Transition from primary to secondary

[roady11]

Hi everyone, My son is moving from primary to secondary in september (dx aspergers) which has been managed by Autism outreach. In your expiriences what would you considor to be a good transition program. It would be interesting to know if what has been and will be done would be consiered good/adequate I would value your views on this.

 

Thankyou x

[Suze]

This is our experience of transition.My son is statemented and attends a resource for autism within a mainstream high school.

 

He had 4 afternoon visits and familiarised himself with the unit and staff.He had a booklet with photos of the school and grounds, cafeteria ,library his form etc.It also had photos of the LSA,s who would be working with him.

[roady11]

This is our experience of transition.My son is statemented and attends a resource for autism within a mainstream high school.

 

He had 4 afternoon visits and familiarised himself with the unit and staff.He had a booklet with photos of the school and grounds, cafeteria ,library his form etc.It also had photos of the LSA,s who would be working with him.

Thankyou Suze I really appreciate your reply

 

Yes my son has had photo book too which he did get to choose what photo's were taken of on hour long visit with autism outreach. The school he is moving to do a three day induction for ALL the new starters (mainstream high school) so i suppose that is qiute a good induction that the school provides itself there is absoloutly no resource for autism within my LEA. He will have access to autism outreach TA for half days during the first two weeks (she will be in school) but she is not going to be working directly with him (2 other new starters also have aspergers dx) after the first two weeks there is a TA that he can go to if he has a problem (this is what was meant to happen at last school). The problem we face is that he doesnt tell them there is a problem (he waits until he gets home and then tells me) so we are then in a situation where if its not dealt with at the time in school things escalate and he ends up in trouble or when i get in touch they simply say well he hasnt come to us to say there is a problem! I suppose i can only hope that they will listen more to what i tell them he has told me on retuning after school than his last school did. Visits from specialist tutor are planned for once monthly after that (altho i dont think she has really supported my child the way she should of anyway at his last school) these are reduced as she used to see him fortnightly. I can't really believe that they are planning to REDUCE her input now he's going through transition a very important one at that.

Do you think what was provided for your son was helpful/ adequate for him?

 

Thanks

[Sally44]

I think may children on the spectrum are not proactive because you need organisation and planning skills as well as having sufficient imagination to be able to predict outcomes from the many and varied choices there are or ways that you can respond to each incident. Those skills are ususally affected with a child on the spectrum. So you are expecting them to be able to do something that they are not capable of in the first place!

 

You need to get a visual planner organised between the TA and your son so that he does get to see her at set times during the day and for the TA to be proactive and to check his understanding of lessons, homework, what he needs to get or do or plan for projects etc. And to help him learn the process of what he needs to check it would be useful to have a 'picture' that teaches/reminds him of what he has to do as well as the 'words'.

 

A website that I found useful for learning about these executive skills was www.schoolbehavior.com.

It is a USA website, but it is interesting. The links to the various disorders are at the bottom of the page. Have a look at executive function disorder. It maybe that your son struggles with some of those skills.

 

 

[Sally44]

The website layout has been updated. The links are at the top of the page now.

 

http://www.schoolbehavior.com/disorders/ex...aily-goal-card/

[roady11]

I think may children on the spectrum are not proactive because you need organisation and planning skills as well as having sufficient imagination to be able to predict outcomes from the many and varied choices there are or ways that you can respond to each incident. Those skills are ususally affected with a child on the spectrum. So you are expecting them to be able to do something that they are not capable of in the first place!

 

You need to get a visual planner organised between the TA and your son so that he does get to see her at set times during the day and for the TA to be proactive and to check his understanding of lessons, homework, what he needs to get or do or plan for projects etc. And to help him learn the process of what he needs to check it would be useful to have a 'picture' that teaches/reminds him of what he has to do as well as the 'words'.

 

A website that I found useful for learning about these executive skills was www.schoolbehavior.com.

It is a USA website, but it is interesting. The links to the various disorders are at the bottom of the page. Have a look at executive function disorder. It maybe that your son struggles with some of those skills.

Thankyou Sally for your reply, your exactly right this is what i have been trying to tell them for the last 3 years he is completely unable to organise himself and they have not helped him with adequetly in school with this. The report the specialist autism teacher wrote in july said his organisational problems weren't apparent during induction! which i find unbeleivable ! it really is like banging your head up against a brick wall thanks for your links i will look at them. I have done some work with my son at home with the use of good choice /bad choice cards and talked through different scenarios of how he could have dealt with a certain situation that has gone wrong in a better way but he also needs extra support within school my son doesnt have a statement so as you know the TA support is not gaurenteed and we have no specific 'hours' specified just for him. thanks for your help x

Edited August 10, 2010 by roady11

[Suze]

O.k......this is what I would do (apologises if you,ve already done some of this)Speak to the head of learning support and make them aware of his taking problems home etc.It would help your son greatly if he could have a nominated member of staff (or a few support staff who know your son )who he can go to at break or dinner time with any concerns or problems he has.This staff member ideally would be a LSA who could be available in the learning support during break times.Most high schools allow access to learning support at break because alot of kids with SEN prefer a quiet and staff attended area to chill out in.If possible a dictaphone or home/school book should be used between this member of staff and yourself to highlight any problems that have arisen during the school day or at home.

[roady11]

O.k......this is what I would do (apologises if you,ve already done some of this)Speak to the head of learning support and make them aware of his taking problems home etc.It would help your son greatly if he could have a nominated member of staff (or a few support staff who know your son )who he can go to at break or dinner time with any concerns or problems he has.This staff member ideally would be a LSA who could be available in the learning support during break times.Most high schools allow access to learning support at break because alot of kids with SEN prefer a quiet and staff attended area to chill out in.If possible a dictaphone or home/school book should be used between this member of staff and yourself to highlight any problems that have arisen during the school day or at home.

 

Hi suze thanks for your reply,

 

Learning support should be aware of this if information has been passed on but as we know that is not always the case. We have been told that he can go to learning support if needed wether this will happen is another thing (sorry judging by his primary school standards)The problem we also face is that he often wont do this independently as he wants to be out 'playing' and if you dont ask him if he has a problem he wont tell you. Unless he comes out of school crying i often dont know anything is wrong or if hes had a good day for that matter. The only way he will tell you anything is if you word things in the exact same way how has your day been? he will ALWAYS say good. So i have to say has anything good happened today he will then tell me. The same with anything else has anything bad happened today, have you been upset at all today, have you upset anyone today etc the questions have to be specific and i have tried telling them this at his last school and its and then they say hes been fine and then what happens an exclusion! The home/school diary i have used and have found useful in someways but it depends on there willingness to use this (his primary refused for the las 4 months he was there) and when i requseted it at the end of the yr as i knew there was evidence in there for tribunal, when they returned it they had ripped pages out!!! I do have a dictaphone and i am inclined to use this as then it is coming straight from my sons mouth rather than just my say so (could have done with this when i was sworn at by headtutor at a meeting and got out of his chair and run at me ) I am just living in hope that we win tribunal and they have to assess and then hopefully he will get some TA help specifically for him and that his new school are more proffessional.

[Suze]

The only other thing is that he is permitted to not attend evening registration and this time in the day is then specifically used for a catch with an LSA and he discusses with them any problems /concerns and these are then entered into the diary or dictaphone.It may help him to off load problems at school with an LSA rather than bring them home, good luck.

[roady11]

The only other thing is that he is permitted to not attend evening registration and this time in the day is then specifically used for a catch with an LSA and he discusses with them any problems /concerns and these are then entered into the diary or dictaphone.It may help him to off load problems at school with an LSA rather than bring them home, good luck.

 

Yes that is a definetly an option i need to discuss with them and then if nothing else he will go back in the next day feeling like he has been listened to by them and that his concerns are being taken seriously by school as well as me at home. Thanks for your help and good luck wishes x BTW i love your descriptions of your children.

Edited August 11, 2010 by roady11

[Sally44]

My son is the same. He does not volunteer information at all. You have to ask the question first. This means he is not proactive. So you need to tell school that and say that they need to ensure they have a framework in place where your son automatically gets to see the LSA and the LSA will go through a daily checklist of stuff. This should be one of his targets on his SA+, to get a daily plan organised that he and the LSA can go through together. They may set one target ie. for your son to meet with the LSA every day to check that he understands his homework and has got all the stuff he needs to do it with him when he goes home. If that is not a good target, change it to something relevent. But the point is to get the plan structure in place and to gradually teach your son how to use it himself everyday so that it becomes a routine for him.

 

I had the same problems in school. My son will not volunteer if he is unhappy, or if something is bothering him. It only comes out when he errupts. Previously school were saying he was 'okay', yet he was frequently vomitting in school due to anxiety. Also children on the spectrum may not have the language, facial expression, tone of voice or gestures to correctly 'convey' their true feelings (if indeed they can even understand them themselves). So just because your child 'looks' okay does not mean he is okay. Having problems with language, voice tone, facial expression and gestures are all part of the diagnosis.

[roady11]

My son is the same. He does not volunteer information at all. You have to ask the question first. This means he is not proactive. So you need to tell school that and say that they need to ensure they have a framework in place where your son automatically gets to see the LSA and the LSA will go through a daily checklist of stuff. This should be one of his targets on his SA+, to get a daily plan organised that he and the LSA can go through together. They may set one target ie. for your son to meet with the LSA every day to check that he understands his homework and has got all the stuff he needs to do it with him when he goes home. If that is not a good target, change it to something relevent. But the point is to get the plan structure in place and to gradually teach your son how to use it himself everyday so that it becomes a routine for him.

 

I had the same problems in school. My son will not volunteer if he is unhappy, or if something is bothering him. It only comes out when he errupts. Previously school were saying he was 'okay', yet he was frequently vomitting in school due to anxiety. Also children on the spectrum may not have the language, facial expression, tone of voice or gestures to correctly 'convey' their true feelings (if indeed they can even understand them themselves). So just because your child 'looks' okay does not mean he is okay. Having problems with language, voice tone, facial expression and gestures are all part of the diagnosis.

Thanks for your reply, in a strange kind of way it's comforting to know I'm not the only one and other people have the same problems. I only wanted him to have a formal diagnosis in the hope it would bring more understanding and help for him but this hasn't really been the case. (fingers crossed that his new school will be more helpful) The LA seem to take more notice of an ed psyche who has met my son on 2 occasssions than me his mother but then i suppose its better for their budgets if they do. I don't know where to start to be honest ive got SEN tribunal and DLA tribunal all goin on at the moment as well as tryng to fit a life in somewhere amongst it all. Your help and advice and that ...people who just know where i'm coming from really helps Thanks again x

[Sally44]

At least on this forum you are with other parents going through similar stuff.

 

I've got a complaint going on with the Local Government Ombudsman for non-compliance of the Statement and maladministration.

I'm trying to get a referal via my GP for one of my sons diagnoses - just been turned down due to info the OT gave the PCT. Apparently the referal has been turned down because the PCT says that other children may seek a referal off the back of my son's referal! Bizarre.

And I've just had my son's original Statement re-assessed and all the quantified and specified provison has been removed from the Proposed Statement - so it looks like I maybe going to tribunal too for the second time.

I'm feeling very fed up and wish I had a couple of clones to run these departments of my life, so that I could actually do some fun stuff with the family!

 

You do need to pick and choose your fights. However sometimes it does all happen at the same time.

 

Just try to get your concerns raised with the right professionals. Put it in writing, because if you go to tribunal you need evidence that you have raised these issues. Then you need the professionals to put their response to you in writing as well. If they just speak to you, follow it up with a confirmation letter eg. "further to our telephone conversation on xxxx you stated that my son had xxxxx and that you had recommended to school that they xxxx and xxxx" etc. In that way you get it on record what was discussed. Then you can use that documented evidence if you need for tribunal.

 

Also get his difficulties into his IEP via targets. In that way you are monitoring progress of them. If no progress is made in these areas that again is evidence you can produce at tribunal. You can get the help/support of your Parent Partnership to come to IEP meetings with you to ensure that targets are SMART. So, if your child has problems organising himself, the target would be for the LSA initially to work out a schedule or routine to organise him, and then gradually to teach him to take over the parts of that routine that he is capable of learning. If he has difficulties conveying emotions then the LSA would meet with him at set times during the day and ask the specific questions he needs to be asked to get any worries out of him. And in time this should become easier for him to do with a more general question - but it all needs to be taught. Progress could be monitored via a home/school book ie. LSA says he had no concerns in school, but at home he raised worries about xxxxx. Then the LSA can pick that up in the morning and talk through it with him. In that way problems don't accumulate and escalate if they are dealt with as they arise.

But they must also consider that he may need more time to 'process' information and may not even be aware of concerns or worries until he has got home and had time to work through things in his head. So he may always be working 24/48 hours behind 'real time'.