have I missed anything?

[Carol]

I hope this is not too boring for people to read - I just want an expert opinion & this is where all the experts are - I have a multi disciplinery meeting next week & I think the main subject is going to be education - so wanted to get my thoughts across - I think they will be pushing for what they call a SCORG - which is a monthly board held to decide what the best educational option is. The ed psy make a report - but can't name specific schools & the pparetns get to say what they feel is best too - so I did a pro's n cons list of different options & would really appreciate it if anyone could take an objective look & see if there is anything I have missed? - I am doing the options over a couple of posts so that it is not too huge - sorry if it is information overload - right gonna stop waffling & just post it.....

 

Pro?s & Cons of available educational options

 

School

 

Advantages

 

? Education in many different subjects with qualified subject specific teachers.

? It allows social interaction, he has a friend at school.

? It allows him to be in an environment that is familiar, but different from home.

? Once he can cope with the environment it makes his full education accessible.

? Established bond with Mrs ****** & some of the teachers, Andrew enjoys art, computing & Maths with Mr *****.

? Some chance of mum getting to have limited time to de-stress, ie get to gym.

 

Disadvantages

 

? At the moment he can?t cope with a full time curriculum.

? He has established patterns of behaviour ? difficult to break.

? He has his own agenda & only works on his own terms.

? Not currently reaching his academic potential.

? The environment causes stress & high anxiety levels sometimes manifesting in violence.

? Difficult/stressful getting him into school.

? Mum constantly waiting for the phone to go & stressing the whole time he is at school.

? Mum can?t work as current situation won?t allow, so creating financial problems.

? Andrew is so stressed at school it manifests in physical symptoms such as high temperatures, stomach cramps, upset stomachs, headaches & temperatures.

 

next option on thread....

[Carol]

Home Tutor

 

Advantages

 

? 1:1 could potentially be positive and productive if mutual respect is reached.

 

Disadvantages

 

? At home there is no opportunity for social interaction, especially with peers.

? Andrew is already insular & difficulty getting to leave the house, this would make it worse.

? Home is Andrew?s relaxation zone, so difficult to make transition to work mode.

? Tutor would have to provide same education he could potentially access at school ? so tutor would have to have good educational background and also be able to cope with the Aspergers Syndrome & behavioural difficulties and gaps in his education.

? Mum would have to be present for tutor being there for the duration to

a) re-assure Andrew.

help explain any specific learning difficulties.

c) explain some of Andrews avoidance tactics.

d) ensure that there aren?t any potential aggressive/challenging situations that the tutor may not have had to deal with in the past.

? No break for mum 24/7 care means care would get less & less effective.

? Would not provide the same amount of potential hours that could be built up in a school environment.

? Very difficult for one person to cover a full curriculum and provide the same level of education expected & offered in a school environment.

? Continued financial problems as mum could not go back to work.

 

Local designated place to be used for education

 

Advantages:

 

? 1:1 could potentially be positive and productive if mutual respect is reached

? less intensive environment may be easier for Andrew to cope with.

 

Disadvantages

 

? Tutor would have to provide same education he could potentially access at school ? so tutor would have to have good educational background and also be able to cope with the Aspergers Syndrome & behavioural difficulties and gaps in his education.

? Mum would have to be present for tutor being there for the duration to

e) re-assure Andrew.

f) help explain any specific learning difficulties.

g) explain some of Andrews avoidance tactics.

h) ensure that there aren?t any potential aggressive/challenging situations that the tutor may not have had to deal with in the past.

? no break for mum 24/7 care means care would get less & less effective.

? This would be the same problems of getting Andrew to school but would just mean somewhere not designed for school use as opposed to an autistic unit within the high school so only real difference is one teacher doing that task that is shared by more teachers at the moment.

? very difficult for one person to cover a full curriculum and provide the same level of education expected & offered in a school environment school offers the advantage of access to speciality in many different subjects ? for example areas where Andrew shows particular aptitude like maths.

 

 

and last 2 options on next post

[Carol]

Special Autistic School

 

Advantages

 

? Environment & teachers geared for complex needs.

? Able to access full curriculum.

? Chance to mix with like-minded peers.

? If successful means more settled/less stressed home life - better for Andrew and the whole family.

 

Disadvantages

 

? Location of school able to cope with all Andrews needs.

? Availability of place.

 

 

Home Education

 

Advantages

 

? Safe environment

? Education tailor made, suited to abilities, at his own pace.

? No requirement to follow 5-14 curriculum.

? Can take the time to identify gaps in education to resolve and move forward.

? Welcome breather from stress of having to cope with school environment.

 

Disadvantages

 

? No social contact for Andrew and he is already very insular.

? Would make it more difficult to get him to leave the house.

? No break for mum, caring 24/7 no chance of time off to distress ie gym

? Expensive ? already on a tight budget as mum has stopped work due to Andrew being out of school so much ? cost for excursions, book, programmes, exams.

? Taking Andrew out the school systems makes it harder to return & makes any future integration more difficult.

? Could potentially mean no education if mum dealing with Andrew 24/7 for indefinite period would mean ineffective care as exhaustion takes over due to having to be dealing with a confrontational situation if Andrew decides he does not want to engage. This would be on top of other family issues and problems.

? Home is Andrews relaxation zone, so difficult to make transition to work mode.

? Initially a learning curve for mum to be able to provide an all round education.

? Would create more jealousy for his brothers who already perceive that Andrew gets more privileges and attention than they do and have to cope with a difficult and stressful home life.

? Having one person who is responsible for emotional, physical & educational needs is very demanding for that one person, creates even more dependency problems and is not healthy for either person

? With Andrew?s manipulation & intimidation techniques & attempted strategies it would be very hard work & emotionally demanding especially 24/7 with no support.

 

so there it all is - if the mods think this is over posting on the forum - I apologise - please feel free to delete. - I just want a 2nd opinion and expert eye.

 

thnak if you got this far lol

 

Carol

[sarahjane]

hi, not at all boring . My son is 6 so much younger but i have just been having a very similar discusion on the phone with my mum, who was a teacher, about what the best way to educate H is going to be. Your list is v comprehensive and given

me ideas. I work and am single parent so stopping is not an option and my mum lives 300 miles away.

I think to now try to prioritise what is most important to both of you and what you want andrew to get out of education.

Do not discount yourself you need time out. You mention that if it was home tutoring or in a educational unit you would have to be present aswell. If andrew settled would this have to be indefinitely?

Also you mention getting access to the full ciciculum which is important but I know with H he needs to be taught in a manner which suits him and it would be a waste of time being in a class in a subject which didn't intrest him unless he was taught on a one to one basis trying to engage him. So even though a tutor may have les knowledge it may be better in the long run.

I think with that list you will blow the meeting away! Make sure you get your points across.

[sarahjane]

sorry thought of something else. Professionals are often asked to produce reports etc for these meetings, maybe you could sent your list to the relavant people to read in advance.

[Carol]

Thanks very much for your input - it really helps

 

if I was taking Andrew somewhere I could forsee that after a while he would settle & could perhaps be left - but I find it very hard to ever see him comfortable enough for me to head off out the door from home & leave him with the tutor - it would have to be an exceptional bond he would reach with a home tutor before he would feel secure enough to be left - I am honestly not trying to be clingy or say that he can't manage without me - it's just that he has such low self esteem he needs a lot of re-assurance & I can't see him being in a secure enough mind set any time soon where I could leave him.

 

I usually do send my notes in advance - I find it speeds the meeting up a bit as we don't have to cover old ground & I find myself more articulate on paper. - but instinct tells me that the school are trying to push quite hard that they can't manage & I don't want them to say "don't come back" at the meeting - so don't want to give them too long to come up with loads of negatives - I don't want him high n dry until they can get something suitable.

 

thanks again for your input

 

Carol

[Kazzen161]

I wouldn't be giving anyone these notes until you have a good idea of what you want for your son, as they could be used against you.

 

 

Re: Home tutor - how many hours tutoring would he get - often it is only 5 hours per week - not good as a long-term option.

 

You could also consider whether he would have access to OT, psychologist, SaLT (eg: some schools have their own).

 

You should also consider opportunities for life, social and independence skills.

 

 

Re: special autistic school - would they be able to teach your son at the appropriate level? Do they offer GCSE's?

 

Karen

[Carol]

Thanks Karen - loads of valid things that I have not covered - I do appreciate it

 

Carol

[Carol]

just a wee update - had the meeting today - very intensive & productive and quite frank - everyone was really professional & knew their stuff.

 

I am still trying to process everything that was covered - but it seems to be mostly positive - next meeting in another 6 weeks. There seem to be a couple of options - but some parts of it are waiting on budget decisions - but it looks a bit bleak if the funds can't be found - they are really talking about a unique educational plan for Andrew incorporating the best aspects of what he is getting at the moment coupled with a possibly better much calmer, quieter environment -by way of attending a smaller unit, but with access to the mainstream tutors for his strongest subjects - & if it does not work in this county the ultimate option would be to go outwith the county to an excellent autistic school - which means it is for Andrew a win win situation. In a nutshell it is that the budgetry constrains for some elements of what he needs might be seen as the lesser of 2 evils than if they have to pay for him to attend the autistic school in another county.

 

thanks again for listening to my rambles lol -

[loulou]

Hi Carol,

 

I'm glad the meeting went well for you.

 

I can totally empathise with what you said about leaving Andrew anywhere. It's the same for me with Kai. He is so petrified of anyone, i could not leave him anywhere.

 

I think you need to decide what you think is best for your son, as you know him better than anyone else. I'm facing similar decisions at the moment. It certainly isn't easy!

 

Loulou x