Independent assessment?

[Athena]

DD is currently being assessed by a multi-disciplinary team, paediatrician, educational psychologist, occupational therapist. So far, all I have in writing is that she has specific learning difficulties and it has taken 10 months to even get this in writing.

 

ALL of the team have verbally told me that they believe DD has ASD, and ADD and sensory processing problems, but none of them have, as yet, produced a written, formal diagnosis.....

 

Her school have told me that they have NO money in their SEN budget to provide the one-to-one that she desperately needs and that we should therefore apply for a Statement, but that without a formal diagnosis, our chances of obtaining one are very much reduced.

 

Should I push the school further on their SEN budget - how much, how it is being spent and why they have no money to meet DD's needs?

 

I don't want to alienate the school, as they have said that they will support/provide evidence for me to apply for a Statement, but I also feel that they are making ME responsible for obtaining the funding for DD's educational needs.

 

So, I was thinking of going to see a private, independent psychologist, to obtain a formal diagnosis, but I don't know where to find one or even if it is a psychologist that I need!

 

It just breaks my heart to see DD struggling and I just don't yet know enough about how the System" works to help her!

[call me jaded]

YOu need to get the ball rolling by requesting an assessment yourself. The IPSEA website has a letter you can copy.

[JsMum]

 

 

You could ask your GP for a second opinion, that way you would be referred again to another team, possibly out of area.

 

You dont need a DX as such either, if there is concerns she is showing signs of ADD, SID, and ASD then this is enough to set the needs rolling, all that needs to happen is a concern, there is enough evidence here to prove that.

 

I recommend a private Assessments along side any LEA proffessional body anyway, just so its not Authority bias.

 

I would also write a letter to the Special Educational Needs Department that you have strong evidence that there is a high need and she requires an urgent assessment of her special educational needs and that you plan to go further to look at getting your child assessed independanly or throw the NHS again, as your child has the following symptoms at home, at school.

 

Then lists what it is she is has difficulties with, describe her difficulties, as children with ASDs, and ADHD all have different degrees and different variations, so not all kids are going to show the same symptoms, as there all individual.

 

Look at all her needs, in school, break times, dinner times, what is her social behaviours/interactions like, look at her anxiety levels, what is her behaviour like in class, distracted, lack of focus, low concerntration, low self esteem, little confidence, her ability to work independantly, at home look at difficult moments that give concerns of her anxiety levels, difficulties at eating at the table, interaction with her family, how are routines in the house, does she become easily upset, sensitive, angry, mood changes, ect.... all signs of stress, and needs urgent support both at school and home.

 

 

Do you keep a diary, keep evidence, what is important is the evidence of her needs, the way she is coping with her learning, socialising and mental and emotional health.

 

What is good is that you have the support of the school and they agree that your child does need a statement, is she on school action plus, if so how long and how many interventions have they put in place already, list these down and share with the Education Departments Manager of the Special Needs Education Section that the school have been supportive and support you child as much as they can and that without support from a statement she wont get her needs met.

 

Even if they ignore this information you have notified the departement your concerns, they have evidence of her needs as she has had support from the school, then if they turn your child down for an assessment, you can then appeal and you then need to continue to collect evidence that her needs are not been met in school.

 

Go all the way, throw the process, it takes time, energy, determination and lots of evidence but you can get a statement when a child has a special need, even with just the one DX of her Spersific Learning Difficulty, she can get an assessment and hopefully with further evidence of her needs a DX may finally come forward.

 

JsMum

xxxxx

 

 

[lynne]

 

If you start the ball rolling by requesting a statetory assessment than by the time they come to gather evidence the team that are working with your child will be written to to ask for there opinions on your childs difficulties.

 

You do not have to have a diagnosis to receive a statement but most schools think you can not have a statement with out one.

 

The team who are observing your child and exactly the right combination that your child may need. So if I was you I could continue with the team you are with. If the evidence goes over a long period of time showing your childs difficulty than this is better for the statmenting process.

 

If the school have concerns than they should request the ed psy to come in and assess your child and they should be requesting a statement if they think they can not provide for your child within the normal school budget. The school are putting the pressure on you. But it is better for your to request a statement as the time limit is specified.

 

Hang in there

[Spike P]

Hi. I agree with al the other posts but personally feel if you have an independant assessement from an Educational Psychologist the report is very comprehensive, far more than an LEA funded one and is huge ammunition to throw at LEA when you need it. Cost is around �600 and it is advisable to get an independent occupational therapy assessement as well...another �600 !! Frightening cost but so worth it, I was lucky I had previously been in the Army and asked SSAFA to pay for it and they did, I had the Ed Psych report done only.

 

The Ed Psych report was a 4 hour consultation and when arrived was about 30 pages long !

 

To find an Ed Psych you could try a local independant special needs school who normally could recomend someone, that is what i did.

 

I really do recomend visit www.ace-ed.org.uk which is information for parents with SEN needs, awesome site and recomended by NAS, buy the Special Education Handbook, this gives overview in lay-man language of the law on children with special needs and is under �20.

 

Best of luck

Spike

[dana]

Hi. I agree with al the other posts but personally feel if you have an independant assessement from an Educational Psychologist the report is very comprehensive, far more than an LEA funded one and is huge ammunition to throw at LEA when you need it. Cost is around �600 and it is advisable to get an independent occupational therapy assessement as well...another �600 !! Frightening cost but so worth it, I was lucky I had previously been in the Army and asked SSAFA to pay for it and they did, I had the Ed Psych report done only.

 

The Ed Psych report was a 4 hour consultation and when arrived was about 30 pages long !

 

To find an Ed Psych you could try a local independant special needs school who normally could recomend someone, that is what i did.

 

I really do recomend visit www.ace-ed.org.uk which is information for parents with SEN needs, awesome site and recomended by NAS, buy the Special Education Handbook, this gives overview in lay-man language of the law on children with special needs and is under �20.

 

Best of luck

Spike

Hi Spike,

did independent EP acctually dx your son? Or did he use WHISK test or/and something else as well? Did he see your son at school ? I am curious because I have been thinking to dx /asses my son who is 9 and needs one to one support at school.

Sorry Athena for hijacking your thread. I hope you dont mind.

dana

Edited March 17, 2009 by dana

[westie]

My eldest son was statemented in time for him starting school (full time foundation stage) at ~4 1/2 .

 

I requested the assessment for a statement myself after someone told me I could, and at that time he was not diagnosed with anything other than emotional/ behvioural difficulties (he was still being assessed, could not pin down diagnosis even after almost 2yrs - PDA not commonly recognised) I told them all about his difficulties with these things at playgroup.

For example, I was forced to withdraw him from a private nursery, and then pulled him out of a playgroup as I think they would have asked me to as well, and then he went for a while to a nursery suggested by a early yrs special needs teacher, who gave him a bit more support and had experience. He has been statemented ever since. I sent with the application medical reports to give them more detail etc, he had not been seen by the EP at that point, he was seen as part of the assessment stage.

 

I agreee with other responses to your thread.If your son has learning difficulties ("diagnosed", so to speak) and you have evidence of other difficulties, and you can give examples etc (or school can provide evidence to support your claim) or you can also get a health professional/ teacher dealing with the child on your side to support this request and provide further evidence as to their difficulties, even if they do not have a specific "label" fixed yet then they will listen to you. I think if the school ask on their own and you/ someone else do not back them up then they may not be successful. But if you are, and they also support you and you have some info. from assessments etc. then it is not beyond hope that she will be turned down.

 

(for example the early yrs teacher I mention above sent an email supporting my application for an assessment, along with an email I had sent her updating her on the difficulties he was having at the playgroup I withdrew him from, and where I was asking her "what could/ should I do next"!)

 

Good luck X

[Athena]

Thank you for your replies, my "gut" feeling is to get an independent assessment for DD. After what I can only describe as an "interesting" conversation with the Ed Psych, I have come to the conclustion that as they work for the LEA, there is a possibility that maybe they are not as impartial as you would hope that they would be....

 

 

[Spike P]

Hi Spike,

did independent EP acctually dx your son? Or did he use WHISK test or/and something else as well? Did he see your son at school ? I am curious because I have been thinking to dx /asses my son who is 9 and needs one to one support at school.

Sorry Athena for hijacking your thread. I hope you dont mind.

dana

 

 

Hi Dana. No independant EP did not diagnose my son. I have just read original post and got the full measure of it. Athena got that really ###### useless multi disiplinary assessment we got originally! (the cheap option! surprise surprise!)Then I went to my GP and demanded a diagnosis from an NAS approved Paediatric Consultant would did an alagorithic autistic test and talked to us (parents) for nearly 2 hours! about our son (part of the test) and then gave us a diagnosis.

 

The Ed Psych did not see our son at school but would have if I asked, yes she did loads of different tests with our son on the day but we went to her offices in Brighton.

 

The NAS should have a list of consultants who can diagnose but your GP should fund this...We had opposition because of the cost but our GP has been ours for years and sympathised with us and is also a practice partner and put our case forward after much persuasion from me!!

 

The real point I was tring to make is if you have an independant ed psych report the LEA can't argue against it because it is so thorough and they know legally they would be unable to fight it (thats my view)

 

Is that okay? Spike