Think I made a mistake with the request for SA form....

[connieruff]

Hi,

Just a quickie,

I used a template for the request for statutory assessment and sent it off yesterday, however I have just re-read the copy and I have put in the opening paragraph: ''I believe that my child needs more help than the school is able to provide' and then I went on to outline his problems etc.

I looked at the original template and that sentence wasn't in there, so now I think maybe I should not have put it in.

Will this be OK?

Thanks,

C

[purplehaze]

I put something like that in my letter (my son has a statement) as long as the school are doing there best but your child still needs more support it should be fine. xxx

[daniels-mum]

I wouldnt worry at all about your letter, it doesnt sound like you have written anything inappropriate. In any case you should be asked to submit your parental advice for consideration so you will be able to say whatever you need to in further detail then. Its a really good chance to get everything off your chest and sound as official as possible!!

 

You probably may already have done so but it if not it could be useful to request a copy of your sons records from the school and to ask them if he is on School Action or School Action Plus. If an Ed Psyc visit has been requested he should be on School Action Plus. Apologies if you have done this already, its just I found it useful and actually came across an Ed Psyc report from 2004 (that I had never even received a copy of) which has proved invaluable to me.

 

I am going through the Stat Assessment procedure and am learning day by day, this forum has been amazing in the advice and information that is available.

 

 

[Sally44]

Don't worry, I put a similar sentence in my original request. Infact, I didn't know that the LEA send you a detailed form that you can fill out, so I sent in a 26 page letter/report when I initially asked for the LEA to carry out a Statutory Assessment. I had heard so many stories of SA's being turned down that I put in so much evidence at the first stage that it would have been impossible for them to refuse an SA. The AAT teased me that it was the longest request for an SA she had ever seen!!

And it is useful to look through all old paperwork, reports, letters etc. And always put all requests and clarifications of verbal/telephone conversations in writing. On going through old reports, you are looking for identified needs and how they have (or haven't) been met. You are looking for signs of progress, and signs of lack of progress or regression.

In my sons papers the private EP pointed out that a previous EP had recommended the school used Precision Teaching and sent details of that into school. This had never been done by the school or followed up by the EP. Precision Teaching is an ongoing daily assessment tool used to help children with suspected Dyslexia learn, and also to get a bench mark of how much they can learn, and how much repetition they need to retain that information. I didn't even know what Precison Teaching was then.

The form you will be sent by the LEA is very indepth and asks for information in all kinds of areas from birth to present date. Don't feel restricted by the space available on the form. The Parent Partnership advises parents to type it all out separately to give yourself the space they need and to use the form to refer to the letter. Start to write down all the things you think he struggles with so that you can go into them in depth rather than just using his diagnosis as an umbrella term. Every child with an ASD is different. And also remember that you are not just listing problems relevant to reading/writing. You also incorporate social skills, life skills, awareness of danger, predicting outcomes, behavioural problems, self esteem, self awareness.