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szaky

Looking for primary schools in Scotland for a foreign child

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Hello Everyone,

 

I'd like to collect any kind of information about primary schools in Scotland (if someone knows good primary schools around Musselburgh-Prestonpans, it would be fantastic). We have an almost 4.5 years old NT son and a 6 years old son who has Asperger syndrome (and milk protein allergy). We are planning to move to somewhere around Musselburgh or Prestonpans (or Edinburgh) from Budapest, Hungary. None of our kids speak English which makes the whole school problem very difficult. At the moment my husband is working in England and me and the kids are in Budapest (we plan to move in the next spring). I will travel to Edinburgh in January to arrange a house and a school, but till then I need to know all the important information about primary schools for children with ASD.

 

I can't find on the schools' web pages anything about integrating children with mild disabilty like Asperger. My son is on the edge, he's a high functioning boy with very good communication skills (despite of his AS), but he needs a small help though like visual help or just some motivating action (e.g. collecting stickers to get some reward), so the teacher should know about his Asperger, but he doesn't need too much help.

 

I don't understand some things, so here are my questions:

 

Is there any law or rules applyed to Scottish primary schools affecting these children?

 

Which schools can take in children with ASD? I read about the Equality Act 2010, does that mean that e.g. my son could attend to any primary school in Scotland?

 

What is a statement that a child can get?

 

What kind of development treat can get a child with ASD in the school?

 

What kind of language help can get a foreign, non English speaking child in a primary school?

 

Thank you very much in advance for all answers!!

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I don't know how the special educational needs system works in Scotland.

 

But what I would suggest is that you contact the local authority for the area you will be moving into and ask them to send you details of all their primary schools in that area, as well as primary schools with expertise or an autism unit for children on the autistic spectrum as well as any special schools for children on the autistic spectrum. That should then give you all the possible schools. However you would need to find a school that still had places available.

 

I would explain to the LA that your child has a diagnosis of Aspergers [is the other child suspected of being on the spectrum?]. And state that they do not speak any English. Ask them how their needs would be assessed [you need a speech and language therapist and an educational psychologist to see them].

 

I would not volunteer your opinion that he would not need much support to cope within mainstream - because until that happens you do not know that, and you could give them the perfect excuse not to even assess him. And as he will have speech and language and social communication difficulties to a significant degree to have even got a diagnosis in the first place - then add on the upset of moving to a different house and country and culture - and add onto that he won't understand anyone and his school will be totally different and new - then I think you have to assume that he will need alot of support with this transition for it to be successful, wherever he is placed.

 

And I think you also have to consider that "help with learning a foreign language" for a non-English speaking child that has no special educational needs, is different to "help with learning a foreign language" when you have existing difficulties with speech and language and social communication" ontop of all the other things he will struggle with due to his diagnosis.

 

A Statement is something a child with special needs can get in England and Wales. In Scotland it is different, and i'm sure those from that area will inform you of what the process is.

 

But I think it would be helpful for your to contact the National Autistic Society in Scotland.

 

And when considering the type of school, it might be useful to look at smaller schools, smaller class sizes, how many other children in the school have an ASD, what access to professional input that school gets. But I think assessments would need to be carried out before the decision was made on which school was most suitable.

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Dear Mt McKinley,

 

Thank you for your answer!

In fact I plan to move in March 2013 and my sons would start school only in september. Till september they should learn only English. (in my other post I wrote about this - I still don't know about this anything too, we're still looking for the possibilities)

 

Yes, you are right, it is almost 100% sure that my son will need speciel help. In Hungary maybe he could have avoided it (I mean I take him to the developmental hours to a special place, but e.g. in the kindergarten he doesn't need special help), but in a foreign country he won't be able to avoid that.

The other son (4.5 years old) is totally NT, so he is not on the spectrum (huh...).

 

I think I will get further answers only when I'll visit Scotland in January and I can visit the schools. Yes, smaller calsses would be a very important thing.

 

I plan to make visual helps (pictures and social stories) about the moving, I hope it will help him to get through with that faster. He is totally mad about buses and trains (his main interests are buses and trains) and I think I can use this to help him to cope with the situation better (there are so many modern and special trains in the UK, he will love them). And we speak about this usually.

 

I will contact the National Autistic Society in Scotland surely, thank you for the idea!

 

Thank you again, your anser was very helpful!

szaky

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