Supports not in place after a year!

[BusyLizzie100]

I'm so frustrated!!! How can we get school/LA to actually do what the Statement says????

 

It's like the Statement isn't even there.

 

DS1 is in Y8 at mainstream secondary and has Asperger's and massive anxieties. He's been on anti-depressants for 2 years, has had input from CAMHS for 4 yrs and got the statement at the very end of y6. His principle issues are social and emotional, and he is actually very academically able. He tends to bottle up his anxiety and has learnt how to hide it at school for fear of getting in to trouble because of it.

 

We have a new SENCO this year, who I'm liking so far and an autism advisory teacher who talks more sense than last year's, but the strategies just never get past the talking stage.

 

At the end of y7, in July this year, we were on the verge of making a case re non-compliance, but school seemed to switch on at the last minute and started talking usefully about putting strategies in place. An Early Statement Review was planned for November (only three weeks away now!!!).

 

Then of course, Y8 starts, with new SENCO, and although she is more switched on, still nothing happens. Is it the school itself, is it just lacking in basic autism awareness?? What does it take to get photos of each of his teachers and TAs with their names, so he knows who's who (cos he can't remember one day to the next)? These are not huge things, quite little things in fact but so hugely important to him!

 

He is supposed to have one session a week to work through study skills, social stories, any outstanding issues re anxiety etc with a person trained in AS, but it has never happened... mainly, I think, because the school just doesn't have the resources to put this into place (we have delegated funding in this LA).

 

Meanwhile he struggles on, of course he does, but it's at huge emotional cost to him and to his mental health and his reactions are getting more severe - eg banging his head on a metal pole and making it bleed when anxiety got the better of him...

 

I just don't know what to with the review just 3 weeks ago - on the one hand we are now talking about bits and pieces that could help (eg he missed the instructions on what ingredients to bring to food tech so the advisory teacher suggests someone emailing him the ingredients), but on the other hand it all feels like we are playing catch-up and then these things never happen, anyway! It's just not joined-up.

 

So should I 'go with the flow' and see what happens, if and when these strategies are in place, or since this an early review because things weren't going well, should I come down hard and say it's not good enough? I think the latter, but I'm interested to hear what others think!

 

Lizzie x

[Suze]

Is this the annual review brought forward, if so make sure a rep from your LA is there, so your issues are made aware to them.I,d look at alternatives in the area, is there a HS with a resource, my son had had all those measures in place for him that you mentioned your boy has not recieved however he attends a resource at HS.Like you I would be very unhappy , if pos could a rep from camhs also come to your meeting they need to reiterate his emotional needs.When you fill out the PARENTAL PAPERWORK for annual review I,d be very explicit and suggest a more specialist environment is needed...it may make everyone sit up and take notice, good luck, suzex.

[BusyLizzie100]

Is this the annual review brought forward, if so make sure a rep from your LA is there, so your issues are made aware to them.I,d look at alternatives in the area, is there a HS with a resource, my son had had all those measures in place for him that you mentioned your boy has not recieved however he attends a resource at HS.Like you I would be very unhappy , if pos could a rep from camhs also come to your meeting they need to reiterate his emotional needs.When you fill out the PARENTAL PAPERWORK for annual review I,d be very explicit and suggest a more specialist environment is needed...it may make everyone sit up and take notice, good luck, suzex.

 

Thank you Suze. Sorry, I was a bit ranty, missed out too many facts!

 

The original statement was finalised in May 2009, we appealed and LA accepted our rewritten Statement, all based on the Advice in the appendices that the LA had missed out.

 

AR was held in May 2010, we were very lucky in that psychologist who was then working with DS1 on his anxiety came to the meeting. The week before the AR, the senior EP had attended a meeting at school to raise awareness of DS1's issues, but apparently school had used the meeting to try to persuade her she was wrong... most bizarre!

 

The AR was a successful meeting in that school started to see the extent of DS1's anxiety and some strategies were recommended, but in actual fact the statement wasn't reviewed. Two months later, nothing had been done and DS1 was struggling and required an urgent psychiatric appt. We mentioned non-compliance and a meeting was planned the week before the end of term, with the SEN officer and her manager, the advisory teacher and her manager, the senior EP, Head of Y7 and outgoing SENCO. This is the point at which discussions became a bit more useful and strategies agreed. The SEN manager herself suggested an EArly REview for November, at which point the effectiveness of the agreed strategies could be checked...

 

And here we are! The same people will be attending the Early Review, tho it will be the new SENCO. She has obviously had to get up to speed; I wrote to her explaining the situation in the first week of term and have since met her twice, though she obviously forgot about the Early Review - when I spoke to her last week she was a bit surprised to hear it was taking place next month! She 'gets' the issue re DS1's anxiety, having seen it at her first-hand, but still... nothing seems to happen!!!

 

Unfortunately there is no other provision in our LA. It's mainstream or nothing, unless a child has additional learning difficulties (ie MLD or SLD) - that's why my second son is now being educated out of county in a specialist independent school!!!

 

I suppose the only other alternative would be a smaller school with smaller classes etc, which would mean independent. (All mainstream secondaries round here have about 1,200 pupils and classes of 30.) But what a battle that would be!!! On the face of things, his current school should be able to meet his needs, but it just isn't, it's just not doing anything that's even slightly autism-aware.

 

yes, I do need to make everyone sit up and take notice (again!), but I really want is action and I don't know how that'll happen...

 

Lizzie

[Suze]

God its unbelievable..............best of luck with your meeting you have to fight for everything don,t you

[BusyLizzie100]

I'm starting to seriously think that finding an alternative school is going to be the only way forward.

 

But DS1 may not like that idea at all... I hate the idea of uprooting him - it's hard to work out what's for the best.

 

Lizzie

[Karen A]

I just wanted to say you are not alone.I get sick of it all at times and feel like it never ends too. <'> <'> <'>

 

Karen.

[Sally44]

There are a couple of things I want to ask.

Are any of the things you are talking about itemised in his current Statement ie. in section 2 does it say he has facial awareness problems and cannot recognise people and has anxiety? Can you cross reference to section 3 where it itemises how those needs will be met ie. all members of staff will wear name badges and children working on his table/group will have stick on badges with their names?

It has to be as precise as that.

 

My son has the same problems and at an MEP meeting last year the SALT said he hadn't met the target to recognise 6 children from his class either from their appearance or from their names. But she said that she did not feel this was a barrier to him learning or socialising. What rubbish. How do you call someone to play, or get their attention if you can't call their name. If his verbal memory is so bad, that must also affect how he learns etc etc.

 

From a school level it is the schools responsibility to meet the day to day running of the Statement, if they cannot they need to seek further funding from the LEA and the LEA is ultimately responsible to ensure that Statement is fulfilled.

 

Have you ever sat down with the school SENCO/Head and gone through the Statement line by line for them to say how they will fulfill it?

 

And remember the wording of the Statement. It has to say 'will' not 'should' etc or it never happens. Eg XXX has problems with facial recognition so all staff WILL wear name badges and when xxx is working with other children those children WILL wear a sticker with their name written on it.

 

It is also possible for the Statement to specify when the EP will be involved. My son's Statement now says the EP will go into school to review his progress and the approaches and supports being used in May and October of each year. She will attend the AR and she will write an up to date report. However having said that. Her report is as useful as a piece of wet toilet paper!

 

Even now, I recently emailed her about approaches being used for my son and she has emailed back saying "the day to day running and fulfilling of the Statement is down to school" and that they can seek her advice as and when they need to.

 

So basically, if it does not specify in the Statement you are back to getting the school to use the EP budget if talking alone is not getting through to them.

 

Have you put your requests in writing to the school?

 

Or if your son's Statement says anywhere 'advice from the autism outreach teacher will be sought" ask school to invite her in.

 

Time and time again - for me anyway - it has been the school not recognising or admitting there is a problem. But don't be conned. I am absolutely convinced that school know what they are and are not doing. They told me they could fulfill the Statement and now I have found a file note from the SENCO to the LEA saying that there is no way they can fulfill the Statement! And your school might be the same.

 

If the provision you are already talking about is in the Statement, then you need to write to the LEA about non-compliance. And if it isn't then you need to seek an amendment at the forthcoming review. And obviously, any amendment will probably be challenged. Or the amendment will be included and the redrawn statement will exclude something else. So be prepared to go back to tribunal if you have to. That seems to be the only way to go.

 

There are people paid within the LEA who are dealing with these issues all the time. It is just us that do it for free, and they hope we will just get fed up or feel intimidated.

 

If you feel a change of school would do the trick, then have a look around.

Edited October 12, 2010 by Sally44

[Kathryn]

Aiiee!

 

<'>

 

Being in the same LEA as Lizzie I can say that 6 years after our own battle, it's depressing to see how little things have moved on, there appears to be still no proper provision for AS /HFA in mainstream schools. Even saying that, some of the things Lizzie is asking for are basic things which any reasonably ASD aware school should be able to do without too much extra effort or resources. Maybe the change of staff will make a difference, but I would want to be seeing results very soon to be convinced.

 

K x

[JsMum]

because the school just doesn't have the resources to put this into place

 

If that is the case the school should of not agreed to have placed him in thier school if they can NOT MEET HIS NEEDS, it may be that though he has a statement without the proper respouces, provisions it will be impossible for the statement to be implimented but the school should of said we can not meet his needs because we just dont have the resources or provisions such as a Trained AS AWARE LSA.

 

It maybe that you need to look into specialist education similair to what your other son is accessing but more spersific to Aspergers Syndrome, I think also you also mentioned that you want to look for a school that maybe have smaller class sizes, with a more spersific school that will be automatic, even specialist school though dont always follow the statement its so frustrating because a statement is such a fight in the first place, if it isnt then followed what is the point in even having one in first place.

 

Though your son is enjoying the academic challenge, is the social and emotional issues effecting his strenghths, is he happy where he is? what are his views of the support he receives? would he be happier to look at searching for another school that can meet his needs that do have the resources and provisions in the first place.

 

 

JsMumx

[BusyLizzie100]

Though your son is enjoying the academic challenge, is the social and emotional issues effecting his strenghths, is he happy where he is? what are his views of the support he receives? would he be happier to look at searching for another school that can meet his needs that do have the resources and provisions in the first place.

 

 

JsMumx

 

It's a tough one. He's so 'here and now' that his view changes, depending on how he's feeling at the time of questioning. He's told me himself, when I've asked him about something earlier in the day: 'I don't know, that was more than 10 minutes ago!'

 

Maybe we need to have a sit down and do the old 'pros and cons' list. He frequently says that the teachers don't understand autism, and also that he wants to either be home schooled or go to a school like his brother's - a specialist autism school. However his own cognitive abilities are far above what his brother's school can cater for - a specific Asperger school would be great, but is just not available.

 

Where is the hand-wringing emoticon???!! Will have to settle for this:

[JsMum]

where in the uk are you?

 

Also would your other sons school have any advice on Spercific schools for AS?

 

My son is very intelligent but in the wrong enviroement then his high anxieties/mental health can effect his actions and decisions, and over time effect his learning.

 

JsMum

[JsMum]

Your son has requeste you consider Home Schooling, could this be an option, could you see him settling down if he was home educated.

 

Have you researched Home schooling?

 

JsMumx

[BusyLizzie100]

where in the uk are you?

 

Also would your other sons school have any advice on Spercific schools for AS?

 

My son is very intelligent but in the wrong enviroement then his high anxieties/mental health can effect his actions and decisions, and over time effect his learning.

 

JsMum

 

Am I allowed to say?! I'm in Herts. My other son is attending an out of county school, the local mainstream primary couldn't meet his needs after four years there. There is totally inadequate provision for autism in my LA. I'm sure the out of county school has bags of information and advice it would be happy to share, but when DS1's school is arguing against the LA's own specialist EP, it's not going to listen to anyone else...! The school needs a rocket up its backside.

[BusyLizzie100]

Your son has requeste you consider Home Schooling, could this be an option, could you see him settling down if he was home educated.

 

Have you researched Home schooling?

 

JsMumx

 

I have considered it but I don't think it would suit either of our personalities!

 

I do think that he could flourish if he were in the right kind of environment, or with the right kind of understanding. They are different children, but I have seen it happen with my second son. He is flourishing in his new school now that his needs are being met.

 

PS Just had a talk with my third son's SENCO today about his challenging behaviour (he's 8), she admitted that at the moment they are not meeting his needs - she reckons that environmental solutions may be the answer, eg his own work station in class. ###### hell, will it never end??!!!

 

Quick edit to say, when will the 'not meeting his needs' talks end, not the autism! I love my boys!

Edited October 13, 2010 by BusyLizzie100