Health Visitor

[Donna]

Hi, just though I would share with eveyone that although my 8yr old was diagnosed with AS last year, getting any type of help for him has been a nightmare.

 

Well anyway one day last week I had a very bad day and couldn't stop crying I think this was probably because it upsets me so much because of the anxieties my son has about school and also because I felt as though I was failing him. We have had a few meetings with his school and they are reluctant to admit that he has problems there at all, however he is constanly upset and angry and keeps saying that he is a failure and can't do the work at school. We have explained this to the school at various meeting but they keep saying that he seems to be coping okay.

 

The moral of the story was that while I was so upset last week I phoned the local health visitor and she was the same one that I had when my son was only a baby (we had moved to a different area), anyway she remebered who I was on the phone and I briefly explained the problems that we were having with my son. She told me she would come out and visit me the following morning. It was great to speak to someone who I felt was completely on our side.

 

I told that although we were told at our last school meeting that after the easter break they would provide our son with some 1-1 from the Learning Support teacher, that this had still not happened. I also told her all about the other various problems that we have had and the list goes on an on.

 

She kept saying to me Donna he has had a confimed dx you don't have to justify this, but I told her that is exactly what we have been doing for the past year.

 

She also said that she will support us in trying to get the apporpriate help for our son and although she couldn't promise anything she would certanly do her best. She is going to come to the 6 week review meeting that we were to arrange with the school and once I provide her with the school diary that I have set up with any issues etc, she is going to type up an agenda to take to the meeting.

 

The day that she came out she was also going to contact the school doctor etc and ask her to do an assesment on our son, she is also going to set up a meeting for us with all the different agencies to try and provide a more suitable support programme.

 

The funny thing was when I phoned the school the following day to try and set up the 6 week review meeting and where I informed them that our health visitor would be attending also, my son came home from school that day and suprise suprise he had been seen by the learniing support teacher and she is going to be working with him for a few hours each thurs for the next 5 weeks. Amazing how this happened after I had phone to arrange the meeting.

 

Anyway my health visitor is my new hero and here's hoping that we might be on the right track.

 

Donna

[Kazzen161]

My second Health Visitor was brilliant - she suggested a school for T that was down the road from her (out-of-county, so LEA were not impressed!) and helped me get him in it. She also got the Twins into the Early Years Centre, so I would get a break. She really understood how hard things were for me - she kept telling me I was a good Mum, and helped me with the practical things that I needed.

 

Karen