school action plus not enough

[spottydog]

ds is in yr 5 on school action plus(diagnosis of AS), but struggling to get him in to school at present. very distressed from night before (has tummy aches, can't sleep etc - worrying about going to school the next day) He is now missing large chunks of lessons because he spends an hour at a time under table outside classroom. has TA support (sometimes will come out from under table for her) says class too noisy and can't cope if teacher raises voice/shouts, or if any change of planned routine. he is acedemically way above average and goes on a gifted maths afternoon once a week. school have tried to be supportive - offered time in quiet room when he first arrives etc, but TA says things getting much worse, and at home he is very stressed and generally deteriorating re school issues since dec. (i can't afford to give up work to home ed!)

SENCO says will arrange meeting for just after half term, but I am wondering where we go from here. would pushing for stat assessment help ( i don't know if school would support this or not) problems are more stress/sensory than academic.

any thoughts welcome!

[Karen A]

Hi spottydog.

It sounds like school is tough for ds at the momment. <'>

A statement does not need to just relate to accademic ability.If your son is spending some of most days under tables then he will not be able to access all of the curriculum however bright he is.

Our son Ben is 11.He has AS and is in year 7.He is very able in some subjects.However he still has a Statement.He needs support with things like social understanding with his peers,organisation and in dealing with situations which create anxiety.

Is the support currently provided at SA plus documented and does your son have an accurate up to date IEP ?

A parent can request a Statutary Assessment.It helps if the school agree ,but it can be done even if they don't.However before they will agree to Statutary Assessment the LA will want to be sure that school have already done everything possible to provide appropriate support using delegated funding with litttle impact.So it might be worth checking that school have up to date IEPs and have done everything they could have done.

There is a draft letter on the IPSEA web site that I willl find for you in case you find it helpful.

http://www.ipsea.org.uk/What-you-need-to-k...stingAssessment

 

This might be useful too.

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice-about-educ...ucational_Needs

Karen.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Karen A

[lil_me]

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/at...nandassessment/

 

There is some pretty basic assessment of the requirements for school action/school action plus levels. Our LEA has a perfect guidance pack going into schools explaining when statements should be done which will be fab if the grey areas can be cleared up.

 

Basically if your sons needs aren't being met on school action plus they will have to support you if they are not providing for your childs needs

 

If the school are already funding an LSA/LA/TA then it might be worth looking at other changes that can be made in school to help him cope with the day. A statement itself will not help him cope, it's the willingness to put something in place that will. Sounds like a change in classes might be necessary if he clashed with the teacher. We've had this in special school aswell as mainstream. I have known schools accept statement and funding with them then state they are providing LSA support for the child so the extra money will help thanks very much.......didn't help the situation.

 

I have 2 boys with ASD, ones in a special school (hoping to move to Secondary mainstream) with a statement and one in a great mainstream on SAP without a statement who's doing brilliantly. The difference in his mainstream now is the willingness to cooperate with us, acceptance of methods which help children with ASD and a good all round attitude.

 

Has your son had a CAF done? This might help get the right plan in place for him. http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/everychildmatters/s...f/cafframework/

[Sally44]

A Statement is a legal document. That means that whatever it contains has to happen in school. So if your child is not coping in school on the supports provided at SA+, then you can request an assessment towards a Statement from the LEA. That would mean all professionals would have to assess your son and identify EVERY need and make recommendations on HOW TO MEET EACH INDIVIDUAL NEED in school. It should quantify and specify in terms of hours of support and staffing provision as well.

It is vital the Statement is a good one. So get advice from IPSEA/NAS on the contents of the Statement. There is alot of SEN documentation that specifies what a Statement should contain. If I remember correctly the ACE website has a draft Statement sample as guidance.

You also need a copy of the Code of Practice and read through that about the SEN process and what should happen at each level.

 

Sometimes supports can be put into place so that a child can continue to cope in mainstream.

If that is not possible then you need to look at other schools that have the right environment and where he would cope. Sometimes that might be another, smaller mainstream school. Or a mainstream school that has an autism unit attached and therefore the teachers should have more experience and expertise in autism.

 

If the anxiety and stress is around not know what is happening now, next or what is expected of him - then the TA/teacher can put together a visual timetable, can give out written worksheets for him to follow rather than trying to listen to instructions in a noisy environment.

 

School should call in the EP and OT for his current difficulties. And they should advise school. However without a Statement whether those recommendations are put into place depends on staffing levels and school funding. Only if it is written in a Statement is it legally binding.

 

Have you involved your local LEA Parent Partnership at all? They are there to help and support parents in situations like this.

 

Some parents do manage to secure a placement at an independent or specialist school. But that would involve your child having a Statement and having the professionals agree that his current school cannot meet his needs. Usually the LEA will attempt to meet the needs in those situations as it is a cheaper option.

 

Have you spoken with the SEN inclusion officer at the LEA about the problems you are currently having? Sometimes they are helpful. Sometimes they try to persuade parents not to attempt to get a Statement.

 

Whatever route you take I think you do need to do something because your child is not coping at the moment.

 

Find out if school can get the community OT to come in and see him. If they have no access to an OT you will have to go via your GP. It will take a long time as OTs are scare. But keep his name on the waiting list. If you can afford it you could always get a private OT in to assess him at home and in school and see what they recommend. If you do take that route try to find an independent OT that does not work for the LEA or the NHS. The reason for that is that you want an independent view that is not tainted by the knowledge of what the NHS or LEA CAN offer. Statements go ON NEED and not on budgets. If there is any funding shortfall between what the school can fund and what your child needs, the law says that the LEA has to meet the shortfall.

[spottydog]

Thanks for info/ replies. am going to talk over with parent partnership advisor.

Does any one know whether any help is available for providing 1 -1 for son at afterschool club, the manager is fantastic with son (has known him since age 5) and feels he has really deteriorated since Nov 09. She would like funding to provide 1 - 1 to help his social skills. Would this be something covered on a statement?

[Sally44]

I don't think a Statement would fund support in an out of schools club.

But you could get an adult to support him if you and your child are separately assessed by social services, and your son qualified to receive payments from SS to pay for support he needed.

 

However a Statement has to identify EVERY need and problems with social skills, social communication etc is a NEED that is typical of being on the spectrum and the Statement should itemise the difficulties he has in section 2, and section 3 should make recommendations on how those needs will be met in school. There are many things that can be done eg. he could have access to the library or computer room, or access to dinnertime clubs. He could attend a Social Skills club for children with similar difficulties to help them learn certain skills. He could have a TA that helps him use those skills in different environments until he is able to use them without prompting etc. The school could build in lots of little things throughout the week to target certain skills. He should have targets on his IEP that are in this area of difficulty and they should be worked on.

 

You might like to google SCERTS. This is a continuous monitoring and assessment process used by everyone involved with your child, including parents. It is basically a list of the many and varied skills needed for social interaction, emotional regulation, transitions etc. So professionals will quickly identify which skills he has and which are his areas of difficulty. This allows all professionals to work together to target a certain area.

 

As you've also mentioned that your child is gifted. Are there any schools in your area for gifted children, or even private schools that take pupils that are gifted?

 

[spottydog]

thankyou sally for that information. I'd never heard of SCERTS, but interesting site.

[Sally44]

thankyou sally for that information. I'd never heard of SCERTS, but interesting site.

 

This is something that originated in the USA.

SCERTS is a programme that is available through most LEAs. Ours has recently received copyright permission to use it. And it is a good model for quickly identifying the areas of strength and weakness. Once you have had an initial assessment using SCERTS you will have very good evidence that a child needs input for social interaction, emotional recognition etc. These are sometimes the most difficult areas to get input and support in. And our children can be taught how to 'logically' approach and react to these situations, but they may never have the automatic response that other children have. But once taught a skill it will help them enormously.

My son is just being taught how to make a compliment. And he is starting to use it, which is lovely. In comparison he recently saw a man with a amputated leg and pointed and said "eewww" (in a disgusted voice). So we have lots to work on! He also tells people they smell bad as he has over sensitive smell.

 

If you contact the National Autistic Society, ask them about their Help programmes (for parents of newly diagnosed children), and also ask them about any SEN seminars. You really do need to know yours and your child's rights and how the system works. Unfortunately no-one is going to do it for you, or give you that information. All parents have to find it out themselves. Totally unfair, but that is just how it is at the moment.

[spottydog]

Just an update - spoke to TA today who said son spent whole of yesterday am under table in corridor. she is struggling to cope with him and support others in class as well . she feels school would now support in pushing for a statement, just waiting for meeting with senco to confirm this.

[Sally44]

You don't need to wait for the school to ask for a Statement. You can request an assessment towards a Statement yourself.

Does your LEA have an autism outreach teacher? I would speak to them and ask them to come into school. Put in writing to the LEA SEN inclusion officer and the AOT and school what is happening ie. your son is very distressed and is hiding under the table for the majority of the day. Say that he is showing extreme anxiety at home and it is making him physically ill. Ask the AOT to contact school for them to come and see the learning environment to see if there are adaptions that might help your son cope.

Go to your GP and tell them about him having stomache pains etc. Say you think it is down to anxiety and not coping in school, but that you want it investigated to rule out medical reasons. Ask to be referred to the paediatrician who diagnosed him.

If your son has sensory issues ask to be referred to the Occupational Therapist. The waiting list is forever, but if you are not even on it your son will never get seen.

Do you suspect any other difficulty is causing this reaction? For example, if you think he cannot cope with the language requirements, get in touch with the SALT to come and see him.

Also speak with the EP and tell them what is happening and ask them to become involved to observe him in class to see if there is anything they recommend.

 

Start speaking to professionals and sending them letters of how your child is not coping and how he is behaving in school. Say that his needs are obviously not being met for him to be behaving like this.

 

You will need to keep strict records of every letter you send and receive. Believe me you will find them useful.

 

Also involve the parent partnership and make sure they support you at any meetings. Ask them to take notes. Just by doing that you can get very useful stuff in writing.

 

Try to make home time a wind down place. Stop doing homework if you feel that is adding more stress. Use a visual timetable at home if you think that would help.

 

The first thing they need to look at is how much structure he has. If it is not absolutely clear to your son what he should be doing he is going to get anxious. If his work is not being differentiated so that he can do it, then again he will become anxious. Is he more anxious in class or during breaktimes/dinnertimes. School need to analyse the behaviour and see if they can identify what is causing it.

 

He may benefit from being taught how to use a 'help' card and a 'timeout' card. He may need removing from class for frequent stress breaks where he does something he enjoys eg. 20 mins in class doing literacy and 10 minutes making a puzzle outside.

 

You are right to be concerned, because he is now in reception/year 1. By the time he gets to junior school there is less support and structure and more independent learning. And a Statement takes a while to get into place, especially if you end up going to tribunal.

[Karen A]

Just an update - spoke to TA today who said son spent whole of yesterday am under table in corridor. she is struggling to cope with him and support others in class as well . she feels school would now support in pushing for a statement, just waiting for meeting with senco to confirm this.

 

Hi.

Sally has made some good suggestions.However if you have a good relationship with the school and the TA feels that the school would support you in requesting a Statutary Assessment I think it would certainly be worth talkingbto the SENCO before contacting other professionals yourself.

 

The SENCO may become upsett if you speak to professionals such as the EP , Autism Outreach or SALT.Although it may be possible to contact professionals yourself I think it is worth talking to school first.

Karen.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Karen A

[coolblue]

Thanks for info/ replies. am going to talk over with parent partnership advisor.

Does any one know whether any help is available for providing 1 -1 for son at afterschool club, the manager is fantastic with son (has known him since age 5) and feels he has really deteriorated since Nov 09. She would like funding to provide 1 - 1 to help his social skills. Would this be something covered on a statement?

 

 

Just to say that funding for 1-1 support for afterschool clubs is one of the things that has been put on the agenda for our local Short Breaks funding. Our LA is running a pilot scheme, but if such support has good take-up, it will be available regardless of whether a child has a statement or not. Your PPS advisor should be able to check this out for you.

 

cb

[spottydog]

spoke to senco last night at parents evening who said she would support statutory assessment, but that LEA rarely statement children in our area, however then went to see parent partnership advisor today who said statements are not needed and school should provide all necessary support without need for a statement. she says if he needs 1-1 this should be provided out of existing funding and his needs should be assessed by autism specialists and ed psych. she will come to any meetings with me. she was very supportive and seemed very knowledgable, but has left me confused as to if there really is a benefit to having a statement.

[Kathryn]

Parent partnership advisors vary in their objectivity: whilst they can provide good practical support, sometimes they just reflect the LA view. If the LA have a policy of attempting to reduce the number of statements by delegating SEN funds directly to schools, they may try to put you off going down this route before you even begin.

 

But if a child has been on SA+ for a while and things are deteriorating despite the school's support, it suggests a need for a statutory assessment at least. There is no basis in law for a blanket policy of refusing to issue statements - the LA should always look at a child's individual needs.

 

There is nothing to lose in going for a stat.assessment, because the process requires the school to provide evidence to the LA of the support that they have been giving, and will at least ensure that your son's needs are looked at carefully. You can appeal to a tribunal if you are refused.

 

K x

[Sally44]

spoke to senco last night at parents evening who said she would support statutory assessment, but that LEA rarely statement children in our area, however then went to see parent partnership advisor today who said statements are not needed and school should provide all necessary support without need for a statement. she says if he needs 1-1 this should be provided out of existing funding and his needs should be assessed by autism specialists and ed psych. she will come to any meetings with me. she was very supportive and seemed very knowledgable, but has left me confused as to if there really is a benefit to having a statement.

 

It is good that the PP is being supportive. And yes they are right that a child should not need to have a Statement for their needs to be met. HOWEVER without a Statement you have no legal redress and cannot do anything if funding is not available or support withdrawn, or there are staffing issues or illness etc. And my understanding is that a Statement is for funding which is over and above what the school receives in any delegated funding from the LEA. All schools have some delegated funding to provide supports for SEN children. But that is not a bottomless pot. Ask your school how much delegated funding they have for an SEN pupil. I would seriously doubt it would add up to 1:1 support.

 

It would be worth speaking with IPSEA about you LEA if they systematically refuse to issue Statements. That is probably illegal and your LEA is doing that 'as their own policy'. However if you read the DfES letter on the IPSEA website it clearly says that any criteria an LEA may have regarding the Statutory Assessment process, that they must be flexible and must demonstrate they are meeting the child's needs.

 

I was told I didn't need a Statement and I believed it. However 2 years down the line nothing was happening and everytime I asked for support I was told there wasn't the funding or the staff to do it. The CoP for a Statement says that ALL needs should be identified and provision quantified and specified. You will never get that without a Statement.

 

However use the PP, phone IPSEA etc and decide how to proceed. If you can ask for an assessment towards a Statement, then I would do so and not be disuaded by anything you are told. If the school/LEA are saying they can meet his needs without a Statement, then what is their problem in issuing a Statement and putting that same provision (which they are saying you will get) into a Statement???