Need advice....please

[mum22boys]

I am in desperate need of some advice.

 

M was diagnosed ASD a year ago.Prior to his assessment it was clear the Head did not believe any of M's problems existed. However we were aware of them everyday. Since his diagnosis he has had very little support from the school. He is nearly 8 and is barely reading and writing, working to reception/year 1 levels (he is in yr 3). His behaviour is all over the place, he wanders in class, won't work, has temper tantrums....

A few weeks ago we were called in regarding his behaviour. He has started picking up chairs and tables. The Head said something needs to be done regarding his behaviour but to be honest didn't really come up with much. I did however get the impression she doubted his diagnosis as she kept making comments. She said she can't understand why he doesn't stand up when the other kids do in assembly or clap or sing etc.. she said that was not a child with autism, a child with autism would follow others. I disagreed but said nothing and thought i'd raise it with his consultant.

 

Today we met M's consultant again. What she told us has shocked us. She had a phone call last week (she didn't directly take the call but has the message written down) from the Head saying she and other health proffessionals (we have no idea who) doubt the diagnosis and want him re-assessed!!!! Luckily his consultant is clued up and she didn't return the call, she waited to speak to us. She asked if it was something we also felt. Which we told her we do not doubt it at all. M was taken out the room so I could talk to her about school. I burst into tears and asked her to tell me whether he has autism or not. She said she has no doubt at all, she is 100% sure he has autism. She summed it up by saying children of 8 years old do not usually crawl into her office on all fours, sit on their mums lap, not speak and not make eye contact. He definately has autism. What the consultant can't understand is how the school will not accept it.

 

We are furious. DH wants to make a formal complaint about her going behind our back and speaking about him to the consultant. How do we go about this?

 

Also I now know the time has come to just go ahead and apply for stat assessment myself as she will never do it and we want him out of there and hopefully in a special school.

 

Please can you give me advice on the stat assessment process when doing it yourself and also about complaining about the Head.

 

Thanks

 

mum22boys <'>

[Kazzen161]

The school will have a Complaints Policy - you can ask for a copy at the school office (or there may be a copy on the school website). There is no way the Head should be talking to the consultant without your prior permission.

 

Look at www.ipsea.org.uk for info on how to request a statutory assessment.

[Cat]

This kind of happened to us in as much as our youngest diagnosis of high functioning autism was questioned by an ed psych who came to observe him in school. There was quite an outrage in our LA about it. I think that the person who needs to officially make a complaint here is the Consultant. How dare they question the word of the Consultant. Our Consultant was furious and made her own waves.

 

You can ask for a meeting with the Head to ask why they have acted in such an underhand manner. My concerns here, and maybe I am totally over reacting is that the Head is seeing 'you' (as in his parents) as being part of the problem and if that is the case then that is quite serious. If there were any doubt about the diagnosis then the Head should surely have voiced their doubts with you. I would certainly want to know who these other professionals were and if you do ask for a meeting take someone with you to take notes.

 

You can complain to the Head of Children's Services in writing saying that you are very concerned about the way in which the Head Teacher, who is not a clinician and who clearly has no understanding of autism whatsoever, has gone behind your back to ask your sons Consultant if they are sure about the diagnosis.

 

You can find out how to you go about requesting an assesment for your child on the IPSEA website here is the link http://www.ipsea.org.uk/

 

What I will say is that were this my child then I would not only be looking for a statement but also a different school. Even with a Statement you will probably never change the way in which this Head sees your son. I would not want my child in a school where the Head ignores and then questions the diagnosis of my child. A statement does not always give automatic entry into a special school so maybe a change of school before the assessment might be something to think about.

 

Cat

Edited April 24, 2008 by Cat

[Suze]

Just wanted to pass on some hugs because you must be feeling really down about this <'> , I,m shocked that a head would do such a thing , its like stabbing you in the back.I hope you can resolve this to you and your boys advantage.Best wishes suzex

[pumpkinpie]

Speak to ipsea and get their advice for wording re the complaint. I think you should copy the complaint to the lea nd chair of governos this head is completley out pf order and should be disciplined.

[Cat]

We do not have LEAs any more we have LAs with Children's Services and that is why I suggested that the Head of their directorate be copied in to any complaint that is made. If you do complain to the Chair of Governors make sure that you also copy in the SEN Governor and ask for it to be brought to the attention of the full governing body - otherwise it might all be kept in house and not recorded in any Local Authority minutes.

 

Cat

[Bagpuss]

I am in desperate need of some advice.

 

M was diagnosed ASD a year ago.Prior to his assessment it was clear the Head did not believe any of M's problems existed. However we were aware of them everyday. Since his diagnosis he has had very little support from the school. He is nearly 8 and is barely reading and writing, working to reception/year 1 levels (he is in yr 3). His behaviour is all over the place, he wanders in class, won't work, has temper tantrums....

A few weeks ago we were called in regarding his behaviour. He has started picking up chairs and tables. The Head said something needs to be done regarding his behaviour but to be honest didn't really come up with much. I did however get the impression she doubted his diagnosis as she kept making comments. She said she can't understand why he doesn't stand up when the other kids do in assembly or clap or sing etc.. she said that was not a child with autism, a child with autism would follow others. I disagreed but said nothing and thought i'd raise it with his consultant.

 

Today we met M's consultant again. What she told us has shocked us. She had a phone call last week (she didn't directly take the call but has the message written down) from the Head saying she and other health proffessionals (we have no idea who) doubt the diagnosis and want him re-assessed!!!! Luckily his consultant is clued up and she didn't return the call, she waited to speak to us. She asked if it was something we also felt. Which we told her we do not doubt it at all. M was taken out the room so I could talk to her about school. I burst into tears and asked her to tell me whether he has autism or not. She said she has no doubt at all, she is 100% sure he has autism. She summed it up by saying children of 8 years old do not usually crawl into her office on all fours, sit on their mums lap, not speak and not make eye contact. He definately has autism. What the consultant can't understand is how the school will not accept it.

 

We are furious. DH wants to make a formal complaint about her going behind our back and speaking about him to the consultant. How do we go about this?

 

Also I now know the time has come to just go ahead and apply for stat assessment myself as she will never do it and we want him out of there and hopefully in a special school.

 

Please can you give me advice on the stat assessment process when doing it yourself and also about complaining about the Head.

 

Thanks

 

mum22boys <'>

 

 

I am really shocked and appalled at your post. That is totally out of order, and I can't believe that a Head would be "allowed" to do this. I hope your complaint is taken very seriously....it's no wonder you are so upset. Take care <'>

[mum22boys]

Thanks for replies so far.

 

When I have my head together tomorrow I will look on the ipsea website. My head is pounding at the moment with the utter shock of it all.

 

I never expected the head to stoop so low as to do something so sneaky behind our backs. I agree with you Cat I think the Head does see us as the problem. Personally I think she needs some kind of psychiatric help. I know I can't leave him in the school but really can't face moving him, then applying for stat assessment and maybe (hopefully) moving him again. I will be informing the school I am applying. DH wants to go and see her Monday am, to confront her. I think we need the weekend to get our thoughts together and decide how we are going to handle this. I am wondering if the consultant may ring her tomorrow to back up the diagnosis and tell her how wrong she is.

 

Thanks for the advice and support <'>

 

mum22boys

[bjkmummy]

<'> <'> <'>

 

a similar thing happened to me. t was agreed with joes consultant that a multi disciplinary hearing would happen. he wrote to the SALT tp arrange it at joes special needs nursery. The SALT went mad when she got the request and then contacted the consultant directly and told him her views.

 

needless to say at joes next school review a month later joes place was stopped and i have a written report from the SALT saying that she and the teachers at the nursery decided that joe unlikely to be on spectrum

 

4 months on joe has detoriated rapidly - ed psych involved and now everyone ones a multi disciplinary hearing about him again!!!!!

[Kathryn]

The head is stepping outside her area of expertise if she's commenting on the dx - I don't blame you for feeling as you do. Getting the stat ass process underway is simple, just download the letter on the Ipsea site and send it in to the LEA, that's all you have to do for the moment.

 

Just my opinion - you may want to concentrate on the statementing process first before stirring things up with the head, as any cooperation, however minimal, from the school will make the evidence gathering process a bit easier.

 

K x

Edited April 24, 2008 by Kathryn

[Cat]

Just my opinion - you may want to concentrate on the statementing process first before stirring things up with the head, as any cooperation, however minimal, from the school will make the evidence gathering process a bit easier.

 

Although my heart is screaming no no no to this suggestion my head says that it could be the way to go IF and only if the Consultant will pick up the baton here themselves and make their own waves - which I would imagine they would be doing. I can't think of any clinician who would want their area of expertise questioned by someone who was not qualified to offer an opinion.

 

So maybe speaking to the Consultant and asking them if they plan to take any action or even asking them outright if they are willing to take this issue further is the way to go. If the Consultant is going to rattle cages then at this moment in time it might just be best to hold tight. However if the Consultant is not going to pursue this I would, and I would right now because if the Head is seeing the parents as being the problem what might they do next? I would not sit and wait to see. If a complaint is made I would copy the Head of Children's Service into the complaint because once this has been registered I would hope that the school would not be allowed to throw a spanner into the statementing works, because I would hope that the Director would make sure that the Head knows the score. When this happened in our LA it caused major poop, which is why the Consultant really should be the one to pick this up and run with it.

 

Cat

[Annea]

Big Hugs and good luck with getting to the bottom of this.

Some schools just take things way too far!!!

 

The head teacher of middle dd's school rang up the OT and demanded to know where she got her inofrmation from that was contained in a report about our as yet undiagnosed dd.

 

The head said... " I suppose the mother has told you she has all manner of problems? "

 

WHen the OT told her the report was based on observations she herself had made during a two hour assessment, the head teacher had the nerve to ask her if she was mistaken!!

 

Whilst your post makes me really angry, I am not at all surprised at what you have said.....

 

I too would make an official complaint. It sounds like the paediatrician would support you too!

 

Anne x