curra Report post Posted May 2, 2007 M is in an ASD Unit attached to a mainstream school but he attends mainstream lessons and he goes back to the unit for lunch and breaks. He also has 2 "free" hours of PE (which he doesn't do) doing homework or other stuff in the unit. Lately he has been very stressed at school, I've been called twice to pick him up because he was complaining of feeling unwell. When he returned to school he didn't want to go back to the mainstream lessons because he said he felt too insecure in big groups. He has been feeling rather paranoid about his peers and saying that he hates being in groups. He wants to stay at the Unit and not go back to the mainstream lessons at least until he feels safer. The school seemed to accept it but this week the head of the unit plus other staff are on a week's trip and only 2 TAs are left in the unit. M was therefore placed in a separate room to work alone all day because they couldn't cope with him and they also said that it's because he's "difficult". M doesn't have bad behaviour apart from saying things that he shouldn't such as sarcasm about other pupils which has been taken as bullying. The school informed me of this and they said that he wasn't being punished, but because they were short of staff this week, M would have to be alone in this room if he didn't want to go back to the mainstream lessons. His statement says clearly that his needs will be met by an enhanced provision for pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder attached to a mainstream, so why is he being taken out of the unit? It's obvious that he's being placed at a disadvantage compared to the other pupils in the unit. M says that he doesn't want to be alone in that room and he wants to be in the Unit, because he obviously needs to be there with other children and not in isolation. He says that one of the TAs is always trying to force him to do things and "doesn't like him". Mel, I've been thinking a lot about you! Our lads go through such similar situations! Just when I thought it was so good at the new school, there's this situation.! Is this an illegal exclusion or can the school place him in isolation because the remaining staff can't "cope" with him?? Curra Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
