Special School for Kai

[loulou]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm feeling totally confused and frustrated by Kai's special school placement.

 

He has a dx of ADHD (all though i am wondering if he does actually have it) and is awaiting a dx of AS (i am SURE he has this).

 

He was offered a place in an EBD school and the school social worker came out to see us a few weeks ago. She was really concerned about the fact that the school may not be the right place for him if he has AS.

 

Having not heard back from them, i called the school today and spoke to the Deputy Head. She said that there was a place there for him, but they wanted a dx (of AS) before accepting him.

 

Kai is on a 12 month waiting list for the CDC

 

She said that although the school is not aimed at children with AS, they do have pupils there who have it.

 

The Head teacher is also concerned about the affects their methods of discipline may have on Kai. His words were "breaking in a wild horse"

 

I spoke to the SEN officer about all this and she said that an autistic school would not be right for Kai, as they are for MLD as well as ASD. Is this right?

 

There is no way he will cope in mainstream again, so what do i do now?

 

I've looked in the Gabbitas book and there aren't any AS specific schools near me, and also he's too young for most of them.

 

He's now been out of school for 13 months and is totally school phobic. Will i EVER get him back into education?

 

Please help me!

 

Loulou x

[Kathryn]

Loulou,

 

Really sorry things haven't worked out so far. It's very frustrating. Don't give up hope,

 

K

 

(I'm about to PM you)

[Zemanski]

Some EBD units are very good - go aand see it and talk to staff (with your social worker), if you end up appealing a tribunal will ask if you have checked it out as a 'recommended school' anyway

 

then start visiting special schools and units to see which is really best for Kai - you should be able to get a list of them from your responsible officer or parent partnership may know which special schools should be suitable for kids with asds.

while you're at it ask parent partnership for an independent parent supporter who can help you attend meetings and compose letters

 

according to the education act 1996, schedule 27 you have the right to state a parental preference if Kai has a statement and the LEA must comply unless it is either inefficient use of resources or likely to adversely effect the education of other children (they have to prove this if it comes to a fight) and you have the right to appeal if they don't

 

(if Kai doesn't have a statement the LEA recommending an EBD school (which is very unlikely to be suitable) for a child with ASDs is a good reason to feel they aren't meeting his needs without one and you need to ask for assessment.)

 

get some support

 

do everything in writing

 

keep copies

 

stay strong

 

zemanski

[nellie]

Loulou,

 

I think it?s very telling that the school social worker does not think that this EBD school is right for Kai. If I remember rightly you said that she has an excellent understanding of AS.

 

It looks as if you might have to start searching for the appropriate placement for Kai, that means doing a search, telephoning and visiting schools. Be very honest with schools when you speak to them.

 

Kai will probably need a very slow introduction to whatever school he goes to, possibly getting to know the staff before visiting the school, home visits etc.

 

Go with your gut feeling, some EBD schools are ok, but they don't work for all children with ASD. I certainly wouldn?t want my child to be �broken in like a wild horse�. Kai is not a horse.

 

I hope things work out for you and Kai.

 

You will find school lists here.

 

Public Autism Resource & Information Service

http://www.info.autism.org.uk/Pages/Index.aspx

 

http://www.mugsy.org/schools.htm

[Kazzen161]

I would take what the school are saying very seriously - if your son is already school phobic, I cannot see how "breaking him" will help.

 

*IF* the choice is an MLD special school or an EBD school, I would probably go with the special school - though you really need to go and see both schools, as they vary so much.

 

You should certainly look at AS specialist schools, but without a dx of AS then I doubt they will take him. I would write to the CDC and explain the situation - that it is imperative that his dx is correct NOW, so that you can find an appropriate school. Get your GP or Health visitor to ask for an emergency appointment.

 

Some schools take both children with ADHD or AS, and that would be good as it would cover both possibilities.

 

If you tell us how old your son is and where you live, someone may be able to suggest a school (off-list).

 

Karen

[loulou]

Hi everyone and thanks for your replies.

 

Kai is 6 1/2 and we live in East Herts, so anywhere in Herts, Beds or North London will be ok. There is no way he could go residential at the moment because he has terrible separation anxiety.

 

I phoned the CDC secretary today and she hadn't even received the referral letter for Kai. He was seen 6 weeks ago by the paediatrician

 

No wonder waiting lists are so long.

 

I'm going to try my GP and the EWO, who are both great. I'm also thinking about a private assessment, although i'm woried the LEA may not accept that.

 

I'm desperate to get Kai back to school because he's been out for 13 months, but on the other hand i don't want to screw him up totally. It seems like no one is doing anything to help Kai or myself, i'm starting to lose the plot.

 

I've found two schools which aren't too far from me. One is a NAS school, and the other is an independant special school who cater for a wide range of disabilities (ADHD,AS,Dyspraxia etc). I'll go and see them both.

 

Thanks again,

 

Loulou x

 

(Mr and Mrs Bunny- from Kai)

[Zemanski]

the LEA must accept a diagnosis from an appropriately qualified person - whether you pay or they do or the NHS is immaterial

 

good luck school hunting - EBD really is not the right placement for ADHD or AS

 

Zemanski

[loulou]

Hi everyone,

 

Just an update on the school thing.

 

The EWO has called a meeting on the 28th with the Head of the EBD school, school social worker, Ed Psych, SEN officer and myself to discuss Kai's school placement.

 

I don't really know what to say at the meeting, because i feel totally out of my depth. I don't know what is right for Kai (apart from running away to a small island somewhere and living like a recluse ).

 

I am going to ask them to write a collective letter to the Communication Disorder Clinic to try to get Kai's assessment brought forward, instead of waiting 12 months.

 

Wish me luck!

 

Loulou x

[Kazzen161]

Have you read their prospectus?

 

I would be asking about their "ethos" -you said he mentioned it was like "breaking in a wild horse" - get him to expand on this - especially re: their discipline. Do they make adjustments for sensory issues? What are your son's particular issues? How would they deal with them? eg one school told me if T ran away from school, he would be permanently excluded (he had already run away from school twice).

 

If your son hits someone cos he is stressed/anxious - what will be the response? Do they have (positive) time-out places?

 

Karen