he is supposed to learn it, when they get harder, he will not have learnt the building blocks to solve the bigger problems and will fall behind. Also, SENIOR school looms and I cannot see how he will cope with lots of different teachers and different peer groups.

 

Has anyone else been successful in getting a statement under these sorts of circumstances?

 

We have had a meeting with the EP and they have met with DS and SENCO and will prepare their report. WE have to do our report now - any advice on what to include or where I can find some pointers?

During our meeting with the EP and the SENCO, the SENCO said We haven't pursued 1 - 1 adult assistance with H because he would just concentrate on that adult and it would not benefit him socially (I wondered why - and I thought it was cos they couldn't afford it out of their budget).

Anything that might help us to demonstrate that adult assistance would help him learn and help him with transitions and that they could encourage interaction with peers?

 

 

All advice greatfully received.

Thanks guys

Phoebe

Edited January 15, 2007 by phoebe

[curra]

Hi Phoebe,

 

My son got a statement although he has no learning difficulties and is ahead in most subjects. LEA said no the first time I requested it because they said there was no evidence that he needed it. He finally received a statement after 2 years because I was able to provide evidence that his social difficulties are an obstacle to his learning (as well as to his mental health). My son had a big breakdown from which he has not completely recovered yet and the consultants and his support group leader recommended an autistic unit where his needs would be met. He also has big communication difficulties in spite of getting good grades and interacts well with adults but not with his peers. Like your son, he has always wanted to learn in his own way only and having to comply to the demands in secondary school was an additional cause of anxiety to him.

 

I can give you more details of his statement by PM if you wish.

 

Curra

[bikergal]

Hi, I am interested in this thread as my daughter (13) is currently undergoing statutory assessment. She has moved high schools and is coping much better (and actually attending and on time) at the new school, I am afraid they will say she has no problems as they aren't obvious. She has major social/communication problems which are the source of much unhappiness for her. I suppose when I do my contribution (by the end of this month) that I will have to demonstrate that she needs support for these probs in order for her to access the curriculum fully...I also feel she needs support at break and lunch times . Just because the new school cannot see the problems and because she is passive and co-operative does not mean they are not there. I just feel I have an awful lot to prove now...I hope I can do it for her.

 

Any help anyone can offer will be much appreciated. Thanks.

[darky]

Hi there my daughter is behind in maths, but not English at all, in fact she is doing well in that subject. However, she does have very complex needs, and i believe this is the basis she will get a statement for.

 

We are coming to the end of the assessment process and we should hear in the next week whether she will get a statement or a note in lieu.

 

It's not just acedemia that they give statements for, there are a whole loads of other things as well. Fine and gross motor skills, co-ordination, perceptual problems, speech and language difficulties, sensory issues, social skills, to name a few.

 

If you look in the SEN code of practice, you can get it here: http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/_doc/3724/SENCodeOfPractice.pdf if you go to to page 88 section 7:38 onwards,(other factors) it gives the areas of need. communication and interaction, cognition and learning, behaviour, emotional and social developement and sensory and/or physical needs.

 

i hope the link is ok to post!!

[nellie]

Phoebe,

 

Hope the following helps.

 

Nellie xx

 

 

COMPLEX NEEDS

 

Taken from the Code of Practice

 

(7:52) This guidance does not assume that there are hard and fast categories of special educational need. It recognises, as LEA's will recognise, that each child is unique and that the questions asked by LEA's should reflect the particular circumstances of that child. LEAs should recognise that there is a wide spectrum of special educational needs that are frequently inter-related, although there are also specific needs that usually relate directly to particular types of impairment. Children will have needs and requirements which may fall into at least one of four areas, many children will have inter-related needs. The impact of these combinations on the child's ability to function, learn and succeed should be taken into account. The areas of need are:

 

* Communication and interaction.

* Cognition and learning.

* Behaviour, emotional and social development.

* Sensory and/or physical needs.

 

(7:53) Although needs and requirements can usefully be organised into areas, individual pupils may well have needs which span two or more areas. For example, a pupil with general learning difficulties may also have behavioural difficulties or a sensory impairment. Where needs are complex in this sense it is important to carry out a detailed assessment of individual pupils and their situation. However, the accumulation of low-level difficulties may not in itself equate with a school being unable to meet the child?s needs through school-based provision. In some cases pupils will have needs that are not only complex but also severe.

 

(7:54) In considering evidence as to whether or not it is necessary to carry out a statutory assessment LEAs should bear in mind the particular requirements of the individual child, and whether these requirements can be met from the resources already available to mainstream maintained schools and settings in their area in the context of school-based intervention, monitoring and review arrangements.

 

Quote from ACE Special Education Handbook:

 

In some cases parents and schools might well argue that it is impossible to judge the complexity and severity of the child's needs without a full statutory assessment.

[MichelleW]

We are now in J's 3rd year at school, and each year I have been told that J won't get a statement because J is "progressing" slowly. In his reception year, he did have a 1:1 assistant, who has experience with autism. But I was told that he was developing a dependence on her, and he needed to become more independent, which he has done. Coincidentally? there just happened to be another, more demanding, child that needed assistance at the same time, so J lost his 1:1 assistant. However, I do believe he should have some 1:1 support to keep him focused on his task - it shouldn't be up to the other children on his table to remind him what he is doing, whether it is classwork or eating!!

 

I'm also about to apply for a statement, as I think he would be happier in a smaller class size, and unless the junior school has a unit attached, I'd rather he went to a school specifically for autistic children. However, I don't know if there are any in my area. The nearest one is a mixture of children with severe autism, dyslexia and HFA, and I've heard it is worse for the HFA children as they get bullied more.

[Karen A]

[Hi.We were able to get a Statement and significant help for Ben.He is similar to your DS and is also in year 4.I have a few suggestions :-

The fact that your child has been excluded in association with problems with social interaction will impact on learning.In your submission emphasise these difficulties and how they effect your DS.

The fact that your DS intracts with adults rather than peers will impact learning further up the school as work is done increasingly in groups with fewer adults to provide support.This will not resolve without specific support.Again it will limit access to the curriculum.

It is recognised within the Code of practice that children have a right to access the whole curriculum which includes unstructured times.If your child finds break times stressful or is isolated then outline the difficulties in your submission.

Support can be used creatively in order to promote interaction with peers.For example a TA could help with a Social Skills group or introduce a buddy system.Ben's TA is available to provide support as needed however she does not molly-coddle him.She promotes interaction with his peers.The fact that staff are aware of Ben's needs and can intervene is a big support.He can have a go at interaction and people are around to help if he gets frustrated-before things get to fraught.I think the view of support demonstrated by the Senco is very narrow.

Have you had any input or an Assessment with ASD outreach? It sounds as though the school would benefit from some guidance from professionals who have experience of providing support to children with Social Communication Difficulties.The team that Support Ben have greatly increased the awareness and understanding of school staff.

Regards Karen

Edited January 15, 2007 by Karen A

[UltraMum]

And because he has issues with social interaction and has been excluded on four separate occasions during '96.

 

I assume you mean 06! - Ok you need to emphasise the reasons for each of these exclusions and why they are related to his social disability ... IPSEA has an excellent section on this ... http://www.ipsea.org.uk/exclusion-support-sheets.htm - the school will be in trouble if they are excluding him for a reason related to his disability and you can argue that he needs more support in order to avoid this situation ...

 

WE have to do our report now - any advice on what to include or where I can find some pointers?

 

I've PM'd you with a link to our original parental views - anonimised - that may help you ...

[phoebe]

Wow - thanks guys. So I guess I have a lot more reading, head scratching and work to do!!

 

I will keep you posted.

 

Love Phoebe

[lisa]

Just to give you a bit of encouragement, our SENCO said we would never get statements for my two kids because they were "doing too well academically" They now both have statements!

 

Also a friends son was in all top groups when he got his statement in year 5 and he's now at grammar school with 20 hours 1:1 LSA support. So it can be done even though the SENCO is telling you it can't.

 

Good Luck.

 

Lisa