Support at secondary school

[av16]

My son- AS has just started secondary school and so far things have been okish. He has a statement and has 16 hours of support plus visits from autistic outreach. He had more or less full time 1:1 at secondary school for 2/12 years - not for academic help but social interaction. The secondary school provide support via TAs attached to different depts so in a day he may have 5 different TAs. As he doesn't need help with much work I don't think he gets a whole lot of input.

 

He's starting to find his feet now and there have been a couple of incidents that worry me; he swore in class, was sent out- decided he was scared so hid in the loo for the next lesson as well before leaving at the end of the day. He's lost his school bag as he left it behind in the class, no one thought to look after it or maybe think there's A's bag - ooh where is he?

I rang the school as I was concerned that he had managed to 'evade' them for so long, they rang back today and I dropped him in it - they didn't realise he had missed the next lesson. He doesn't know it but he has a head of dept detention to do next Monday. If it is for the swearing - ok but if it's for the hiding in the loo- I'm not sure sure. He was absolutely scared stiff when he arrived at my workplace, I think he just got into a panic.

 

The school say they can't have TAs attached to a child across depts as when they get to upper school the ta wont be able to keep up academically - A is bright.

 

What happens in other schools? I am going in for the 8 week review on Friday and I want to help with some suggestions. I was told today that they realise they need to be more creative about TA support, they're going to set up a social/language group - he insults people about their appearance which could be taken as bullying.

 

Sorry this is so long but I need to get it off my chest - they're out at football tonight so no one to talk to. I feel a bit exhausted actually - stressful week at work so far and I'm on tenterhooks thinking the school are going to call.

 

Any thoughts or ideas gratefully received

[Kazzen161]

>>He had more or less full time 1:1 at secondary school for 2/12 years - not for academic help but social interaction.

 

>>The school say they can't have TAs attached to a child across depts as when they get to upper school the ta wont be able to keep up academically - A is bright.

 

If he needs a TA for social support, not academic support it would make sense to have one or two TAs only, so they know his social and communication issues well. They don't need to know chemistry to help him work in a group, or to pay attention, etc.

 

My non-statemented son does not get any TA help at all as he is in the top sets, and the TAs are in the bottom sets!

 

[jb1964]

Hi Av,

 

Can only speak for what my daughter gets and that's very little. When she was diagnosed at 11-12yrs - CAHMS suggested we apply for a TA but my daughter downright refused. She's on school action plus within mainstream school.

 

There's another boy in class (diag. Aspergers) with her who has a TA full-time and has had since he started comp. - although he has had two over the time period (they're both in yr 11 now) this has been the same 1:1 continuously (if you know what I mean). I wouldn't normally know this as my daughter doesn't tell me anything really about actual school - but I know she sits by the boy and his TA because she feels more comfortable around adults.

 

Take care,

Jb

 

 

 

 

 

[av16]

Thanks for the info - I am sure the school will be open to different ideas so your support is really useful

AV

[Moll]

I used to work as a TA in a secondary school about 10 years ago and I had a form class that I went from lesson to lesson with keeping up academically is not a problem as the children are expected to so if they can so can a TA

 

I am surprised you did not make more of a issue in the failure of their duty of care they has not realised he was missing, do they take class registers? If so was he marked present? If he was marked absents was this not flagged? I would be telling them the detention is not on as they are punishing a child with disabilities as they put him in a situation he could not cope with, that is if it is for leaving if its for swearing ok, but just a point if I punish my son more than 2 minutes after the event he can't connect the two so if you son is the same you may need to come up with a more immediate action, if he has 16 hours of support is this one of the times he should of been supported if so the TA should of left with him or are they not providing support just for him is it whole class support?

[Stella63]

Hi Av,

 

At the secondary school where my boys are (and where I work as an LSA) it works pretty much the same way. OJ may have several LSA's in any day but because we all know the needs of every individual child we are able to tailor the support we give. It may be helping to encourage a child to work in a pair or small group activity which they would not be able to manage themselves or would end up being excluded from the group because the other children don't understand them. We are not just there to support the actual academic learning and sometimes we are working in top sets because the children are academically bright. If they have a statement then we are supporting them for what is in their statement and helping the teachers understand their problems cos obviously we know the children far better than teachers who may only see them once or twice a week!

 

Hope that helps

 

Stella xx

[Karen A]

My son- AS has just started secondary school and so far things have been okish. He has a statement and has 16 hours of support plus visits from autistic outreach. He had more or less full time 1:1 at secondary school for 2/12 years - not for academic help but social interaction. The secondary school provide support via TAs attached to different depts so in a day he may have 5 different TAs. As he doesn't need help with much work I don't think he gets a whole lot of input.

 

He's starting to find his feet now and there have been a couple of incidents that worry me; he swore in class, was sent out- decided he was scared so hid in the loo for the next lesson as well before leaving at the end of the day. He's lost his school bag as he left it behind in the class, no one thought to look after it or maybe think there's A's bag - ooh where is he?

I rang the school as I was concerned that he had managed to 'evade' them for so long, they rang back today and I dropped him in it - they didn't realise he had missed the next lesson. He doesn't know it but he has a head of dept detention to do next Monday. If it is for the swearing - ok but if it's for the hiding in the loo- I'm not sure sure. He was absolutely scared stiff when he arrived at my workplace, I think he just got into a panic.

 

The school say they can't have TAs attached to a child across depts as when they get to upper school the ta wont be able to keep up academically - A is bright.

 

What happens in other schools? I am going in for the 8 week review on Friday and I want to help with some suggestions. I was told today that they realise they need to be more creative about TA support, they're going to set up a social/language group - he insults people about their appearance which could be taken as bullying.

 

Sorry this is so long but I need to get it off my chest - they're out at football tonight so no one to talk to. I feel a bit exhausted actually - stressful week at work so far and I'm on tenterhooks thinking the school are going to call.

 

Any thoughts or ideas gratefully received

 

No advice as Ben is not yet at secondary school but it is interesting to read the post. Karen.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Karen A

[av16]

Update: We had a 'normal' academic tutorial meeting prior to the AR - rather depressing but DS was then asked to come up with some targets. I told teacher I thought we were putting the cart before the horse as all those 'suggested ' by the teacher were to do with behaviour.

 

The AR made me feel better - we had a rep from our CAMHS - first time anyone has ever attended a review (he's at school outside our LA); she was excellent - from the complex needs team. The school had been 'fooled' by DS's appearance -'seems more like a boy at the end of yr 8 than one at the beginning of yr7' - (he's very into his appearance, being cool and older girls! ) this view was changed by the end of the meeting - hooray as he has the social skills of a 5 yr old. The CAMHS rep gave them more insight into how he thinks and feels, they admitted at the end they needed help in dealing with him and would look for further meetings. I thought this was quite positive.

 

Outcomes - limited to 3 TA's who are all going to do some 'bonding' with him. Subjects he has trouble with (due to teachers mainly) he will have TA support in class. They will be there to get him out if/when he gets stressed by asking him to 'help them get something' - he doesn't want anyone to know he has 'special needs'. He will have sessions each day before classes in the morning & lunchtime with a TA to 'chat';they will alert SMT if he seems more stressed. They will set up a social skills group.

 

I asked for his punishment to not be for the hiding in the loo- I explained how scared he was. I think they agreed to this - we will see when we get the letter.

 

I hope things work a bit better now. At least they know we will not just sit back and let things happen.

 

[Karen A]

Sounds more positive.Karen.

[MurphySG]

Sounds positive.

 

My son (when he was agreeing to go to school) had 2 LSA's who covered almost all of the classes. The arrangement should have worked well. It didn't - but not because of the LSA's, who were great.

 

Problem is you need buy-in from the whole staff - LSA's are bottom of the pecking order.

 

Keep an eye on it - if AR recommendations are being implemented that would indicate to me that the SEN balance in the school is about right - the LSA's will be fine tuning. The package the school is offering sounds great.

 

ps - i'm in east London too

[PinkSapphire]

I have an autistic son and brother, a son with dyslexia and I work in a mainstream secondary school as an LSA (Can relate to the bottom of the pecking order comment, but still stings)

We are not actually assigned to a particular acdemic department, rather we each have a timetable and have the same lessons on a week A week B schedule.

We all keep support notes on the boys (all boys school) who are statemented, or school action plus.

Obviously statemented are a priority.

 

There are many sapects of my job and the way things are run I disagree with, but even when we try we do not have the power to change much, but still get the blame when there is a problem.

[av16]

Thanks for comments - I'm trying to find out from DS on a daily basis what's happening - interesting!

[av16]

At the end of the first week of new arrangements - a bit disappointing Has had several detentions - I've not been told in advance (which they agreed they would do). One detention was extended because he said it wasn't fair (I would have thought anyone who knows anything about AS would expect similar comments to this). Yesterday he was sent out of class in a subject where he needs support - TA off sick, ended up making faces through the door so earned himself another detention.

 

I went in and spoke to senco today to try and find out what actually happened this week, I also warned that he was a bit upset as well. She rang me this afternoon to say he had been fighting in the corridor with another boy this morning I am not sure of the consequences of this but I did say to her I didn't think it was fair for him to do a detention earned when support was not available to him. She is going to speak to the teacher involved.

 

I am off work one day a week so I can see I'm going to have to follow up the week's events on that day. He's at Drama at the moment so it will be interesting to see what he says.

 

I think the senco is very good so it's not all bad news, she is going to see if he can have the same TA as much as possible but of course it's not down to her. If you're interested I'll keep you informed.

 

MurphySG how do you find services? I think it's a bit patchy but seems better than some other areas

[MurphySG]

Maybe you're a different borough to me - it's been (and still is) a battle. My son now has a brilliant psychologist but that's it really.

 

Ho hum.

[lynne]

 

 

Our 11 year old has a 1 to 1 support. He has had the same LSA for 4 years. Having 2 LSA's have never worked for us because his successful inclusion has always been dependent on his building up a relationship with a key person.

 

Our son has just gone up to senior school (normal school) and they did not allocate him an individual support but had two LSA's who would keep an eye on him. However, within 3 weeks they realised this is not working and he has now been allocated a permanent LSA. It normally take the LSA about one and half years to form a relationship with our son and get to know and understand him.

 

 

Our son goes into meltdown with very little warning and hence the LSA needs to act quickly to prevent the situation deteriorating or to get him out of the classroom. This is why its so important for the LSA to get to know and understand his moods, what worries him etc. She than acts as a communicator with the teacher.

 

Lucily with all his schools the LSA view and communication as been seen as an essential part to him being educated and they are not seen as a lower raking.