Hi newbie here

[lancsgirl]

Hi all just found this forum and look like it will be a godsend for me!

My youngest son has asperger's and is 14yrs old, the thing im really anxious about is what will happen to him when he is due to leave school?...i had lots of help in primary school not so much in

the secondary school and i am just fretting that i will be left to work things out for myself, what happens about frther education and then his dla?i just have no idea, if anyone could help me with were to go

and what to read or start looking at it would be most appreciated.

many thanks

 

ang x

[purplehaze]

Hello welcome to the site!

 

Has your son got a statement-if he does the school should fill in a transition plan during his review at age 14-this should let your son, you and professionals make a plan for the future. I must say though not all schools have or do this appropriately!

There is more info here from the NAS

http://www.nas.org.uk/nas/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=528&a=4412

 

DLA continues until the person doesn't need the care/support any more!

 

Sorry I have only answered quickly-I haven't much time but I'm sure others will be along soon. XXX

[Tally]

Hi Ang, and welcome to the forum.

 

I'm an adult with Asperger's, so I don't know too much about the education system, but I know there are a lot of people around here who do!

 

If your son is willing, then you should be able to continue to apply for DLA on his behalf once he turns 16, and help him with the forms even once he is an adult.

[Kazzen161]

You should make sure that the Connexions person is involved, as they will be able to help ensure that he gets the help he needs at college. Even if he does not have a Statement, they can still write a Section 139a which states his needs.

 

You will need to look round several colleges carefully, to make sure he picks one that is AS friendly.

[Kathryn]

What happens will depend somewhat on what he wants to do and what he's capable of: is he likely to get A levels and go to university for example? Will he need support with daily living or would he be able to live independently?

 

Options include: staying on at school in the 6th form, going to further education college, or even a specialist further education college which caters for young people with AS, there are some good ones around.

 

Now is the time to talk to the Connexions service as Kazzen mentioned. They support all young people from age 14 upwards and there are advisors who deal specifically with pupils with SEN. So they should be able to help you and your son talk through all the options in your area. The school should be able to put you in touch with your local advisor.

 

It's good to start early: have a look round your local Further Education college and see what they offer in the way of support - some colleges are better than others.

 

K x

 

 

[JsMum]

 

I would recommend that you contact NAS for some more support on the social care support too, due to him having a Disability he should have a Transition care plan, this should ential his Education, Housing, Social care support, Recreation, Activities ect,.... this should happen when he is 14 Years old.

 

You may need to request a Initial Core Assessment, which are Different to CAF, which stand for Common Assessment Framework and usually done throw school,

 

An Initial Core Assessment is a full investigation to your sons needs, your needs as his carer and what support he will need Now, and the future and also any support the Whole Family Needs.

 

I have had to go throw the Legal services to get to this stage but it is going really now so I recommend it, the Nas gave me a list of solisitors that deal with Community care legal issues.

 

I am able to apply for Legal aid as I am on low income.

 

There is alsorts of services to look into, for example Specialist Respite, Supportive Living, Shelteled Housing, specialist colleges, so do look throw your area and even out of your area if there is more specialist services that meet your sons needs.

 

For example in our area there is four flats that are avialable for men with Aspergers Syndrome and they have care and social support helping them live independant, and getting use to using the local facilities, they have an individual care plan and it meets thier needs.

 

I recommend that you contact your social services and request an assessment of his Needs

 

Nas will help you further understand the Transition plan into Adulthood, because a lot changes, such as access to Either CAMHS or Adult Mental Health, if he requires Mental health service this will be important to start to look into the changes as he grows into an Adult.

 

I know for J he has to stay in Education or Training until he is 18 years old as the changes to Education leaving age changed.

 

I can understand your anxieties, my son is 13 and so will be there next year, in year 10 we have to apply to Education for more funding so he can continue at his special school until he is 19.

 

JsMumxx

 

[zenemu]

Hi Ang,

 

It is a difficult question because Aspergers in particular tends to be quite unique to the individual. For example I am an adult with Aspergers and I managed to make it through further education and came away with a degree. I will admit it wasn't easy, but then nothing worth while tends to be in my experience. Equally I am not on DLA either, mainly because I have never felt that I need it. I am capable of working and looking after myself, so my condition doesn't in general cost me anything more financially.

 

I know in some cases that Aspergers can be so severe that it does inpact on the ability to work ect. My partner, coincidentally, works a couple of days a week on the DLA Judiciary Appeals panel, and as such, I know that one of the main stumbling blocks with Aspergers when claiming DLA is that most Apsies wouldn't fail the cooking test (obviously the walking test isn't an issue for the most part). I have read through some of the rules for these panels, and to be perfectly honest, it is exceptionally difficult as things stand for anyone who is high functioning AS / ASD to pass through the DLA process. A large part of the DLA claim is based on medical recommendations and records, so it is important to have substantial involvement with the GP and specialists to get them onside.

 

Zen

[trekster]

You can apply for DLA for a child i think and then it can be renewed by your son when he turns 16.

[trekster]

What happens will depend somewhat on what he wants to do and what he's capable of: is he likely to get A levels and go to university for example? Will he need support with daily living or would he be able to live independently?

 

Options include: staying on at school in the 6th form, going to further education college, or even a specialist further education college which caters for young people with AS, there are some good ones around.

 

Now is the time to talk to the Connexions service as Kazzen mentioned. They support all young people from age 14 upwards and there are advisors who deal specifically with pupils with SEN. So they should be able to help you and your son talk through all the options in your area. The school should be able to put you in touch with your local advisor.

 

It's good to start early: have a look round your local Further Education college and see what they offer in the way of support - some colleges are better than others.

 

K x

 

Note i managed to only get my A level equivalents after the right support in class and at breaktime was arranged. ihad a 1:1 support person despite being very academically able.

[emmasmum]

Hi there,

 

I agree you need to get Connexions on board and I was just reading up recently about the s139 assessments (is this the same as moving on plans?) and the fact they aren't only for statemented pupils but also those on SA and SA+.

 

When he turns 16 (or about 6mths before) - you will receive the adult DLA forms - there is a box on there to tick whether he is capable to manage his own affairs - if he is he can apply himself (with your help of course) - if not you apply on his behalf and they send someone out to check he's not capable then allow you to act on his behalf.

 

HTH

Carol

xx

[trekster]

Hi Ang,

 

It is a difficult question because Aspergers in particular tends to be quite unique to the individual. For example I am an adult with Aspergers and I managed to make it through further education and came away with a degree. I will admit it wasn't easy, but then nothing worth while tends to be in my experience. Equally I am not on DLA either, mainly because I have never felt that I need it. I am capable of working and looking after myself, so my condition doesn't in general cost me anything more financially.

 

I know in some cases that Aspergers can be so severe that it does impact on the ability to work ect. My partner, coincidentally, works a couple of days a week on the DLA Judiciary Appeals panel, and as such, I know that one of the main stumbling blocks with Aspergers when claiming DLA is that most Apsies wouldn't fail the cooking test (obviously the walking test isn't an issue for the most part). I have read through some of the rules for these panels, and to be perfectly honest, it is exceptionally difficult as things stand for anyone who is high functioning AS / ASD to pass through the DLA process. A large part of the DLA claim is based on medical recommendations and records, so it is important to have substantial involvement with the GP and specialists to get them onside.

 

Zen

 

DLA is nothing to do with whether you can work but it is to do with cooking from scratch and navigating places during very stressful episodes of asperger overloads. im on DLA and ive got friends who are on DLA and work. Incapacity, ESA or SDA (severe disablement allowance) is to do with finding work.

 

In our area most aspergers would fail the cooking test if they interpreted it as "buying the ingredients and having 4 pans of food on the go cooked without any help at all." i dropped a frying pan today whilst attempting to cook pancakes which makes it dangerous and unsuitable for me to cook (it was hot and it nearly fell on my feet).

 

i don't know of a walking test, unless you mean the "unable to walk x yards without the condition getting worse"? We sent my diagnosis letter and my GP knew nothing about aspergers and got appealed for indefinite award on DLA straight away! im very high functioning (although that is hard to judge) most of the time. The system is harder to obtain benefits if you are unable to supply the relevant information at the time. My DLA goes on my bills.

 

[zenemu]

DLA is nothing to do with whether you can work but it is to do with cooking from scratch and navigating places during very stressful episodes of asperger overloads. im on DLA and ive got friends who are on DLA and work. Incapacity, ESA or SDA (severe disablement allowance) is to do with finding work.

 

Yes, I am aware that DLA has nothing to do with the ability to work, and I didn't mean to imply that it did, I just don't feel I need it personally as Aspergers doesn't really have any financial inpact on life in my case. I know that in many cases it does have a significant impact and in these cases of course DLA is suitable, but not always. That was the point I was trying to get across, I apologise if it came across any other way.

 

In our area most aspergers would fail the cooking test if they interpreted it as "buying the ingredients and having 4 pans of food on the go cooked without any help at all." i dropped a frying pan today whilst attempting to cook pancakes which makes it dangerous and unsuitable for me to cook (it was hot and it nearly fell on my feet).

 

Actually at Judiciary level this part of the test is often interpreted as something as simple as making some toast and putting some beans in the microwave; unfair I know, but this is considered an acceptable meal, but that is actually the unofficial training policy for the medical and disabled DLA entititlement Judiciary appeals board during the enrollment training.

 

My point was that the DLA application process and the criteria for getting DLA are often poorly adapted to people with ASD, Learning Disabilites and Mental Health problems.

 

Zen

Edited April 16, 2010 by zenemu

[trekster]

Hi Zen

 

Sorry for the confusion and yes i agree due to the invisible nature of autism it is an unfair system to test us.