Parent's Evening and recent dx.... guidance?

[Bell]

Hi,

 

I'm dx Asperger's myself about 4 years ago... I'm now 38. Our son has only had his dx for a few months although we've known it since he was 2. He's about to turn 8 and has just started yr 3. For the last few years at school subject matter has been more flexible and he's pretty much coped with it..... occasional comments about organisational skills and immaturity but no major alarm bells from their perspective. Yrs 1 & 2 he's been in a class of 30 with TAs in there (not specifically for him). Now yr 3 has started he's in a class of 32 with no full-time TA in the class. He's been on School Action + for most of his time there although I didn't really understand until reading through the postings here that there should be external help/ guidance with that (?). As a toddler he was hyperlexic and has continued to read well all the way through..... but he's now being overtaken by his peers. He's also strong in Maths but apparently they time them doing their tables (?) and he has problems with that.... sounds like he's slipping there too now. He does something called 'Jump ahead' to help with Motor skills before school each day and certainly for the last 2 years has been taken out of class once a week for social skills. At this stage I don't know if that is continuing this year. When we collect him each day you can guarantee that I'll have to go in to help him find something and his desk is so untidy it's unfit for purpose. There's no way an organised child would find what they need in there. When you ask him what he's been doing for the day the standard answer is, 'I can't remember'. He missed his homework for the 1st 3 weeks of term because we had no idea he had any and he wasn't telling us. Each Monday since I've had to go in to find the right teacher to collect it because he doesn't bring it out with him. She pointed out this week that he didn't take a pencil through from his normal classroom like the rest of his classmates (rolling her eyes while she was saying it) so I 'reminded' her that he's dx ASD and that currently he's sharpening all his pencils to death and running through them, 'Perhaps if the school could let us know when he's running out of things we'll replace them, but once he's in school it's between you and his form teacher to make sure he has what he needs for each class.' We have no idea from one month to the next what's going in once he goes through those doors.

 

His Paediatrician who gave him his dx says he won't get a statement as do both his teacher and the Senco at his school. We went to his Parent's evening last week not really knowing what to expect. His teacher has placed him right by her on a table with 3 others..... tables of 4 or 6 children around the classroom. I asked how he's doing and she raises the point that he doesn't take 'global direction' so she needs to speak directly to him after speaking to the class. 'How does he do once you've done that?'.... 'Well there are 3 or 4 children in the class who are challenging..... I hope to have them sorted after Christmas, then I'll have more time for C'...... 'So he needs more help than he's getting? Do you have a TA in the class?'...'Yes he needs more help...No, not enough funding'..... 'So what happens to him then?'. It went on like this.... I'm sure others here have heard it all before. She says he has problems with any work which is abstract in nature, which doesn't surprise me. He has problems writing fast enough to keep up with the class, although I feel his handwriting has improved significantly over the last year and should be fast enough soon. She offered to try and assign him a laptop so he could type instead of write. His typing is slower than his writing and I want him to persevere with writing so I think we'll be giving that a miss. My wife offered to go in for a few hours a week and his teacher is checking if that's possible and practical to do. She seems to want to help (although I wouldn't expect anything else really) but isn't in a position to give our son what he needs.

 

We ran out of time and we have arranged another appointment to go in and talk properly in about 2 weeks time. What I'm really trying to do is get a feel for what we can do, and what their obligations are. I've read through big chunks of the Ed forums but I just need to nail it in my head before we go back. Give me a keyboard and I can express myself... face to face is difficult for me so the clearer I am about where we stand the better.

 

Is the following broadly correct? Without a Statement we can't force the school to provide more support...... but...... The School is 'required not to treat disabled pupils less favourably for a reason relating to their disability and to take reasonable steps to ensure that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage to those who are not disabled' as per the SEN code of practice. So where do we stand?

 

I'm thinking we should go to this appointment and follow it up with one with the Senco and if we're still unhappy with the HT.... but what rights do we have?

 

Help!

 

If you've got this far, many thanks for taking the time.

 

Bruce

[pearl]

Bruce, if you think your lad would do better with a statement, then apply for it yourself. IF he gets one then they are legally obliged to provide whats in it, which gives you a lot more clout.

 

Dont just take the "experts" word for it that he wont get one - he might not, but they have their own agendas, & you wont know til you try.

 

Good luck <'>