Appeal, here we come

[BusyLizzie100]

We've got DS2's Final Amended Statement, it's a pile of p**, and we're going to appeal.

 

Suddenly I feel very small and inexperienced and really, really scared!

 

I've spoken to Ipsea and I'm hoping they'll be able to help. At HUGE expense I've booked an independent Ed Psych to assess him, AND an independent Occupational Therapist who's good with ASD to assess him too. not sure what worries me most, the appeal process or the financial worries!

 

Meanwhile, he's started back at his mainstream school in Y3. School thinks everything's hunky-dory, while I can see him slipping back into 'help!' mode. He was Star of the Week last week, I said well done, that must be because you did no hitting. No, he said, I hit X and Y in the playground and in the classroom but the teacher didn't see. Oh, fantastic system, then!

 

This weekend he had homework that was just totally beyond him: find a picture from a newspaper/magazine/book that you could use as a story setting, write five sentences to describe it, remember to use punctuation and adjectives. He couldn't write a word. He ended up angry, frustrated and in floods of tears- 'I'm a loser! Don't call the police!' and terrified that he would be told off by teacher.

 

I put an appropriate note in his link book; today the teacher has written back telling me how to do it - ie, find a nice picture, describe what's in it... I think she's missed the point. I can understand the assignment, but he can't. He doesn't understand story settings and how to put a story together. He has autism, for godsakes! Whatever happened to differentiation?

 

Anyway, this is part of why we're appealing against the school named on the Statement. We want him out of mainstream - but there's not a lot of other options round our way. We have hopes of an independent autism-specific school, but know that we have a huge fight on our hands with the LEA if we want to get him in there.

 

MAkes me feel even smaller! Am I really up to this??

 

Lizzie

[Kathryn]

Lizzie,

 

<'> <'> <'>

 

It's a heck of a fight ahead, no denying that. Stay strong, we're all behind you!

 

That sounds like a pretty tough assignment - especially for the start of year 3 . Just highlights the totally inadequate training available to teachers in this county - it's scary that they want to give schools more control over the SEN process without providing the necessary expertise to do so.

 

Do the fees for the professionals include appearances at Tribunal?

 

K x

[oxgirl]

There's no way my lad could manage that homework either, Lizzie and he's nearly 14! I'd have to sit down and work through it with him sentance by sentance, asking him very specific questions and it would be like squeezing blood out of a stone getting him to come up with ideas like that, there's no way he could do that on his own. How they expect Y3 kiddies to do that is beyond me, it seems very tough.

 

Does he have help in the classroom or would he normally sit and happily do work like this? They must know that this is beyond him.

 

Very best of luck with the appeal. <'> <'>

 

~ Mel ~

[BusyLizzie100]

Does he have help in the classroom or would he normally sit and happily do work like this? They must know that this is beyond him.

 

Yes, he has 15 hours of support from a Learning Support Assistant a week. At school he's very passive so yes, he would sit and look like he was engaged, but in reality he hasn't got a clue. Thing is, I suspect he's prompted and spoon-fed so much that he just hasn't learnt how to learn. Not the LSA's fault, she's lovely and she's doing her best, but it's turning into a kind of glorified babysitting... which is why we're looking at a change of setting, hence the appeal.

 

Kathryn, thanks for the support; and no, tribunal fees would be on top the assessment fee. But at least we know this ed psych is fab at tribunal - recommended by peeps on this forum, actually!

 

Lizzie <'>

[oxgirl]

Yes, he has 15 hours of support from a Learning Support Assistant a week. At school he's very passive so yes, he would sit and look like he was engaged, but in reality he hasn't got a clue. Thing is, I suspect he's prompted and spoon-fed so much that he just hasn't learnt how to learn. Not the LSA's fault, she's lovely and she's doing her best, but it's turning into a kind of glorified babysitting... which is why we're looking at a change of setting, hence the appeal.

 

I wouldn't worry about the homework then. They know he can't manage it on his own, so I'd either give him extensive help with it or just tell them it's too much for him.

 

~ Mel ~

[Cariad]

We've got DS2's Final Amended Statement, it's a pile of p**, and we're going to appeal.

 

Suddenly I feel very small and inexperienced and really, really scared!

 

I've spoken to Ipsea and I'm hoping they'll be able to help. At HUGE expense I've booked an independent Ed Psych to assess him, AND an independent Occupational Therapist who's good with ASD to assess him too. not sure what worries me most, the appeal process or the financial worries!

 

Meanwhile, he's started back at his mainstream school in Y3. School thinks everything's hunky-dory, while I can see him slipping back into 'help!' mode. He was Star of the Week last week, I said well done, that must be because you did no hitting. No, he said, I hit X and Y in the playground and in the classroom but the teacher didn't see. Oh, fantastic system, then!

 

This weekend he had homework that was just totally beyond him: find a picture from a newspaper/magazine/book that you could use as a story setting, write five sentences to describe it, remember to use punctuation and adjectives. He couldn't write a word. He ended up angry, frustrated and in floods of tears- 'I'm a loser! Don't call the police!' and terrified that he would be told off by teacher.

 

I put an appropriate note in his link book; today the teacher has written back telling me how to do it - ie, find a nice picture, describe what's in it... I think she's missed the point. I can understand the assignment, but he can't. He doesn't understand story settings and how to put a story together. He has autism, for godsakes! Whatever happened to differentiation?

 

Anyway, this is part of why we're appealing against the school named on the Statement. We want him out of mainstream - but there's not a lot of other options round our way. We have hopes of an independent autism-specific school, but know that we have a huge fight on our hands with the LEA if we want to get him in there.

 

MAkes me feel even smaller! Am I really up to this??

 

Lizzie

 

Lizzie you can do it, we have gone through a Tribunal the whole thing dragged on for a whole year. Now our DS is in an Independent ASD school, it was stressful, drained us of cash, left us with debts (�5,500) but we won in the end!

 

We hired lots of people and had an advocate, the panel was amazing at our tribunal but there was no space at the original state run school we wanted the DS to go to. In the end we got an even better school to the LEAs expense (�60,000) as we knew this is what he needed having failed at his primary school, they did want to send him to a high school, he would have been crushed!

 

If you want some pointers or help PM me, I'm happy to help

[BusyLizzie100]

there was no space at the original state run school we wanted the DS to go to. In the end we got an even better school to the LEAs expense (�60,000)

 

Thanks Cariad. The school we're after is �35,000 a year, so you make it sound like a bargain!!!

 

I guess i just need people to tell me I CAN do it. It's just so stressful, and then after the scenes we had at school pick-up today, with all three of them going nuts... I sometimes wonder how I have the strength to get through each day, never mind go to tribunal etc.

 

Lizzie x