INTO MAINSTREAM

[kirstie]

Hi all,

Thought i'd share with you the transition Lewis has undergone from his language unit into mainstream primary.

Well, after digging my heels in last year he stayed put at his unit. But after the Easter hols he moved permanantly into his new school.

Lewis had done so well at his unit, there were no behavioural issues, he was coping with his sensory problems and his work was fantastic- really brilliant. From the bewildered little boy who came kicking and screaming from Nursery he had done so well over the past few years. But as ever they want them out the door and into the big bad world. (he's 8 ) well i stipulated i want support for him and at no point did i want to be having to make phonecalls chasing people up to help support him, nor did i want a wait and see attitiude. I wanted help in the form of 1:1 from the off- Oh Yes Mrs D that will all be a matter of priority for children joining mainstream schooling mrs D, three bags full Mrs D blah blah.............anyway he's in there now and he's got no 1:1- only a designated person to see at break times etc should he need help (yeah, and he's going to ask for it right enough ) the school were awarded 10 hours from the audit and quite frankly its not enough.

I have had a meeting with his teacher today. He's struggleing. There have been many tearful moments and tantrums, kicking of chairs and leaving the classroom (everything from not having milk to new coloured uniform is setting him off) and his work is suffering. He was way up there with his maths and reading and now he's doing two sums an afternoon

I am now angry that the school before didn't a) write him a social story b)do him a communication passport c) organise him better support effective immediatly. So now i have to get on the phone ans start insisting he gets a better deal than this. This was what i was so afraid of and they have proved me right.

His new school are very good, and the kids in his class are a nice bunch but he is just not coping. Hmmmmnew there was a reason he was in an ASD language unit

WHY does it have to be so hard? for them and for us????

[Kathryn]

Oh kirstie,

 

So sorry to hear this after things have been going well - it must be especially demoralising after you've seen what is possible in the right environment.

 

Good luck with the next battle <'>

 

K x

[Gillian Roberts]

Hi Kirstie

 

I empathise with you completely. My son's learning dificulties were missed all the way through primary school. We moved from Paisley Scotland to Morecambe in the North West 4 years ago. Having been born in August, England put my son 1 year ahead of his friends in scotland into year 3 instead of 2. He has a low attention span, struggles with more than one instruction, is distracted by noise, stares at walls and looks out windows rather than look a person's face, and very much tells you in a matter of fact manner if he dosnt like something and felt he was being bullied..

 

Primary school teachers for 2 years put it down to bad behaviour. Fought for an assessment in year 5 and we got an IEP set up. But no one linked his behaviour to aspergers.

 

When he moved to High School in September 2007 although it all seemed exciting and he loved the fact he went to so many classes, in turn he didnt like certain subjects, teachers and the size of the school (1600 students) and the open spaces frightened him. In the space of last 7 months we have gone from daily detention slips to inclusion support rooms, to meets with school paditrician, education phsycologist and LEA officer. We are now getting approval to have him transferred to a small minstream high school in the country, only has 180 pupils adn has lots of special needs facilities. It is based round it education. Ryan has finally been diagnosed this week with Aspergers.

 

What I feel now is Ryan may seem to his present school as a problem but really in our kids eyes WE ARE THE PROBLEM. We must learn to understand their disabilities, the triggers that set off their frustration and anger and to let them know that they are not a problem.

 

Perservere for help. If you dont ask you dont get and never accept that your child's behaviour is not acceptable. Maybe its the teacher who has just shouted at your child who is at fault, who hasnt given step by step instructions for the task. Has looked for faults and not for achievements.

 

I generally feel that teachers should have the inteligence to look into different disabilites to enrich themself into being a better teacher than snub off our children because they do not conform to normal traits.

 

Good luck but dont give up and dont take the blame throw it back in their face. They get paid to educate our children we can only love and instill morals and standards into their lives.

 

Take care, Gillian x

[kirstie]

Hi Gillian <'> what a week for you too with your sons dx. How are you feeling about it?

I hope he finds the new school much easier to cope with.

 

Lewis's teacher is with me on this, and the deputy head. He should've had support in there from day 1 instead he has been thrown in at the deep end. What his old school have done is assume he was going to be ok. One thing i never do with either of my boys on the spectrum is assume anything!! The school he's at now are doing great with him and are helping him out when it's all getting too much so i have no fault with them, it's the transition that has let him down (his old school basically) it's just not fair on him to have to deal with this on his own and somewhere the whole system stinks. He must be feeling so confused and i feel so sad for him.

We worked damned hard to eliminate his very entrenched behaviours when he was younger and now i see it all unravelling before my eyes. I wish i had fought them so he could have stayed where he was.

I have phoned VTSS (visiting teaching and support services) to demand someone come in as soon as possible to support him and the deputy head is applying for more audit hours too.

I'm also going to phone I.S.E.A because they always know who to go to and what i can do to get what he needs.