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lisa2701

Mainstream vs Special Education

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Hi,

 

ok, so heres the thing. My son has just been diagnosed with Autism a week ago. He is a very academically bright young boy with extremely good number skills ( can count to 100 and can do simple sums 2+1, 4-2 etc) He has recently discovered letters and that they make words which in turn make stories, so we are now encouraging his reading skills. He is 4 years old (5 in October). He starts mainstream school on the 20th of August so only 5 weeks away, and both my husband and i are very concered about how he is going to cope emotionally. He already knows his teacher, so that is a plus but he has such hard times with other children as i'm sure most if not all kids do who are on the spectrum. I have an uncle who works in schools with children with behavioral problems, and he has worked with SE children too. I was telling him about our recent diagnosis and he was admiment that he doesn't think mainstream is going to be right for my son. In his prefessional and personal opinion he feels my son would be better suited to a special education school. I trust and respect his opinion but really don't know where to start with it all. I am sure he can point me in the right direction.

 

My thoughts were though... i know all children with autism are different so theres no hard and fast rule, but what is your opinion and experiences of mainstream vs Special education schools??

 

Thanks Lisa xx

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Our experience: my son had a severe breakdown after struggling for 10 years in mainstream despite being academically 'gifted'. He then went to a fantastic residential special school for AS where he regained his confidence and also got a good clutch of GCSEs. Got his AS levels at a special FE college, left and has tried twice (unsuccessfully) to finish his A levels in a local mainstream FE college. He now has a full-time job at our local teeny branch of the egalitarian supermarket.

 

For us, I desperately wish he could have gone to a special school for AS when he was 11, but back in the day the first such school had only just opened. I visited with his SW at the time, but was turned down for a Statement (second attempt). I didn't go to appeal as it was when my third baby was due. I still wonder what might have been if I had known then what I know now and had had the confidence to press on with the appeal with the aim of going to that first school for AS...

 

So for us, special ed. every time.

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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For me the important factor was whether a mainstream school could meet my son's needs.

Some children that are doing okay academically can cope with the academic side of school. But those same schools have to also address the 'social interaction and play skills' needs that these children have otherwise they can start to have low self esteem, become the target of bullying and generally become more and more isolated.

It also depends on what the options are within your LEA. Ours has a mixed mainstream/SEN Enhanced Resource school were all the children with an SEN place have to have a Statement. There are approx 5 children per class with an enhanced resource place and this school's speciality is for children with a diagnosis of an ASD.

 

My personal opinion is that there is a 'mantra' of inclusion that sounds good but is not backed up with funding and experience/expertise of staff. I personally feel there is a need for schools that cater for children who are higher functioning, but who need the extra structure in class and the additional supports and interventions for social interaction, play skills and life skills. At the moment there seems to be the option of mainstream school, special educational needs school - which usually incorporates significant learning difficulties, or behavioural units.

 

If you feel your child needs a SEN place then he will need a Statement. If you feel your child could cope mainstream with specified provison, then again you need a Statement to legally guarantee the provison your child needs.

There are few SEN places and it is harder to access a SEN placement further down the line.

 

My son began school mainstream only and did not make progress for 3 years. He was eventually diagnosed with an ASD when he was 6.5 years old. To secure the provison he needed and the educational placement he needed we had to go to tribunal. But he has made alot of progress over this last academic year at his new ER school. But initially we were refused a placement there (when he was due to move from year 2 to year 3), because all the infant SEN children had already been allocated all the junior SEN places. And eventhough he is doing well in an ER primary school, I doubt he will be able to cope with an ER secondary school because he cannot access 'whole class' learning. I would prefer him to go to an ASD only secondary school, but there isn't one in our area for children like my son. That would force us back to tribunal to try to obtain an ASD only independent school and again I doubt we would obtain that. So I feel I am presently in the lull before the storm.

 

It might be an idea to see what schooling options there are under your LEA. And you also need to learn about the SEN graduated approach. Your child now has a diagnosis. So he should have his needs supported. Remember that EVERY need should be supported, not just academic ones. Sometimes children can have no support because they are doing okay academically. But to get a diagnosis of 'autism' your child has to have significant speech and communication problems (usually a speech disorder), significant social interaction and play difficulties and usually some sensory integration issues thrown in for good measure. All those needs have to be met and progress has to be monitored and recorded through IEPs if a child is on School Action Plus.

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Hi, My son started school last september, he sounds like your lad good with numbers and could read, within weeks he was a different boy.He had a 15hour statement but the school really didnt understand his needs, and as he wasnt a problem at school he was pretty much ignored. He became obsessed with phonics and could no longer read. His behavior at home was terrible, he was not naughty but simply distressed, bitting himself etc.After battle after battle with the school I removed him at the begining of December.I was all set to home educate but the welfare officer suggested a small village school. He started in march and things have been perfect. there are only 40 children in the school and they seem to care about sen.His reading is fantastic and he is looked after and understood. I will not be sending him to mainstream senior school.

 

It is really hard but I think that inclusion does not work. Often even with statement...

There needs to be more schools with provision and understanding of high functioning children.

Find out what is available in your area. good luck

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Hi

 

My son was diagnosed at 4.5 with AS. I was advised by everyone to 'allow him the chance to try mainstream'. Here I am, a few years later thinking I wish I'd listened to my nagging doubts. LEAs gear everything up towards inclusion, but schools aren't geared up financially or have the expertise to fully suport ASD kids. My experience has been that I'm having great difficulty getting my son into a special school. I no longer feel that mainstream is the right place for him. Academically he's in the bottom groups of everything, though not at the bottom, but socially he now realises he's different. That's the painful/difficult thing - in my view people will do better within an environment where they feel like they fit in. Rs mainstream school isn't geared up to coping/addressing the social needs, even if they're doing their best. So, in a nutshell, I've found that allowing my son to start off in a mainstream school has resulted in him effectively being trapped there because it's cheaper for the EA. In addition, I also believe that early intervention is imperative.

 

Ultimately, it's a very difficult decision and a very personal one. I hope that things work out for your son.

 

Caroline.

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thanks every1 for your replies so far.

 

i must admit i'm not entirely clued up on the education system, my son is an only child and my husband and i are only in our early twenties so this is all very very new to us. That being said.... my gut feeling tells me that he will not cope with mainstream, he does have a speech disorder, severe soocial and play problems and sensory issues such as very sensitive hearing. My fears are very much about how is he going to cope in a noisey busy classroom full of kids, how on earth can he learn in that kind of enviroment, with school bells ringing, people running past doors etc. Children are already showing that they are not accepting of him, already had to sort out some bullying problems, and school terrifies me from that point of view. I fear that he will be unable to tell us if he is being bullied as he can only seem to get his mind around the hear and now, not what happened 5 minutes ago. Also the teacher he is getting is the teacher he had in nursery, and as much as she is lovely i really struggled with her reagurding her committing to the fact he was struggling to cope emotionally in nursery. She would tell me that he was struggling to make friends and cope emotionally, so i asked her for a short report that i could take to the autism assessment and the report was useless to me, it didn't sound like my son at all. i am convinced that she had just pulled an old report card and changed the name on it or something, it said that he had made friends, was coping well etc, exact opposit of what she told me. Maybe now i have a diagnosis she'll be better. Fingers crossed.

 

Just one other thing.... Everyone keeps talking about statements, first of all i'm not sure what a statement is (sorry for the ignorance) and secondly i live up in scotland and have read that statements only apply to England and Wales, is this true?

 

Thanks again xxx

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Hi, my daughter is now 10 and has Aspergers. When she started school she was a lot like your son - she was very bright, knew all her letters, could count to 300, knew shapes and colours etc. She attended a mainstream school for the first three years (she wasn't diagnosed until she was in Year 1) and she struggled the whole time she was there. During her Reception year she didn't learn a thing and her behaviour went downhill fast (esp at school). Then she was diagnosed and got one-to-one help. The LSA that was assigned to her was excellent and helped her a lot both academically and socially but she still found mainstream very stressful. When she was due to move up to our local junior school for Year 3, we pushed, and managed, to get her into a special school where she has been ever since. Even though she probably doesn't do as well academically there as she could do at a mainstream she is a lot happier there and not so stressed, although she is never going to love school as"they make her do work"!! I feel that if she was still at mainstream she could have more potential academically but would be so stressed that she would never reach it.

However, every ASD child is different - there is a boy who is a year older than my daughter who also has Aspergers and he attends the local junior school with few problems and has made friends, however he is on medication to help with his behaviour whereas my daughter isn't.

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I think it depends greatly on the child and the school, and you also need to consider the nature of the specialised provision in your area: i.e., a totally unsuitable special school is going to be no more beneficial than a totally unsuitable mainstream, and - if the child is academically 'mainstream' may in fact be worse. Have a good look at what's available in your area, and go with the one that seems most able to meet his needs...

My own son benefited hugely from mainstream primary, but that wouldn't have been the right decision for secondary. Having said that, I'm very lucky that both the schools involved 'matched' his needs, and it would/could have been a very different proposition had they not. In primary, for example, the other mainstream options available had the 'right' school not existed might have been far less attractive, and there are mainstream secondary schools in the area that would probably have been better options than some of the alternative specialised provision.

Hope you find that the school his starting can offer what he needs, but it wouldn't hurt to lay some foundation work 'just in case' - i.e. a letter to the LEA stating that in light of the new dx you are 'uncertain' about the appropriateness of the proposed school (given that the choice was made prior to recognition of his autism) and you could start gathering evidence/support etc for a statement so that you can identify areas of need it might not be able to meet. The earlier you have your concerns on record the more you have to refer back to ;)

 

Very best

 

BD :D

 

Oh PS: meant to add also the major importance of the relationship between school/parents. Again, it doesn't matter how good the school is if parents/staff are always at logger-heads about the nature of the support being offered, or if the child isn't attending because of disagreements over the nature of the support. Not all kids like school; that's not necessarily the kids fault, but it's not necessarily the schools fault either. How the adults communicate is undoubtedly the key, because if they can't get it right what chance does a five/ten/fifteen year old with a social communication disorder have?

 

:)

Edited by baddad

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Just wanted to add one other little perspective on this. I think that maybe if your child doesn't have severe sensory or anxiety problems which would likely make mainstream school a lot like torture for them then it might be helpful to the other children to have the experience of an ASD child in their class. My son is only marginally verbal (recently turned four and still will only come out with single words generally and his receptive language isn't great) and he doesn't respond fantastically well to other children but he is generally happy, chilled and fairly co-operative when handled with a modicum of sensitivity. When he started his pre-school class in January the staff floundered in the first month without any input from the autism advisory service and I got a constant stream of little girls telling me that my DS was silly or naughty or had been crying etc. After the advisory teacher had been in, things started to settle down and now a lot of the children respond favourably to him and the other day he was actually invited to a birthday party at a play centre and he did very well and a little girl was talking to me about he she liked him and how everybody helps him to learn how to behave. It was very sweet and I think it's very valuable for the class to be learning to accept difference. If it reaches the point where I think my son is suffering either emotionally or (significantly) developmentall/intellectually I will try my best to get him into more specialised provision but there are benefits to inclusion.

 

janine

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As has been said it is quite a complex decision to make. In my own case the local primary school was/is the most appropriate chose. When it comes to secondary school in 2 years time, we will have a lot of hard thinking to do. If we oped for the special school route then the nearest school would be over an hours journey away, which could create more problems than it solved, or go for the local secondary school which is only 5 minuets walk away. The school were most of his 'friend' will be going.

 

Need to work out all the pluses and minuses of the different options.

 

There is the added problem that the local school is about to merge with 2 other school to become an academy.Going from school of about 250 pupils to being a satellite school (same size) but part of an academy of over 2000 pupils, and may even close at some point in the future.

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The mainstream primary school that my son went to is the school my daughter still attends. My son did have friends in that school and I was very apprehensive about separating him from his sibling and from friends. But the staff there, although they tried their best, they did not at that time have the support of the LEA. They had no experience of an ASD and tended to support him in a way that made him less independent ie. they did not put in autism friendly approaches or strategies, they tended to let him sit on his own doing nothing until someone found the time to support him. The LEAs Autism Outreach Teacher told me that she had around 200 children on her books and she works alone. That worked out at about 1 days worth of input per child per year, which just was laughable. My son had no social skills and there were no supports in school or advice going into school about how that should be addressed. So eventhough my son did have friends he could only play chasing games, which children tend to grow out of.

I would say my own child is quite a borderline case of whether he could go mainstream with a Statement or needs an ASD only secondary school. Maybe a much smaller and structured school could meet his needs. But it is the relationship you have between school and yourselves that is very important as Baddad said. I used to feel so frustrated with his old school because they never understood what I was talking about, or understood the relevence of information I gave to them. At the ER school we are both talking the same language which is a huge relief.

In many ways you don't know until you try. Visiting schools will give you a much better feeling about things. We just knew when we visited the school he is currently at that that was the one within our LEA that we wanted him to go to. The only difficulty you could have, as mentioned, is if he begins in a mainstream only school and you push for a Statement and a SEN educational placement and then find that all the places are taken. And TBH those places are like gold because there are many ASD children who are going to a mainstream only school not out of choice but because there is nothing else unless the parents get a Statement and go to tribunal.

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I am having the same dilemma. LEA have just agreed to carry out a Statutory Assessment of DD. She is in local mainstream primary school, very supportive. DD has a yet no formal diagnosis of ASD, only verbal from LEA Ed Psych.

 

I believe that with significant 1 to 1 support, she could stay in mainstream primary; mainstream secondary definitely not!

 

She has MLD, sensory processing disorder, attention difficulties and the school have said that ideally she needs FULL TIME 1 to 1 support, in order to gain any benefit form being in school.

 

But I will be looking for a Special School placement for secondary school, which is one reason that I am starting the Statementing process now, as I expect to have to fight for it!

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Hi, I'm another positive for mainstream (so far!). My son is 5, just finishing reception. He has achieved an enormous amount academically, from not knowing any letter sounds at the beginning of the year to the best reader in the class. Also the highest at 'maths'. He doesn't have a statement but receives a huge amount of support and virtually has his own TA. All the staff have been given Autism training. He struggles socially but is normally taken aside and children play with him in smaller groups. 'Lessons' are also in small groups on ability rather than a teacher teaching the whole class. He will stay in reception another year so to give him a chance to improve his playing skills etc.

 

He is agressive, hits, kicks and has bitten his teacher on occasions but has improved enormously. I'm not saying he will always be in mainstream, I know he will find it harder as he gets older, both academically and socially but at the moment I am confident he is in the right place. I have a great deal of support from the staff, I work voluntarily one morning, partly because I like it but partly because I can see my son and know exactly how he is getting on and keep the home/school support consistant. Good luck with your school, I hope you are as lucky as I have been.

 

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This is a tough one, because there are potentially so many variables involved. It can depend not only on your child's own abilities and difficulties, but on the approach taken to support them (or not!) and even variables such as what the other children in the class are like... it's extremely difficult to say categorically what is best from a general point of view.

 

I can share my experiences so far, if that helps...

 

DS2 began mainstream Reception with a Statement giving him 12 hours support a week with an additional 3 from the school budget, at the same school as his older brother (who at that point was not diagnosed). We agonised for ages before he started as to whether he should be in a special school. 'Special school' in our LA is Moderate Learning Difficulty, with autism base attached, although the bases only cater for very few children and the large majority of autistic children (50% at one MLD school) are not in the base at all. The EP etc sat on the fence but ultimately there was huge pressure to go mainstream - quite probably because of funding and also because 'inclusion is best' - and we had no choice.

 

At first he did quite well, since he was finally getting more 1:1 support. At the beginning of Y2 the head took away the extra 3 hours of support (without telling me), but towards the end of Y2 it started going wrong. For our son, inclusion was not the answer. The disadvantages outweighed any advantages. Our son is extremely passive, but when it all started to get too much for him he started to become aggressive - nothing new for us at home but up until then he hadn't lashed out at school. His teacher said 'we just want the old X back'. We wanted to move him to MLD school.

 

However it became apparent after cognitive testing that he was (is) far too bright for an MLD school;his autism is getting in the way of his learning in the mainstream but he has no additional learning difficulties. However, there is no alternative provision in my LA; it's either mainstream or MLD/SLD. The MLD option would have been even worse for him in the long run - many of the issues already experienced in mainstream but at a lower academic level.

 

We appealed to tribunal when the LA reduced his Sp & Lang therapy and requested out-of-county specialist provision (ASD-specific) but again, in Y3 by now, even the independent EP couldn't say for certain that he should be in that kind of setting. Unfortunately what she recommended - mainstream with an autism base - doesn't exist in our LA. Instead, his statement was hugely enhanced and he was given full-time 1:1, with the advice that we should watch closely to see if it made a difference.

 

It made no difference, and my son began to disengage rapidly and withdraw into his own internal world. We pushed for an Early Review in Y4 and were turned down. We fought very hard and got a statutory assessment, the LA were playing silly bu**ers by this time (even more than they had before, if possible!). School finally admitted he had made no progress over the past year and they could no longer meet his needs. The LA said he would go to MLD, we said no. We were prepared to go to tribunal if necessary, but succeeded, with huge battles on our part, to get the placement at the out-of-county autism-specific school we wanted. He starts in September.

 

For our son, this is exactly what he needs. He needed it two years ago, but it took that long to make it happen. Meanwhile our son has continued to withdraw into his safe world, has made no progress, and has lost all independence since he is totally dependent on his 1:1 LSA now. He will need to be weaned off 1:1 support when he starts at his new school in September, in a class of 8 with two adults.

 

It should have happened before, but it is happening now and I am absolutely thrilled to bits. I feel like doors and windows will finally open for him and he will have much more opportunity of meeting his potential now.

 

This is our story, and if it helps anyone by reading it, that's great. But it is specifically our son's story, and his autism and needs are very specific to him. On the whole I feel that mainstream schools still have a long way to go to become fully inclusive; for some it can work but for many others it doesn't.

 

All the best,

Lizzie xx

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In our case special school was the only option. DD attended mainstream nursery but did not engage and achieved absolutely nothing during her time there. Made no friends, got invited to no parties, no work (or paintings) on the walls. Add to that the toiletting issue (DD wasn't dry at the time.....got offered support at lunchtime for toiletting but was always sopping wet before lunchtime anyway!)

 

I started the ball rolling to get a statement in July... DD was in special school in the September...maybe I was lucky.

 

DD now 14 and still within the 'special' system and attends an ASD unit within LEA MLD school. We never have had a formal diagnosis but DD is thriving in her current environment. She also has the opportunity to integrate within the main body of the school, and does for the majority of lessons now, and can shine in a small pond rather than fail in the open sea. :)

 

That's our story in a nutshell......(extremely condensed!)

 

Hope you manage to find what's most suitable,

 

Sadie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I do empathise with you BusyLizzie >:D<<'>

 

When my son came out of school at 14 it wasn't because he didn't like school, it was because he had a severe breakdown. He too regressed into his autism, and I had a 14 year old who held my hand as we walked along, hitting his head and jumping every third step :( His motor and vocal tics also exploded to such an extent that he was also given another co-morbid dx of Tourettes :(

 

All the communication in the world with his mainstream school made absolutely no difference. It was simply the wrong environment for him. There are many, many children and young people in a similar situation...they have to come out of school due to severe mental health problems not just because their parents are in disagreement with the school, but because the mainstream school (for a variety of reasons) is unable or unwilling to listen to the parents and give the specific support needed, and sometimes because all the support in the world is never going to be sufficient in a mainstream environment.

 

Interestingly, my DH always comments about the poor confidence among the children who come to his special school from mainstream because of their experiences, and the satisfaction of watching them blossom within the right environment.

 

There are some children on the spectrum who can manage in mainstream school, but there are more who are 'coping' rather than enjoying the experience. Certainly I look back and realise my son was medicated to enable him to 'cope' within mainstream (at times on two controlled drugs at once)...how can that possibly be acceptable?

 

The real scandal is the fact that so very many children and young people (I would even go so far as to say the majority) have to reach crisis point until they are maybe given the option of a specialist environment. This shouldn't be down to parents' tenacity, knowledge and often sheer luck...it should be a real choice for all parents with autistic children.

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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i not judging any type of school to be better than the other as some work for others and benefit while for others it doesn't depends of level of needs,support and ASD how they affected by it! in education i was in mainstream classes /school all my life apart from special needs nursery but even then was in mainstream group i didn't even know i had anything back then!

 

infants school was best time of me of mainstream i wasn't pushed and shoved around as much here i felt safe secure not lots change same teachers more support LSA,SENCO's etc more understanding less stressful i was only young didn't understand what ahead of me yet though! don't think would made it if i did! the teachers lovely approachable i can't remember the teacher's name but she sat me in main hall and punished me for 'being naughty' she was horrid towards me! she made sit there with my hands up in air for ages until sore i was embarrassed everyone looking at me when walked through can you imagine how i felt as little girl why i have to do this for? later on alots of occasions like that!

 

i struggled and work hard for any kind of education to be accepted and wanted there

 

 

 

in juniors school they didn't understand how deal and cope with me i think very hard to balance the right decision anyway i struggled to fit in i wasn't helped and supported much left to my own thing to get by and left to get through best i could had negative labels attached me to me! but then if went to special school i don't know whether that been best option for my needs i think i fit somewhere in the middle and that's annoying i never fitted anywhere secure without being let down and broekn promises behind i was bullied in mainstream alot time for being different at time the term used was SEN not ASD defo not AS as wasn't even a name let alone a condition or on autistic spectrum! i always known i was different to others and so did my mum i feel angry hurt that there wasn't that knowledge just stereotypical unhelpful POV which lowered my self-esteem etc and knocked me back further i retreated thinking i so lonely fed up scared etc why nothing being done or said? SENCO and paedtrician judged stereotyped even my mum attention seeker on lines of MHBS case WHAT! they had no time no energy to investigate further with me and my needs wasn't being looked into as met as should by professionals just physical ones with dyspraxia

 

as i went onto seniors school found transition change anxiety depression became more seethrough so did my emotions and feelings especially when in class frustration confusion all this became stronger harder to beat and get past growing up was tough to fight back the past i fought so much to 'survive' out of yet felt still scared etc GCSE'S was hardest as fighting all battles found revision hard going had to another timetable set up as finding going to 'normal' classes just too difficult to attend my LS teacher i went to inclusion unit where could work at own pace time energy

 

but everything in my mind made me anxious like going to failure and end up with nothing but misery i felt useless pathetic etc at times i try to fight best i could even that didn't seem 'right' good enough i pushed and pushed one day i broke down in tears to my LS teacher she told me 'sit down and calm down get yourself together it fine' reassuring me saying she think i was depressed i was starving myself self-harming my arms covering up going through real sticky patch that never thought i understand behind it! i was put on anti depressants

 

fighting to be here and stay there! u i was tired lack energy had nothing to give!

 

then went to mainstream further education and had 'messed up' stage as beginning again not expressing what going on well at all! tutors were fantastic with me there approach towards who i was my difficulties they didn't 'stand back' they helped best they knew how they helped me so many ways i thankful grateful for them of making a hard effort to treat me equally and not judge was one tutor who did kind of! but always one! i glad i went there best choice i made for me! and for once i fitted belonged and felt safe right secure not at once as takes me while to get used to change environment peoples etc but once had stayed there for 3 years!

 

now im hoping to give back to today's generation of mainstream autistic or EBD children help them be best they can support their needs fully treat them equals to the rest out there! something no-one really gave me all way through i made it on my own with family's love encouragement support! i personally understand fully their pain hurt frustrations of fighting life everyday not having rest time to think breathe calm down relax it's harder to find and come across i want to give them peace to themselves isn't that what everyone deserves no matter what their needs are how supported they human they think they feel please think back as it's REAL! trust me it affect that child for rest of their life it does with me! some days not as much as others not still doesn't go away thinking WHY am i bad girl? did i go something wrong? will always "haunt" your thoughts and feelings for maybe rest of your life or long time coming!

 

take care

XKLX

 

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When my son came out of school at 14 it wasn't because he didn't like school, it was because he had a severe breakdown. He too regressed into his autism, and I had a 14 year old who held my hand as we walked along, hitting his head and jumping every third step :( His motor and vocal tics also exploded to such an extent that he was also given another co-morbid dx of Tourettes :(

 

All the communication in the world with his mainstream school made absolutely no difference. It was simply the wrong environment for him.

 

Very very similar to our experience, give or take a few details. We tried our utmost - as I'm sure many parents do - to work with the school before things broke down. It wasn't a case of disagreeing with the support: there just wasn't any. I agree with you by the way BD, about the importance of maintaining a good relationship with the school, especially in front of the child. However this only works if goodwill and trust has been established on both sides.

 

We never got the chance to see how our daughter would have coped in a special school. We looked at some but were unsuccessful in getting a statement at my daughter's late age (15/16). Strangely enough, she now looks back on her schooldays with almost a touch of nostalgia, and wishes she had been able to stick it out and get her GCSE's and A levels. After totally blanking out that part of her life, she's now back in touch via facebook, with many of her old classmates. At college, she does not choose to be known as a person with AS and demands to be treated the same as anyone else. In view of that, perhaps a special school would have been wrong for her? On the other hand, it would have given her the support she needed to get her qualifications... I don't know!

 

One other point - in describing "mainstream" here I think most people have in mind LA maintained schools. There is perhaps a third choice: independent mainstream. Many academically able children with SEN thrive in the flexible more intimate, better disciplined environment which independent schools tend to offer. Unfortunately it's only a choice if you can pay for it - or persuade your LA to issue a statement, and that's a very tough call.

 

As Lizzie says there are so many variables: one just has to keep an open mind and look at individual schools of all kinds. Unfortunately in too many LA's there simply isn't the breadth of choice that there should be.

 

On a positive note, some mainatined mainstream schools are capable of radical change for the better. My daughter's school were clueless and failed her utterly: 5 years on they have a growing reputation for excellent ASD support and I know of at least one child with AS who is doing well there. I'm sure my daughter's bad experience played its part in informing the school, and the senco in particular (whose appointment coincided with L's breakdown) has done fantastic work to make sure what happened to L will never happen to another child.

 

K x

 

 

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On a positive note, some mainatined mainstream schools are capable of radical change for the better. My daughter's school were clueless and failed her utterly: 5 years on they have a growing reputation for excellent ASD support and I know of at least one child with AS who is doing well there. I'm sure my daughter's bad experience played its part in informing the school, and the senco in particular (whose appointment coincided with L's breakdown) has done fantastic work to make sure what happened to L will never happen to another child.

 

K x

 

Sadly I don't think this will be the case now that DS2 has left his mainstream school; I feel the school is drawing a neat line under it all and will go right back to square one, ie not learning from the experience at all. They have even made his LSA redundant, thereby losing nearly 10 years of accumulated expertise and knowledge.

 

Bid, I am fearful that we may one day be walking in your footsteps with DS1. He starts secondary in Sept but he came near to breakdown last year and has only got through Y6 with medication. We have fought hard to get him a statement and fortunately that is now in place, but we still have to appeal to make it relevant to my son's actual needs... I do fear that a bustling mainstream secondary may prove too much for him - he is very bright but extremely anxious and school phobic already. however, we are trying to be as optimistic as possible...

 

Lizzie x

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On a positive note, some mainatined mainstream schools are capable of radical change for the better. My daughter's school were clueless and failed her utterly: 5 years on they have a growing reputation for excellent ASD support and I know of at least one child with AS who is doing well there. I'm sure my daughter's bad experience played its part in informing the school, and the senco in particular (whose appointment coincided with L's breakdown) has done fantastic work to make sure what happened to L will never happen to another child.

 

K x

 

I don't know what my DS' old mainstream school is like now for AS.

 

When it was all over I had a letter from the head apologising and inviting me for a meeting to discuss things, so that they 'didn't make the same mistakes again'...which I guess shows that sometimes schools do get it wrong.

 

They also organised a training session for AS, and the LA professional who delivered the training told me afterwards that they had a list up on the white board of all the pupils with AS, and my DS' name was underneath in red...and the SENCO made a speech at the beginning to say that the day was for my DS as they had failed him as a community.

 

Of course good communication is key, but based on equality, not assuming that parents are 'difficult'. I was having weekly and fortnightly meetings with my DS' head of year and the SENCO in the months coming up to me taking him out of school...but they couldn't even organise his teachers to write his homework for him in his planner, I was told this was too 'difficult'...And sadly, I know from some good friends on here and reading wider posts that I'm not alone in this :(

 

Bid :)

Edited by bid

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JP did well in mainstream - like bid says, back in the day there was only 1 specialist AS school in the country (one of JP's peers ended up going there) - & if mainstream hadn't worked I'd have given it some serious thought, even though it was hundreds of miles away.

 

I think, reading others experiences, that we were extremely fortunate - just about everyone in primary school seemed on the same page as us, I never felt that we had to fight the school, it was more us and the school united in fighting for the funding we needed from the LEA. It was actually a very moving & enriching experience & I ended up as Special Needs governor for a few years because I was so grateful for all the help we'd had.

 

High School was much more fraught, but he coped & left with a bunch of qualifications. It wasn't ideal, & at one stage I was looking at funding for private schools for if the placement broke down, but it didn't.

 

Sixth form - again, very fortunate. One of the best in the country, with specialist AS provision that is regarded as benchmark stuff. He loved it.

 

Ultimately, you know your child, and the school, and what will be best for him.

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Very simular situation to Bid, my son now attends Special School following a break down at beginning of year 8.

 

He coped very with mainstream but secondary education seemed to be the straw which brike the camel's back, and the differences became so much more apparent.

 

To be honest its totally down to the child, the environment and the support and understanding a school is prepared to give. If I knew what I knew now I would have pushed for the Specialist School at the end of primary.

 

The school my son attends is fantastic and we are extremly pleased with his progress, from a child who just over a year ago would not even leave the house to a child that is happy, keen to explore new things and for once in his life finally happy to go to school.

 

Good luck with your decision, just explore your options.

 

Clare x x x

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Hi everyone,

 

Thank you all so much for your replies. It has been very interesting to hear about everyones experiences. I have to appologise for taking so long to reply myself, but i had to just take some time out and clear my head for a bit. So much to take in and my mind is going at a million miles an hour day and night at the moment. I suppose what i'm thinking now is to get a meeting set up with the school and everyone involved with my son as soon as i can and start discussing our options, and whats best for sean of course. I know the head teacher of the school is lovely as i've already met her a few times before diagnosis, she was very supportive. I just hope that i can get the same commitment of support from his teacher. if things don't work out in mainstream (which long term, i suspect they won't) then there are a couple of good special needs schools in my area with autism specific classes i'm sure. I suppose i just have to wait and see how he copes, maybe he'll surprise me...goodness knows he does it often enough, tonight he actually asked, as in volunteered to have his hair washed.... i was speechless. He still wasn't happy about it but hey its a huge improvement from normal :)

 

Thank you to everyone who replied once again

 

Lisa xxx

 

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So difficult to say really!! I have a child with complex needs. She is statemented 32 hours a week full time one to one supported in mainstream. There have been a number of issues that have arisen, but it doesn't really answer your question. :wacko: However, I have seen the good and bad of mainstream so it might help :unsure:

 

The trouble is, in our experience, mainstream has not been ideal, but it has given my daughter opportunities she wouldn't have in a special school. To start with, the mainstream experience was horrendous. My girl shut down totally and became selective mute. She wouldn't engage in any conversation, and became totally anxious and isolated. Before she was medicated for the ADHD side of things, she was not able to sit in a classroom and her learning ability was severly impaired. Once she was medicated, she was able to join the class, but then became withdrawn, but because she wasn't "disruptive" she lost the support she had before meds, and that's when she become withdrawn and mute. The school she was at were not supportive at all, and refused to even give her an IEP.

 

After 2 years of mainstream, I removed my girl from that school and placed her somewhere else and the support she was given was fantastic. Slowly she started coming out her shell and engaging more. By year 3 the SENCO at her new school said this would be a good time to try for a statement, because my girl is very bright, but even with the support the school gave her, it wasn't enough for her to reach her potential. On top of this, my girl is at risk because she chews things and eats things she shouldn't, and although socially she is doing better, she really needed the help of adults to improve on the social relationships. She does need the one to one through out the day to keep her engaged and on task and safe as well, and to be able to give her regular breaks through out the school day for sensory play or if she gets overloaded. So she got her statement without quibble, which has detailed everything she needs and it has been really good for her. She is doing well, making friends and we have a fantastic relationship with the school with honest communication which is VITAL.

 

Now the down side. My girl is 10 and because she needs so much adult support through out the day, there is very little she is willing or able to do herself. She leans on adults for everything and is pretty much unable to think for herself. So it's almost like the support she gets is counter productive in lots of ways. In mainstream, there is much more expectation of them to do what everyone else does, (inclusion) because the mentality is that this is the real world and they have to get used to it. For example, my girl has major problems with assembly, but because that's what everyone else does, there seems to be this assumption that forcing her into it is inclusion. This is where I see the biggest problems because inclusion is a dirty word for schools in that they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Inclusion was set up to ensure that children with disabilities should be given the same opportunities as everyone else. So if my girl was to be removed from assembly, that wouldn't be inclusion. This is the biggest problem in mainstream. There is no clarification, so in our experience, schools have tended to be pedantic about it.

 

It's been hard and although things are good in mainstream at the momment I do wonder if this will be her future for secondry. The hormones are about to start, and although emotionally and socially she is really really immature, her body will change and having had conversations with her TA, managing her personal care as she gets older is going to be tricky. I do feel if she was in a special school, she wouldn't need the same level of support because the enviroment would be better suited for her. Problem is, she is far too acedemically able to attend all the special schools locally, so the only option would be residential which to me isn't an option. :unsure: So for us, we just take each step as it comes. We also have realised that mainstream varies a lot from year to year. If the child gets a good teacher and support it works well, if they get a less tollerant or understanding teacher it can all go really wrong. It is a walk the tight rope experience!!

 

Good luck with your decision. It's not easy.

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whoops repeated post

Edited by mummy

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every child and every school is different. Our son didn't cope with nursery or playgroup at all, he cried every morning for the first three years of first school. we then changed to a different primary, a small one, where he made one special friend, he struggled with the change to high school and was unhappy for a couple of years because he didn't feel as 'safe' as he had in primary. but then he began to make friends, became involved in running the Christian Union and in year 11 became a 'buddy' to a year 7 class.

He has Asperger syndrome, is quite bright, and doesn't have a statement. yes he struggled emotionally at times, but by the time he left this year he had lots of friends and now spends much of his time on MSN or facebook (he doesn't actually meet up with any of them but I'm not worried as he is happy) He is awaiting his GCSE results which are expected to be mainly C's with a view to going to college for A levels in Sept which he's not looking forward to.

 

Mainstream was definitely right for him

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The only thing I would reiterate is to get clued up about the SEN process. For example a mainstream school cannot say that they are not the right place for a SEN child because of 'inclusion'. So, as I found, you don't always get the professionals' opinions, you get the mantra of your LEA, which is usually inclusion in mainstream is the best option because their employers (the LEA) do not allow them to say anything else. This puts mainstream schools in a difficult position where they are supposed to meet needs that they have no experience or knowledge of. They can also be at a disadvantage when applying for extra support from the LEA because they don't always know what is available to them or how to secure input from certain professionals. I really was quite surprised to learn how ignorant my son's former mainstream school were. And although I did keep a good relationship with the school there was tension between us and also between the school and the LEA.

SEN places are limited. LEAs try to keep within budget and every extra SEN child that secures extra funding in terms of hours of support or therapies is costing them more money. So please get clued up. Some LEAs are good. Others do resort to all kinds of things that a parent would not expect ie. lying, applying pressure to professionals to tow the line etc, not informing parents of their rights, not following the SEN Code of Practice.

The National Autistic Society runs day seminars about the SEN process. Your local Parent Partnership might run them too.

Although SEN places are limited, by law all LEAs have to provide an appropriate educational environment that is the best use of its resources. So that can mean parents can obtain independent SEN school places if there are none available within the LEA. However this usually involves going to tribunal. But information like this is got given out to parents as a matter of course, it is something you have to find out for yourselves.

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If your son has a speech disorder (a disorder is for life), and also significant difficulties with social interaction and play skills (both of which are required to get a diagnosis in the first place), then your son should be getting input from a Speech and Language Therapist. All schools have a 'quota' of input from each professional ie. the Ed Psych will see 2 children per term. If your child is not the most severe they simply will not be seen because the school will use up its quota on other children - usually ones that cause the most disruption in school. To secure input from any service over and above what is normally provided you have to secure it through a Statement of special educational needs.

With the graduated approach this means a child starts school and if they don't make reasonable progress they are put on School Action. If there is not reasonable progress at this stage then the child is moved up onto School Action Plus. At this stage outside professionals (SALT and Ed Psych) are usually called in to assess the child. Also at this stage the school should begin IEPs or MEPs (individual/multi educational plans). IEPs/MEPs are not just about academic targets they are about making progress in all areas of development. So don't let the school/LEA fob you off by saying that your child is making progress academically. If they cannot hold a two way conversation or follow class instructions or cannot join in and play with other children then a professional should assess them and put together a programme that is incorporated into their daily timetable and which is monitored on a regular basis.

My own son did receive input from a SALT for the first 3 years, however they rarely visited the school to assess him and would telephone the TA to see if she thought he had met his targets. And the programmes were only practised for 2x 20 min sessions a week. In three years they never got round to assessing his social interaction and play skills. So as he was not making progress we asked for an assessment towards a Statement which was finally agreed at Tribunal in January of this year.

In his new school he gets a weekly 30 min SALT session from a qualified therapist which is observed by his nominated TA and who practises this programme daily in school. It covers all areas of difficulty including auditory processing disorder, receptive speech difficulties, difficulty giving narrative information (ie. what information needs to be given), comprehension of verbal information, short term memory and memory retrieval difficulties, sequencing information, social skills, play skills etc. This more intension therapy which is reviewed weekly by a SALT (not a TA) has made a big different to his progress and confidence. But to secure that level of provision we had to get a Statement.

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Hi

 

That's correct that Statements don't exist in Scotland. The equivalent is a Coordinated Support Plan (CSP). Check out the following weblinks:

 

http://www.enquire.org.uk/

 

Enquire have various factsheets that can be downloaded. You can also give them a call and ask them to send you 'The Parents Guide to Additional Support for Learning'.

 

NAS - IEPs

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=528&a=13931

 

Independent Special Education Advice (ISEA) Scotland. An organisation that provides a support and advocacy service for parents of children with special educational needs.

Helpline: 0131 454 0082.

 

http://www.childreninscotland.org.uk/

 

Where in Scotland are you based? I'm in Edinburgh. If you're fairly local, feel free to PM me - I can then provide you with some contact details (which I'm afraid rules don't permit me to provide names/numbers/etc directly on the forum).

 

Caroline.

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I think the most important thing for a child to achieve is the environment. If you can choose a small infant/junior school than this will increase your chance of success. That is if the teachers are in favour of inclusion of special needs.

 

My son started normal school at 4 years. It took us over 9 months to get him into school full time. The ASD team gave support and information to the school and myself. My son had full time support and school has been very challenging for him.

 

The sensory side of his ASD has proved more difficult than coping with the other side of ASD. When my son moved up to junior school the staff have all been fantastic and have learned with him. At the end of each school year (by which myself and the teacher are on first name terms) each teacher has said although it has been very challenging teaching my son it has also been a pleasure. He has made them think about the way they teach and how they put the curriculum across. He has also given them many times when they have had to smile to themselves. My sons full time LSA has been the key person to him succeeding in school, she has been able to guide the teachers to when he needs quite time out of the classroom and when he needs more challenging work.

 

Finding a senior school has proved extremly difficult. He was too bright to attend the special schools within our area, yet could not cope with the sensory input of a large senior school. In the end he has gone to a local normal independent school with 12 children in his class. We have been very lucky as the LEA have funded this move. His first year has been very stressful yet again due to sensory needs, he has been excluded 3 times and has still not fully settled into school life. Yet the school have been extremly supportive and very open to his ASD and sensory needs. It has been a learning curve for them and will continue to be a learning curve for both of us.

 

 

IS HE IN THE RIGHT PLACE ONLY TIME CAN TELL!!!!!

 

 

 

 

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Having had my son in mainstream for three years followed by special school (non maintained) for three years there is no doubt in my mind that the special school is by far and away the best setting for him. There is just no comparison. When he moves to secondary provision next year there is no way on earth I would let him go back into mainstream - even if I was offered the best mainstream school in the country. There must be some ASD children who thrive in mainstream, and some mainstream schools who have had wonderful success with these pupils- but my son did not have that experience.

 

Good luck with your son.

Edited by Daisydot

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My son who is now 15 did a year in mainstream when he first started school at 5 with 15 hours support from a helper for one year against my wishes because the lea said hed be ok.It was the worst year of his life it was hell on earth.

 

Hes been attending a special school since he was 6 and weve never looked back .

 

If you have the choice if you have the oppurtunity to send youre son to a special school then id do that.My son came alive in the school he now attends.............hes not there because he cant read or write ie for academic reasons but he wouldnt and couldnt cope with loads of other kids and the utter lack of understanding that the teachers in mainstream had for him.

 

 

Special schools are best youve to think of the whole picture not just the academic stuff.........soical things,classroom size,teachers that get autsim and the spectrum..........it all makes alife a whole lot pleasenter.

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So difficult to say really!! I have a child with complex needs. She is statemented 32 hours a week full time one to one supported in mainstream. There have been a number of issues that have arisen, but it doesn't really answer your question. :wacko: However, I have seen the good and bad of mainstream so it might help :unsure:

 

The trouble is, in our experience, mainstream has not been ideal, but it has given my daughter opportunities she wouldn't have in a special school. To start with, the mainstream experience was horrendous. My girl shut down totally and became selective mute. She wouldn't engage in any conversation, and became totally anxious and isolated. Before she was medicated for the ADHD side of things, she was not able to sit in a classroom and her learning ability was severly impaired. Once she was medicated, she was able to join the class, but then became withdrawn, but because she wasn't "disruptive" she lost the support she had before meds, and that's when she become withdrawn and mute. The school she was at were not supportive at all, and refused to even give her an IEP.

 

After 2 years of mainstream, I removed my girl from that school and placed her somewhere else and the support she was given was fantastic. Slowly she started coming out her shell and engaging more. By year 3 the SENCO at her new school said this would be a good time to try for a statement, because my girl is very bright, but even with the support the school gave her, it wasn't enough for her to reach her potential. On top of this, my girl is at risk because she chews things and eats things she shouldn't, and although socially she is doing better, she really needed the help of adults to improve on the social relationships. She does need the one to one through out the day to keep her engaged and on task and safe as well, and to be able to give her regular breaks through out the school day for sensory play or if she gets overloaded. So she got her statement without quibble, which has detailed everything she needs and it has been really good for her. She is doing well, making friends and we have a fantastic relationship with the school with honest communication which is VITAL.

 

Now the down side. My girl is 10 and because she needs so much adult support through out the day, there is very little she is willing or able to do herself. She leans on adults for everything and is pretty much unable to think for herself. So it's almost like the support she gets is counter productive in lots of ways. In mainstream, there is much more expectation of them to do what everyone else does, (inclusion) because the mentality is that this is the real world and they have to get used to it. For example, my girl has major problems with assembly, but because that's what everyone else does, there seems to be this assumption that forcing her into it is inclusion. This is where I see the biggest problems because inclusion is a dirty word for schools in that they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Inclusion was set up to ensure that children with disabilities should be given the same opportunities as everyone else. So if my girl was to be removed from assembly, that wouldn't be inclusion. This is the biggest problem in mainstream. There is no clarification, so in our experience, schools have tended to be pedantic about it.

 

It's been hard and although things are good in mainstream at the momment I do wonder if this will be her future for secondry. The hormones are about to start, and although emotionally and socially she is really really immature, her body will change and having had conversations with her TA, managing her personal care as she gets older is going to be tricky. I do feel if she was in a special school, she wouldn't need the same level of support because the enviroment would be better suited for her. Problem is, she is far too acedemically able to attend all the special schools locally, so the only option would be residential which to me isn't an option. :unsure: So for us, we just take each step as it comes. We also have realised that mainstream varies a lot from year to year. If the child gets a good teacher and support it works well, if they get a less tollerant or understanding teacher it can all go really wrong. It is a walk the tight rope experience!!

 

Good luck with your decision. It's not easy.

 

Hi darky,

You highlighted exactly some the difficulties I had with mainstream ie. first not understanding or being willing to try. Secondly what support they did provide made him totally dependent on others and he used to sit doing nothing waiting for someone to have the time to come and help him.

In our LEA there is a mixed mainstream/enhanced resource school, which I moved him to by going to tribunal. This school has a experience and expertise in ASDs and therefore the whole school day including lessons and playtime is structured to support children with ASDs. So now he has a dedicated TA who is in the class and she supports all the children who do small group work as my son cannot access whole class learning. When it has been explained to them exactly what they are supposed to be doing they go off independently and complete their work. Obviously their work has had to be structured in such a way that they can do that ie. a visual timetable and visual prompts for each lesson on how to work through it.

Also, as you mentioned, many special schools are not geared for children who are average/above average cognitive ability. So I presume your LEA does not have an ASD only school for children capable of achieving academically? If not that leaves you with the option of going out of county or seeking an independent school. Both of which may require you to go to tribunal to secure them.

I also smiled about your opinion on 'inclusion', which is the same as mine. It seems to be a totally inflexible mantra. My son also had difficulties in assembly and also the dinnerhall. And as these situations caused him distress, anxiety and sensory pain I felt they were being unreasonable to force him to go into these situations, especially as the school could not get an OT in to assess him. At his new school it is better as he has headphones he wears and the TA will take him out as soon as she feels he has had enough. They did try to see if he would be able to recognise when he needed to leave and request it, but he is too young and I feel that is asking too much of him. He is not able to understand when he is getting overloaded or hyper from sensory stimulation. I don't know if he ever will be able to monitor himself in that way.

As part of going to tribunal I also had some private reports done as we were initially seeking a placement at an independent day school. Both professionals said that in their opinion my son did want to socialise (which I knew to be true), although he did not know how to do it. Therefore they said it would be beneficial for him to remain mixed mainstream with the level of support he needed.

This new school has been much better. Not always perfect. For example we have had repeated episodes of my son being sick and being sent home for 48 hours as that is school policy to stop spreading infection. So I've been to the hospital to rule out any medical condition, and the paediatrician agrees with me that it is probably down to anxiety and stress. I have told his school that although being independent is a good goal to be aiming for, that they need to consider how many things per day they are expecting him to be independent and the accumulation of this could be causing him anxiety which causes him to vomit. It isn't easy getting the balance.

I too am waiting to see how my son progresses to decide whether or not to look at mixed mainstream or ASD only. There are no ASD only schools run by our LEA.

 

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I also have an older sister who has learning difficulties and she went to a special school. She lives and works independently. She got her current job when she was in her mid twenties and managed to keep it as it is in a sheltered workplace. She moved into her own flat when she was in her forties. She learnt to read and write in school, but has no understanding of numbers. However I believe that she is where she is today because of the special school. She is also very confident and has alot of friends and acquaintences. Everyone in the village knows her! If she had gone mainstream I think it would have squashed her as she would have been bullied and I don't know that the teachers would have had the time, experience or expertise to teach her.

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:offtopic: ALERT!! :lol:

 

They did try to see if he would be able to recognise when he needed to leave and request it, but he is too young and I feel that is asking too much of him. He is not able to understand when he is getting overloaded or hyper from sensory stimulation. I don't know if he ever will be able to monitor himself in that way.

I find this almost impossible. :( As well as not being able to recognise soon enough when I need out from a situation I have the added difficulties of not knowing how to leave (i.e. if I'm in a group, how to actually excuse myself) and of not wanting to leave because I want to be seen to be doing the same as everyone else.

 

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There are many factors to take into account. I can only go on our own experience.

For a time when I was 11 I went to a special school due to my inability to read or write, I now realize I am dyslexic but at that time you were just thought to be thick.

 

Because of my own experiences, which I won't go into here, my bias is towards mainstream.

 

My son was only diagnosed a short time before we moved and he started at his present, mainstream school. He has been there just over a year now and will be in year 5 in September.

It was last June that he got a statement for which correlates to 10 additional hours of 1-2-1.

The staff at the school have had a lot to learn but are very willing to learn about my son his condition and how to deal with it. They have always been happy to listen to what we have had to say and act on it. We have a very supportive educational psychologist how seems to be on the child's side and has, in my present, told the school how best to work the system to get the most out.

I have not ruled anything out for the future but at the present time things are working well.

All the staff at the school know my son and have some idea of his needs. Even down to the receptionist on the front desk.

An example of this is one day when I took him in late after a dentist appointment. Being out of normal routine she could see that he was a little apprehensive about making his own way to his class so took it on herself to escort him to class.

 

One thing which got me thinking is that one of my sons "friends" at school is changing schools, from September he is going to the other Primary school in the village.I don't know why.

 

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:offtopic: ALERT!! :lol:

 

 

I find this almost impossible. :( As well as not being able to recognise soon enough when I need out from a situation I have the added difficulties of not knowing how to leave (i.e. if I'm in a group, how to actually excuse myself) and of not wanting to leave because I want to be seen to be doing the same as everyone else.

 

I can see this in my son and have to anticipate and act for him.

His school seem to understand this as well.

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Sorry to hear you had a bad experience Chris, but just to say that special schools these days are completely different :)

 

My DS went to a residential special school, my DH is a senior teacher at a special school for complex learning difficulties, and I also work in social care at a residential special school.

 

I think that if you looked round some modern special schools you would be very pleasantly surprised :thumbs:

 

Bid :)

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Sorry to hear you had a bad experience Chris, but just to say that special schools these days are completely different :)

 

My DS went to a residential special school, my DH is a senior teacher at a special school for complex learning difficulties, and I also work in social care at a residential special school.

 

I think that if you looked round some modern special schools you would be very pleasantly surprised :thumbs:

 

Bid :)

 

Sorry if I miss led you, there was nothing wrong with the school in fact it was probably the best school I ever went to.

 

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