New here - dont know where to start...

[smartloobylou]

Hi to all

 

My 9 year old son was diagnosed last Friday with ASD (probably not Aspergers as his speech was delayed?)

 

He was also diagnosed with dyslexia back in January and his school work is deteriorating.

 

He currently attends an independant school that finishes at 13. He is getting a bit of support in English with his dyslexia but to be honest most parents with dyslexic kids end up leaving the school as it doesnt seem very clued up on helping with it.

 

I have been told that the ASD team will not be able to help him as he is in a private school, however he would recieve their support in a state school. Is this true?

 

The team who diagnosed him have recommended i apply for a SEN and have told me i will have to pay a private educational psychologist to start this process. Is that true?

 

To make matters even more complicated ,my son is very bright, always scores 90+% in maths etc and i dont know how to go about addressing his needs when they are so diverse - he needs help, but in certain areas he excells. How can i help him achieve his potential which im told could be huge if nurtured correctly?

 

He has 3 younger brothers (and 1 older) and our house is busy and chaotic - his ASD shows itself at home with emotional outbursts, obsessive/irrational behaviour, and bullying of his siblings. The school cannot believe this takes place as he's a model pupil at school - he thrives in the strutured regimented environment at school, and loves boarding (he stays one night a week) as once again things are orderly, structured etc. The pyschologist said he would probably benefit from a boarding environment in his senior school.

 

He also suggested we move him into senior school at 11 rather than 13 which is when pupils at his current school transfer.

 

I do not know where to start. Will a SEN help him get a place at a school that suits his needs? Will they pay for an independant boarding school if they have experience of both ASD and dyslexia? Or would i be better off persuing a state school placement as he would recieve more support? if so, how do i go about finding a state boarding school which gets the best out of bright pupils but can also deal with the dyslexia and ASD?

 

Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh - head spinning, im really hoping that i'll be able to get some constructive advice and answers here.

 

Thanks so much for your patience if you've reached the bottom of this x

[Sally44]

Hi to all

 

My 9 year old son was diagnosed last Friday with ASD (probably not Aspergers as his speech was delayed?)

 

He was also diagnosed with dyslexia back in January and his school work is deteriorating.

 

He currently attends an independant school that finishes at 13. He is getting a bit of support in English with his dyslexia but to be honest most parents with dyslexic kids end up leaving the school as it doesnt seem very clued up on helping with it.

 

I have been told that the ASD team will not be able to help him as he is in a private school, however he would recieve their support in a state school. Is this true?

 

The team who diagnosed him have recommended i apply for a SEN and have told me i will have to pay a private educational psychologist to start this process. Is that true?

 

To make matters even more complicated ,my son is very bright, always scores 90+% in maths etc and i dont know how to go about addressing his needs when they are so diverse - he needs help, but in certain areas he excells. How can i help him achieve his potential which im told could be huge if nurtured correctly?

 

He has 3 younger brothers (and 1 older) and our house is busy and chaotic - his ASD shows itself at home with emotional outbursts, obsessive/irrational behaviour, and bullying of his siblings. The school cannot believe this takes place as he's a model pupil at school - he thrives in the strutured regimented environment at school, and loves boarding (he stays one night a week) as once again things are orderly, structured etc. The pyschologist said he would probably benefit from a boarding environment in his senior school.

 

He also suggested we move him into senior school at 11 rather than 13 which is when pupils at his current school transfer.

 

I do not know where to start. Will a SEN help him get a place at a school that suits his needs? Will they pay for an independant boarding school if they have experience of both ASD and dyslexia? Or would i be better off persuing a state school placement as he would recieve more support? if so, how do i go about finding a state boarding school which gets the best out of bright pupils but can also deal with the dyslexia and ASD?

 

Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhhh - head spinning, im really hoping that i'll be able to get some constructive advice and answers here.

 

Thanks so much for your patience if you've reached the bottom of this x

 

I don't know the process of apply for a Statement when your child is already in the private sector. Others will know more. You can also phone the National Autistic Society and IPSEA.org or SOSSEN.org for advice.

 

What I do know is that if you are seeking an independent boarding school for children with ASD and SpLD, that you would definately need to get independent reports and it would almost definately entail an educational tribunal. It is very unlikely that the LEA will have any maintained schools that can meet his needs.

 

As he is doing so well in maths he may also be considered 'gifted'.

 

You will need a good psychologists report using standardised assessments. It maybe that he would benefit from a neuropsychologists report as they would identify his cognitive processing difficulties.

 

You can contact Dyslexia Action or the Dyslexia Association for help and advice. They may be able to recommend someone to you. You can also look on another website I previously posted about the dyslexia/SpLD trust. I'll try to find the link for you.

 

I have been pointed in the direction of a chap called Peter Congdon. He deals with gifted children, dyslexia and Aspergers. I am not recommending him, as I have never met him. But he might be the type of thing you are after. I believe that he does assessments and reports, but does not attend tribunals. There will be other professionals out there, but he might be a starting point.

 

You can also look on the CRESTED website (specific independent dyslexia schools). It really depends on what difficulty is the main one. Does he need an ASD school that can also meet his dyslexia needs, or a dyslexia school with ASD pupils?? I am in the same position.

 

Anyway, that's a starting point and I'm sure others will have more advice.

Edited December 1, 2010 by Sally44

[Sally44]

This link is about dyslexia http://www.thedyslexia-spldtrust.org.uk/

 

The kind of professionals you need to assess your son are:-

 

Educational/neuropsychologist: for learning difficulties and approaches associated with ASD or SpLD.

Speech and Language Therapist: for speech and language and social interaction skills.

Occuaptional Therapist: for sensory issues, handwriting, dyspraxia etc.

[smartloobylou]

wow thanks for those very specific recommendations, i will get onto them first thing tomorrow - your right i think he could be gifted with Maths but his range of needs are so diverse i dont know where to start. thanks again, Louise

[smartloobylou]

ive just called the local council SEN number and they said they could assess him if myself of the school requested it. They said they would look at the request at panel and then make a decision within 4 weeks if he needed to be assessed for a Statement and if they decided he did, it would then be 6 months for him to be seen. This seems a bit crappy to me. Should i have an independent report done first and then send that in with my request for assessment?? any suggestions ? thanks

[justine1]

ive just called the local council SEN number and they said they could assess him if myself of the school requested it. They said they would look at the request at panel and then make a decision within 4 weeks if he needed to be assessed for a Statement and if they decided he did, it would then be 6 months for him to be seen. This seems a bit crappy to me. Should i have an independent report done first and then send that in with my request for assessment?? any suggestions ? thanks

Hi

 

Maybe you mis-understood,the statementing process is what takes 6 months,it usually takes 4-6 weeks for them to decide whether or not to assess.After this they will send in ed psych's autism advisory team etc.This may be what they meant Even if you went for private reports the statementing time frame will remain the same.

 

To request assessment you need lots of background info,and something from the school stating how, when and where he needs help.You can include his diagnostic report as well but they will contact the person who dx'd him anyway.