socialising at school

[joybed]

Hi I have a 5 year old son who was diagnosed with asperger syndrome in June. He has always had difficulty at school with learning and is repeating reception this year. Last year things started well he made friends but as the rest of the class matured and made age appropriate progress Piers learned very little and in fact regressed in many ways, this led to some of the children teasing him and being downright nasty little tikes. His twin sister tried to protect him but the bullying continued. The decision was made to keep him in reception when it was plainly obvious he was not ready to go on to year one. In some ways we were happy with this decision but in others it has made the bullying worse. The 2 worst culprits now seek him out and call him baby, stupid, toddler etc etc. Every time he makes a friend they go out of their way to stop the new child playing with him and Piers spends most of his time alone (confirmed by his sister). Last night he was trying to make himself vomit after telling me all day he was unwell and when i returned him to his bed he literally sobbed saying he has no friends and sits on the friendship bench all alone and hates school. His sister says she plays with him sometimes but has her own circle of friends and i don,t expect her to babysit Piers she has her own life. Piers really wants to be sociable but has no idea how to go about it he is rough and overthe top with people and scares people off we have tried to teach appropriate play skills but he is oblivious to the way he acts. I have been at work today so havn,t had the chance to discuss this with school and i will do so as soon as possible. Any ideas. I feel like crying but want to get hold of the bullies as well if u see what i mean.

[Kathryn]

Poor Piers - obviously this has to be nipped in the bud firmly and as soon as possible.

 

Presumably you've heard the details mainly from Piers and /or his sister so it's important to speak to the class teacher as soon as possible - they may not be aware of exactly what's going on. Depending on the outcome, you may then need a further meeting to decide the way forward. In the meantime you could make a detailed a note as you can of all the incidents you've heard about, including dates, times, individuals etc..

 

There is some really useful practical advice here on how to approach the school about bullying:

 

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice-about-educ...ng-bullying.htm

 

Hope this helps

 

K x

[julie1]

your poor son i really feel for him, this is bullying and must stop. Schools take bullying very seriously talk to the class teacher and head, explain that it needs to stop now. They need to help all the children involved to understand bulling is wrong.

[Karen A]

<'> <'> That sounds difficult for all of you.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourch...out/DG_10015788

This link also includes some phone support that might be helpful.Karen.

[Grace]

Dear Joybed,

 

I really feel for you - it must be heart-breaking to think of him all alone, desperately wanting to make friends.

 

Obviously, you need to approach the school, as has been suggested already - do not be surprised how much schools can be 'ignorant' of what goes on in the playground. As soon as you suggest bullying is taking place, they should have a firm procedure in place to follow. However....

 

Being put down a year should not be used as an alternative to giving any child the additional help that it needs and just because he might not technically have learning difficulties, it does not mean that he does not have difficulties that prevent him from learning e.g. speech and language. It would be useful to discuss applying for additional help (e.g. statement), when you contact the helplines already given.

 

Also, although initially the thought of changing his school might seem impractical and a huge step; it is something to consider, should things not improve. The children at the new school will just accept him as being in their year (i.e. they won't know that he has been put down) and I know people who through friends or a bit of creative juggling, have managed to drop/pick-up children from two different schools. It might seem too extreme right now and obviously you need to give the school a chance to try and sort things, but it wouldn't harm to start playing with the idea.

 

Speech and language/ autism outreach should be able to help set up 'Circle of Friends' and put in other strategies, as well as having sessions with Piers to teach him how to play successfully. Again this is something to discuss with the helplines, if you are not already getting this help for Piers.

 

The very best of luck and please let us know how you get on/x

 

[bikemad]

Im so sorry to read this ive got a lump in my throat cos until recently this was my son...from age 3 thru to age 9 he was like this...id pass on times walking the dog to check n he would be by himself or being bullied...never joining in playing.....it got to the point with the school that I had to place a formal complaint n involve the local education authority and police and in the end I changed my sons school.....the reason im telling you this is cos I am now armed n know more but when he was little like your son I kinda tried not to kick up a fuss itms....you need to go up and see the teacher and tell her what has been happening and ask them what they are going to do to sort it out....huge hugs to your lad.... <'>

[joybed]

Thanks all for your replies. School are aware of the issues and they brought it to my attention first saying the name calling was going on and that it would not be tolerated. Piers teacher has only been qualified a year but is very keen, eager to learn and fantastic with Piers, her and the year one class teacher are working together to sort this out. I will speak to her tomorrow and make her aware of the continuing situation. The main boy in question has known Piers for many years they used to go to private nursery together and before that i used to walk to baby clinic with his Mum. They got on really well at nursery but i suspect he likes to be popular and likes to look really cool in front of his mates. The other boys have all been friends with Piers but are being very much influenced by this other boy. Until about may Piers on occasions went to this boys house his mum knew of Piers difficulties and was happy to have him there said he always behaved but since his official diagnosis in june the bullying has started and this mum crosses the road to avoid me (Iwonder if she thinks it is catching). I am well aware how odd some of Piers behaviours are and he is a very boistrous aggressive little boy but he is my little boy and I love him warts and all as they say. He is also very immature and small for his age only measures 101cm in age 3 clothes and is literally skin and bone. He is the smallest in his reception class and he is a full year ahead of some of them. This makes him a prime target for the bullies however he is strong and I am concerned that one day he will flatten them and then land himself in trouble. His big brother also attended this school and we had no incedents of bullying at all with him quite the opposite in fact. The school have a good reputation for zero tolerance on bullying . He is already struggling at school and I don,t want this to knock his confidence as he is already saying he is stupid. My oldest boy was really happy at school until he went to comprehensive and it has been awful since then I can,t bear the thought of Piers being unhappy this early in his school life. I suppose I have taken it so badly as i was bullied at school and know how it feels.

We are just undergoing all the assessments for a statement so hopefully this will be in place soon. The educational psychologist witnessed and commented upon a child not allowing Piers to play in her report she stated it was difficult to see what Piers did to alienate the other children. I see it first hand at home the way he is with Lydia and often Marcus too so I can see that his behaviour may not make him popular but this is no excuse for downright bullying.

Edited September 28, 2009 by joybed

[Karen A]

Thanks all for your replies. School are aware of the issues and they brought it to my attention first saying the name calling was going on and that it would not be tolerated. Piers teacher has only been qualified a year but is very keen, eager to learn and fantastic with Piers, her and the year one class teacher are working together to sort this out. I will speak to her tomorrow and make her aware of the continuing situation. The main boy in question has known Piers for many years they used to go to private nursery together and before that i used to walk to baby clinic with his Mum. They got on really well at nursery but i suspect he likes to be popular and likes to look really cool in front of his mates. The other boys have all been friends with Piers but are being very much influenced by this other boy. Until about may Piers on occasions went to this boys house his mum knew of Piers difficulties and was happy to have him there said he always behaved but since his official diagnosis in june the bullying has started and this mum crosses the road to avoid me (Iwonder if she thinks it is catching). I am well aware how odd some of Piers behaviours are and he is a very boistrous aggressive little boy but he is my little boy and I love him warts and all as they say. He is also very immature and small for his age only measures 101cm in age 3 clothes and is literally skin and bone. He is the smallest in his reception class and he is a full year ahead of some of them. This makes him a prime target for the bullies however he is strong and I am concerned that one day he will flatten them and then land himself in trouble. His big brother also attended this school and we had no incedents of bullying at all with him quite the opposite in fact. The school have a good reputation for zero tolerance on bullying . He is already struggling at school and I don,t want this to knock his confidence as he is already saying he is stupid. My oldest boy was really happy at school until he went to comprehensive and it has been awful since then I can,t bear the thought of Piers being unhappy this early in his school life. I suppose I have taken it so badly as i was bullied at school and know how it feels.

We are just undergoing all the assessments for a statement so hopefully this will be in place soon. The educational psychologist witnessed and commented upon a child not allowing Piers to play in her report she stated it was difficult to see what Piers did to alienate the other children. I see it first hand at home the way he is with Lydia and often Marcus too so I can see that his behaviour may not make him popular but this is no excuse for downright bullying.

 

<'> <'> <'> <'>

There is no excuse for bullying .

The fact that Piers may find things difficult because he has SEN is more of a reason why school should be proactive in dealing with the issue.

Please do keep a record even if school appear to be being helpful.

 

I listened to the five live phone in this morning.The issue of hate crime /victimisation of adults with disabilities was discussed.A spokesman for MENCAP was saying that he considers that attitudes regarding disability are ten -twenty years behind those regarding attitudes to ethnicity.

A school would I hope take rapid action in dealing with issues if a child was bullyied because they were of a different ethnic group to their peers.There is no reason why bullying relating to disability should be any different.In fact children with ASD who are unable to appreciate what is happening are more vulnerable in my opinion.Karen.

Edited September 29, 2009 by Karen A

[joybed]

Spoke to class teacher this morning and she was very upset this is still occuring. she said both her and the boys involved year teacher have had a word with them on 2 different occasions, she is now going to the head teacher. All staff members have been alerted to the problem and are now watching Piers very closely for any problems. His teacher is looking into a programme to help teach Piers social skills and how to play with children appropriately. i felt i was taken seriously and have a fly on the wall in the form of Lydia who is also keeping a watchful eye on her big brother (he is 26 minutes older). Thankyou again it has helped to talk this through as DH refuses to talk about it as he is really struggling with the whole ASD diagnosis.

[Sally44]

As already mentioned by others, all schools should have procedures for dealing with bullying, and the school seems to be listening to you and taking action. But I would press them to inform you what they are actually going to do. It might be worthwhile putting in writing your concerns because then it is 'written' and not just 'verbal'. The difference is that paper is filed and can be used by you or school as evidence. By that I mean that if, as part of your statementing process, you are saying that Piers needs to be taught Social Skills by a suitably qualified adult and needs to be support in both classroom an playground environments - then your letters to school, and their replies to you are evidence of everything that has been happening.

Again, as already mentioned, as part of his diagnosis it means that he MUST have difficulties in areas of social interaction, social language. There could be many subtle skills he does not have. He may not understand facial expression, voice tone, gestures etc. If he does not have these skills he will have less successful social interactions and that can lead to low self esteem and less interaction. It can also lead to inappropriate behaviour out of frustration, anger, being upset etc.

As part of the statementing process you will be asked for your opinions about all aspects of his functioning. So begin to think about, and write down the social skills you feel he does not have.

The fact that he does want to play and interact and is getting angry and upset at the outcome of it and that other children are reacting negatively towards him is all evidence that he needs extra help and support in this area and it should be by someone who is suitably qualified to teach those skills to him. Usually the professional involved would be a Speech and Language Therapist because their remit also includes the social use of language.

My own son is diagnosed with an ASD and has weekly input from a Speech Therapist. He has made alot of progress over this last year and has had to learn some very basic skills. For example he had to be taught all the childrens names in his class. He never learnt names before and therefore could not initiate conversation because he could not get the other child's attention. He used to just say 'excuse me' or 'by the way' without directing it to any child in particular. But each child is different and will have different areas of strengths and weakness.

A good on-going monitoring of social interaction skills is called SCERTS. Google it to see what it is and also speak to the SALT about it. There are also lots of assessments and questionnaires that an experienced SALT can ask you to complete or can carry out on your child. For example skills such as eye gaze, concentration, keeping on topic, listening, joint attention etc. Our children tend not to automatically develope these types of skills, but they can be taught.

My own son is having more successful social interaction. He has even joined the school football club.

I would also put in writing the fact that he is trying to make himself sick as this is an obvious sign that he is trying to avoid school.

I am also sure that you have had his height and weight checked out by your paediatrician. Have they shed any light on that. Do you suspect any food intolerances or do you have a family history of intolerances? Is he a picky eater?

[Boy]

Last year I looked after J (autistic boy in reception) during lunchtimes (I work in a school). When I first started, he would wander around mostly on his own and not engage much. If he attempted to play with the other children he'd be ignored, and he also had problems with the other children taking advantage of the fact his communication skills are poor, and they'd pick on him. I acted a sort of enabler for J to play with the other children safely (them including him instead of bullying him) and 'taught' the other children to like J (he's a really likable kid - kind, caring, clever, but it helped to have someone there to point out his good qualities and show that playing with J was a good thing because it meant they got to join in our games).

 

This year I look after B (year 2), and after he's had his lunch we go into the playground and play with J & the group that built up (J's friendship group - not they're year 1s) last year. I've noticed that the classes with a special needs child in their class tend to be far kinder than the children who aren't used to them, anyway, but having an adult there as a buffer can be a big help. An adult can protect the child from bullying and encourage kindness/help the children to understand one another.

 

It might be worth asking if they could assign a Midday or other staff member to your son during these times, as these are the most social part of the day for children in school, and the time when he might most need some assistance. Not just to watch him and stop bullying, but to engage with him and try to involve him with the other children. They can also set up games that might help Piers to play appropriately (set up races, hide and seek, duck duck goose, those kinds of games).

 

One of the classes has a severely autistic boy in them, and he is allowed to play in the nursery or in separate areas to the other children. If he likes other children then they're often allowed to go too (which is a novelty for them). So he's actually really popular and because he's been with them for so long they accept him completely. They're in year 2 now, and he's just started to say proper words. They've all reported this to me with great pride. This boy, up until now, hasn't really spoken - he makes noises, he screams, he rocks, he has to be restrained to stop him from running off at times - and his class adore him. I mention this because I see no reason why your son should have to struggle so much.

 

B only just started this year (year 2) and so his class, not being used to having someone like him in the class, were actually quite mean at first. That's already changed.

 

So I really believe that things could change for Piers, too.

[Sally44]

Last year I looked after J (autistic boy in reception) during lunchtimes (I work in a school). When I first started, he would wander around mostly on his own and not engage much. If he attempted to play with the other children he'd be ignored, and he also had problems with the other children taking advantage of the fact his communication skills are poor, and they'd pick on him. I acted a sort of enabler for J to play with the other children safely (them including him instead of bullying him) and 'taught' the other children to like J (he's a really likable kid - kind, caring, clever, but it helped to have someone there to point out his good qualities and show that playing with J was a good thing because it meant they got to join in our games).

 

This year I look after B (year 2), and after he's had his lunch we go into the playground and play with J & the group that built up (J's friendship group - not they're year 1s) last year. I've noticed that the classes with a special needs child in their class tend to be far kinder than the children who aren't used to them, anyway, but having an adult there as a buffer can be a big help. An adult can protect the child from bullying and encourage kindness/help the children to understand one another.

 

It might be worth asking if they could assign a Midday or other staff member to your son during these times, as these are the most social part of the day for children in school, and the time when he might most need some assistance. Not just to watch him and stop bullying, but to engage with him and try to involve him with the other children. They can also set up games that might help Piers to play appropriately (set up races, hide and seek, duck duck goose, those kinds of games).

 

One of the classes has a severely autistic boy in them, and he is allowed to play in the nursery or in separate areas to the other children. If he likes other children then they're often allowed to go too (which is a novelty for them). So he's actually really popular and because he's been with them for so long they accept him completely. They're in year 2 now, and he's just started to say proper words. They've all reported this to me with great pride. This boy, up until now, hasn't really spoken - he makes noises, he screams, he rocks, he has to be restrained to stop him from running off at times - and his class adore him. I mention this because I see no reason why your son should have to struggle so much.

 

B only just started this year (year 2) and so his class, not being used to having someone like him in the class, were actually quite mean at first. That's already changed.

 

So I really believe that things could change for Piers, too.

 

Can I ask how the school set aside this staff time to support these children. Did they do it out of their own budget, or is it part of the child's statement?

[Mandapanda]

The main boy in question has known Piers for many years they used to go to private nursery together and before that i used to walk to baby clinic with his Mum.

 

Hi joybed

 

When my eldest had trouble with a girl at school and I knew the mum, I plucked up the courage to phone her. When I told he what her daughter had done to my son she put her daughter on the phone to me! I explained to her what she had done, why it wasn't nice to do it, and how my son wanted to be friends with her, so could she either be friendly or leave him alone. She burst into tears.... Later the mum phoned me and said her daughter denied doing anything at all, so my son must have 'got it wrong'. I didn't argue with her, I just let her say her piece. Nothing ever happened to my son again. When I told his teacher what I had done he looked absolutely astonished, probably most parents ask the school to sort it rather than trying to do it themselves. In our case it worked, though I know it could have gone very differently.

 

Hope you can get something sorted out soon. <'>

[Boy]

Can I ask how the school set aside this staff time to support these children. Did they do it out of their own budget, or is it part of the child's statement?

I'm not sure.

 

I'm a midday, but do these one-to-ones (my job title is still just midday, though) and other middays are sometimes asked to watch special needs children if the usual staffmember isn't in. So, on the playground, I'll be watching all the kids and engaging with all the kids (any child can join in the game, I'll help any child who has gotten hurt or has a problem) but I just have a special eye on a particular child/particular children.

 

If members of staff are going to be in the same place as Piers, it surely wouldn't be too much trouble to have them keep an eye on him and give him some extra help? Sometimes we've had to take special care of a particular child just because they've been a bit upset that day or I've been asked to have a child sit with me because they have no special needs but just happen to not be eating very well and need encouraging. There was a time when one boy (not special needs) was frightened of the dinner hall so ate in a classroom with a friend and a teacher or other available staff member to keep an eye on them. So that doesn't require the school's budget or a statement, just a willing staff member... Of course, that does depend on the willing being there, which might be problematic for some people.

[joybed]

Thanks for your replies. Piers has yet has no statement but yesterday we recieved his IEP one of the targets is to encourage his social skills and teach him to keep his hands and body to himself (he tends to swing on people and invades their personal space) the people to help with this are clss teacher and the 2 TAs who are in the class with them. The school have already lined up an LSA for when his hours come through and she is curretntly attending the early bird plus course with me she also works as a midday supervisor so knows Piers already. It was mentioned in his IEP that Piers was scared of the other children in his class when asked about this last night he said he didn,t know them and they were strangers to him and he didn,t know there names. We spent the next 30 minutes running through all the names of children he did know. Educationally he is doing a little better this year probably because it is a repeat of what he did last year and is more keen to do his key words etc at home.

As far as his height /weight goes his paediatrician has no concerns he is on the 25th centile but was on the 75th at birth and until 4 years old he has grown very little in the past couple of years, I am observing and will bring it up again if any concerns. Incedently although the paediatrician said he has no concerns he did say that if he gave a diagnosis of ADHD he would be reluctant to prescribe ritalin due to his size so a bit contradictory. I myself have multiple food intolerances and my mum and niece have food allergies. Piers as a baby until 3 was lactose intolerant, I was going to go gluten and casein free with Piers as i am anyway but DH isn,t keen to try as he says it is restricting his diet too much but may give it a go at some point.

His older brother went to this school and we had only one incedent of bullying and this was quickly dealt with, Marcus is much more socially withdrawn than Piers and yet the kids went out of there way to make him feel included and still do but that class on the whole was full of exceptionally caring and considerate kids. The school has a fairly new head teacher and he is not as on the ball as the last one I have been told by Piers teacher that he has advised her not to implement any of the suggestions by the ASD team as they don,t work, I am understandably angry about this but am keeping the info stored for later use.

He appears a little happier at the moment and is happily going to school but am keeping an eye on him.

[Sally44]

Thanks for your replies. Piers has yet has no statement but yesterday we recieved his IEP one of the targets is to encourage his social skills and teach him to keep his hands and body to himself (he tends to swing on people and invades their personal space) the people to help with this are clss teacher and the 2 TAs who are in the class with them. The school have already lined up an LSA for when his hours come through and she is curretntly attending the early bird plus course with me she also works as a midday supervisor so knows Piers already. It was mentioned in his IEP that Piers was scared of the other children in his class when asked about this last night he said he didn,t know them and they were strangers to him and he didn,t know there names. We spent the next 30 minutes running through all the names of children he did know. Educationally he is doing a little better this year probably because it is a repeat of what he did last year and is more keen to do his key words etc at home.

As far as his height /weight goes his paediatrician has no concerns he is on the 25th centile but was on the 75th at birth and until 4 years old he has grown very little in the past couple of years, I am observing and will bring it up again if any concerns. Incedently although the paediatrician said he has no concerns he did say that if he gave a diagnosis of ADHD he would be reluctant to prescribe ritalin due to his size so a bit contradictory. I myself have multiple food intolerances and my mum and niece have food allergies. Piers as a baby until 3 was lactose intolerant, I was going to go gluten and casein free with Piers as i am anyway but DH isn,t keen to try as he says it is restricting his diet too much but may give it a go at some point.

His older brother went to this school and we had only one incedent of bullying and this was quickly dealt with, Marcus is much more socially withdrawn than Piers and yet the kids went out of there way to make him feel included and still do but that class on the whole was full of exceptionally caring and considerate kids. The school has a fairly new head teacher and he is not as on the ball as the last one I have been told by Piers teacher that he has advised her not to implement any of the suggestions by the ASD team as they don,t work, I am understandably angry about this but am keeping the info stored for later use.

He appears a little happier at the moment and is happily going to school but am keeping an eye on him.

 

 

I would contact the Parent Partnership via your local authority and get them involved. They can come to IEP meetings at school and can ensure that targets are SMART. Otherwise you won't know if the target has been achieved or not. I would also suggest speaking with the SALT department. Have SALT assessed him and are they involved at all? The Social use of language is part of the remit of SALT within our LEA, so check whether it is the same for you. My own SALT department did not assess my own son for 3 years until I cottoned onto this fact and sent them a letter asking them why they had not assessed his social interaction and communication skills as that was part of their remit. He may well have very specific difficulties that need to be picked up on and worked on by a suitably qualified person. My son also did not know the childrens names in his class. They worked on the names of a couple of children every day. They put together a file with a picture of the child, their description and what they liked. But to find out the specific difficulties your child has a professional needs to assess them.

Regarding diet I would talk that through with his paediatrician before you try anything and they may refer you to a nutricianist. But as long as other foods are introduced to replace those removed the diet should remain just as healthy as before or in some cases it becomes even healthier.

I've moved my son onto goats milk rather than cows milk and school have commented on an improvement in his concentration at school.

[Karen A]

Thanks for your replies. Piers has yet has no statement but yesterday we recieved his IEP one of the targets is to encourage his social skills and teach him to keep his hands and body to himself (he tends to swing on people and invades their personal space) the people to help with this are clss teacher and the 2 TAs who are in the class with them. The school have already lined up an LSA for when his hours come through and she is curretntly attending the early bird plus course with me she also works as a midday supervisor so knows Piers already. It was mentioned in his IEP that Piers was scared of the other children in his class when asked about this last night he said he didn,t know them and they were strangers to him and he didn,t know there names. We spent the next 30 minutes running through all the names of children he did know. Educationally he is doing a little better this year probably because it is a repeat of what he did last year and is more keen to do his key words etc at home.

As far as his height /weight goes his paediatrician has no concerns he is on the 25th centile but was on the 75th at birth and until 4 years old he has grown very little in the past couple of years, I am observing and will bring it up again if any concerns. Incedently although the paediatrician said he has no concerns he did say that if he gave a diagnosis of ADHD he would be reluctant to prescribe ritalin due to his size so a bit contradictory. I myself have multiple food intolerances and my mum and niece have food allergies. Piers as a baby until 3 was lactose intolerant, I was going to go gluten and casein free with Piers as i am anyway but DH isn,t keen to try as he says it is restricting his diet too much but may give it a go at some point.

His older brother went to this school and we had only one incedent of bullying and this was quickly dealt with, Marcus is much more socially withdrawn than Piers and yet the kids went out of there way to make him feel included and still do but that class on the whole was full of exceptionally caring and considerate kids. The school has a fairly new head teacher and he is not as on the ball as the last one I have been told by Piers teacher that he has advised her not to implement any of the suggestions by the ASD team as they don,t work, I am understandably angry about this but am keeping the info stored for later use.

He appears a little happier at the moment and is happily going to school but am keeping an eye on him.

 

Hi.

I read your post as saying that there is likely to be a Statement produced in the near future.If I am understanding correctly it may be worth pushing to have specific support for lunch time and unstructured time documented.The support could support piers in activities to develop social skills and develop friendships or could support the development of a circle of friends.

As Boy has suggested there are many things that helpful lunch time support staff can do.However there is much more security in having specific support funded within the provision detailed in the Statement.SEN provision can include unstructured times and it is not unusual to include it where a chils has ASD.

I think you may well have more success with monitoring arrangements at lunch time if they are detailed in a Statement too.

The NAS detail some ideas that might be useful I will see if I can find them.

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp...393&a=12203

Edited October 16, 2009 by Karen A

[JsMum]

one of the targets is to encourage his social skills and teach him to keep his hands and body to himself (he tends to swing on people and invades their personal space)

 

 

This could be down to not understanding where his own body is in relation to other people, it may be better to look at sensory intregration disorder treatments for this, I would recommend weighted blankets/lap pads, also request a referral to a Occupational Therapist for an assessment in Sensory Intregration Disorder, it maybe also a good idea to help him understand his own body too, and to maybe look into some form of gymnastics or brain gym.

 

I would ask the HT to put it in writing why is objecting to the behavioural statagies been impliemented and that any recommendations not carried complain in writing to your schools senco and cc it to his peadatrition, gp and LEA SEN Department.

 

J too did the not knowing names, very common in ASD.

 

I agree too with the SALT because this could be another area why he is having difficulties naming things and describing incidents and because J had a big chunk of SALT missing from his first statement.

 

Anyway good luck,

 

JsMumxxxx