1:1 classroom support

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

I am curious to know if anyone has 1:1 support specified in their childs statment of special needs?

 

I asked for it to be written into my sons because he currently get it in First school (schools provision) but when he transfers to Middle next year he wont because it's not specified in the Statement. I was told it was extreamly rare for this to happen because only sessions like speech & language or OT where external professional come into school for therapy could be specified as 1:1.

 

Just because a child has a statement it seems it does not entitle them to 1:1 support.

 

Anyone have it specified?

Edited December 9, 2005 by invent 10 things b4 breakfast

[helenl53]

Hi Becky

 

I think they like to leave this unspecified so that the TA can be shared (cheaper).

 

If it is already in his statement, then why will it not carry forward to the new school? I am not sure that provision can be withdrawn unless there is evidence that it is no longer necessary as the child has reached their targets, however, I think our kids meet one challenge only to be faced with the sheer rock wall on the next round.

 

Take advice from IPSEA or NAS or ACE etc

 

Best wishes

 

HelenL

[Helen]

Hiya I10tb4b,

 

My son has 1-2-1 LSA support, this is specified in his Statement by the word 'dedicated'. His Statement also specifies and quantifies SALT.

I was told it was extreamly rare for this to happen because only sessions like speech & language or OT where external professional come into school for therapy could be specified as 1:1.

The person who said this is trying to fob you off. Ask this person to confirm it in writing to you.

Edited December 9, 2005 by Helen

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

No Helen, it's not already in his Statement, it just says 20 hours, but he does have two dedicated TA's and one dedicated lunchtime monitor. So I guess he's been a bit spoilt really but when he moves up he won't receive the same luxury because it is not in the Statement as "dedicated".

 

I have a review at the end of January - fancy coming, I know you like a challenge

 

They always tell you that oh he will become too dependant if he has a "velco lady" but I'm undecided at the moment.

 

The way it works in the new middle school is they have specialised TA's in subject areas rather than one per child, so that they have knowledge of what is being taught. However, the new SENCO has offered to advertise for a dedicated TA because she actually asked my opinion (how amazing is that ) as to what I thought would work best for him.

 

I guess also what I should have asked in this poll was are your kids in mainstream school?

Edited December 9, 2005 by invent 10 things b4 breakfast

[helenl53]

Becky

 

I would be delighted to come along with you.

 

I am back on 9th January and I will catch up with you then.

 

Sometimes it is not a bad idea to have someone who is not attached to the service providers - if you see what I mean

 

Best wishes

 

HelenL

[helenl53]

Hi Becky

 

More important than TA's who are subject specialists, is a TA who is ASD specialist!

 

Poor child is going to be so confused with so many TA's and the transition is going to be hard enough anyway.

 

Love

 

HelenL

[littlenemo]

get this sorted

 

Com had 1-1 but not specified as such in his statement, for the first year of high school they provided the 1-1 but then they started playing silly ###### with his support (because he was doing so well. and 'he is year 8, you know!) - removed about a third of it without telling us first and when they finally put it back in we agreed that more than one was ok thinking they meant two (which makes sense as then there's someone to cover if one is off), we were introduced to 3, within a week we realised it was 4 and by the end of the term it was up to 7 or 8 a week

 

getting it put right was a nightmare and Y8 was a complete disaster

 

we spent last year battling with the school while Com became unmanageable, agressive, and suicidal.

 

Com now has his one to one with no more than 3 LSAs (which works well for him) and it is dedicated, he also has lots more stuff that wasn't in his statement - ASC specific teaching, time out, an escape route, ........

 

and he's back to being an exemplary student and is soooooooo much happier at home too

 

his statement is in the process of being amended to reflect the provision he is now getting

[Mother in Need]

School says my son receives 16 hours of TA support a week. BUT to my son this means NONE as they are all differerent subject TAs, none of whom know my son (nor anything about AS/ASD) and my son doens't know them and doesn't feel safe with them. This is not working and he has become very difficult to manage and school phobic also. Another child (and his family!) for whom Y8 is a disaster...

The psychiatric day unit he is currently attending is adamant he needs 1-2-1 and won't let him back in to school till this is in place. They say he needs it and hence he will get it (with their intervention ofcourse, I have asked for 1 1/2 years already...). So yes it is possible and no, subject TA's DO NOT work.

As for the matter of becoming too dependent on a TA, that is NT thinking (and might be a valid point with some other disabilities) but has nothing to do with the real needs of our ASD children. Our kids need the help and safety of one or two TAs only!

[phasmid]

The aim of any 1-1 TA should be to work themselves out of their job. They should be looking to get the child they are working with as independent as possible. But the last bit is the key "independent as possible" and that can vary from child to child and subject to subject.

 

It ought to be possible for a non-subject TA to support one child across any number of subjects. All it takes is a bit of forward planning by the teachers concerned. In all honesty all they need to do is pass the TA their lesson plan (which ought to be differentiated anyway) which would set out the learning objective, mental/oral starter, whole class teaching and a them for the plennary. That is all a TA will need - just in advance of the lesson whenever possible.

 

It isn't unreasonable to expect this support to be given, and ideally by one TA. That way the child and the TA get a chance to build a repport between them. The TA will then be able to tell when things 'are not right' because they know the child. It takes time to build up trust, having to do that with 3,4 or more TAs is, in my opinion, asking too much.

[Zemanski]

AS kids need stability - of people, environment and routine

 

they often suffer from sensory issues, need a differentiated approach and a completely different mindset - this requires training - do all those TAs have training in working with ASCs?

 

they may have issues like prosopagnosia, face blindness, which means that unless they know the person they are working with very, very well they do not even recognise them and have to start the relationship afresh each time they meet - this is bad enough with every teacher and pupil they meet day to day, just imagine if their LSA is a stranger too! - whose kid was it that said the reason he was refusing to cooperate was because the staff were strangers to him?

 

After 6 years in the same class of just 16 children Com could recognise 8 of them - this is a real issue for some children and probably more than we suspect!

 

Com's LSA is not there for academic reasons - although they do need to explain things in more detail from time to time - but solely for his social communication, personal organisation and anxiety management; there is absolutely no reason for her to be acquainted with a subject more than the average adult and anyhow she gets taught alongside Com so she should be able to keep up.

 

If a child does need academic support then they are probably working at below the average level - if the LSA can't cope with this up to Y11 then they don't have a high enough level of education themselves to be an LSA in a high school.

 

If a child is doing A levels then perhaps a subject specialist is a good idea but then we're talking about maybe 3 or 4 not 13 (Com did 13 subjects last year!).

 

subject based LSAs are simply not appropriate for children with social communication problems.

 

Zemanski

[mossgrove]

When J was in mainstream he had full-time 1:1 support specified in his statement, we also insisted that the statement said that all staff dealing with J should have had training in dealing with children with Autistic Spectrum disorders.

 

The initial statement was much more vague, but we stuck to our guns.

 

Simon

[jewels]

My son (9 yr old with AS, dx 30.09.05) doesnt get any help just now but i think they are still revewing him just now.

 

They have spoke about Visiting teacher thing and ed psycs but nothing has been set up yet, also waiting for a visual timetable for him at school but told this could take months

He has has the OT in his class twice now (he had her on tuesday and i was told he did some writing/reading and some other types of tests including something with looking at different shapes and things and trying to see if he remembered them but he got a bit of a handful at the end and lost all consentration) she also gave him a rubber knobble wedge type thing for him to sit on to try and make him sit still and to stop sliding and swinging on his chair) she also wants to get him some sort of wedge thing for his desk to make him write better but dunno how this is going to work as he shares a desk with 4 others

 

He is constantly in trouble as the teacher keeps changing things and he goes off on one. He started arguing and causing trouble with another boy and had to be taken out the class today and i found out it was because the teacher had moved them into different groups and changed desks etc.. Liam ended up sitting beside this boy who he doesnt get on with and that started him off.

 

What is this statement???

I havnt been given any kind of statement I barely know whats going on with him.

 

Hope your all well.

Take care

luv

julie xxx

[nellie]

Julie,

 

This link to the NAS explains Statements. If you have any questions, just ask.

 

NAS information on SEN procedure, NAS information sheets on Education

http://www.asd-forum.org.uk/forum/index.ph...1&st=&p=entry

 

 

Nellie xx

[nix]

Does anyone have this full time throughout the whole school day?

[lorryw]

Is there such a thing as an ASD specialist TA? Ive been a TA for over 10 years and Ive yet to meet one in a mainstream setting.

Loraine

[phasmid]

Yes, ME!

[bookwyrm]

My son had 15 hours of one-to-one support written into his statement. But he got more than that as the classroom couldn't function unless someone was sitting with him.

[sonia]

My son has an LSA who has a wealth of experience in ASD, eight years. She has supported my son dince reception and he now is in year 2. The school are supportive in training etc and we are hoping to attend early bird plus in february which the head has agreed to. My son has it written into his statement

that,

 

" ***** must be supported by learing support assistant who is trained and/or experienced in meeting the needs of pupils with ASD in mainstream school". I pushed to get the experience to be atleast 2 years but the lea would not agree. I should not complain as it took 6 months to get a final statement written, quantified and specified as I wanted so I was 99% happy. My education advisor at the NAS said it is one of the best statements she has seen in a long time and feels she knows my son.

 

Sonia x

[CarerQuie]

I voted 'no' but my son is at a Special School and his needs are being well met.xx

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

Sonia,

 

***** must be supported by learning support assistant who is trained and/or experienced in meeting the needs of pupils with ASD in mainstream school".

 

Who did you liase with to get this written in? Or did you do it right at the beginning of the process? My son already has a Statement and is quite vague, I would like something like this written into his, but the Parent Partnership lady tells me that that will never happen and that nobody has anything so specific like that written in, only if there is a need for outside professionals to come into school to give such things as OT.

 

My sons Statement review in next month and the SENCO of his new school will be attending, I don't want to get their back up before he even starts, but we have experienced support staff who have no experience in AS whatsoever other than being handed a leaflet and want to be sure he gets the right support going forward.

[phasmid]

I am pretty sure that a phrase to that effect can be found in Autistic Spectrum Disorders:Good practice guidance (this is actually a Dept of Health publication - jointly with DfES). Whist this document is not enforcable in any way it is meant illustrate 'best practice' scenario's that schools/LEAs ought to be using as a benchmark.

[sonia]

Hi

I had this written into my sons statement at the beginning although last january at the annual review parts of his statement were updated. I do not agree with what parent partnership said to you as far as I am aware they must specify and quantify. IPSEA website shows this. My advice is to speak to advocacy for education at the NAS, fab support and they can direct you.

Sonia x

[baileyj]

My son's statement is worded below:

 

Part 3: Special educational provision

Educational provision to meet needs and objectives

( staffing arrangements

� A teaching assistant, centrally funded for 20 hours to enhance school provision for Max, whose functions will be:

o To work to the direction of the class teacher and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, and through them to the direction of specialist teachers from the support services.

o To work through routine elements of Max?s programme maintaining appropriate records and reporting back on progress and difficulties as directed.

� Additional 7 ? hours teaching assistant time to be funded by the school.

� Lunchtime support, centrally funded for 2 ? hours per week, additional 2 ? hours to be funded by the school.

 

N.B. Any centrally funded resources are detailed in addition to the resources which the school itself has allocated or will be allocating. Any such allocation should be maintained (or started, in the case of a new admission to the school) from the funding which the school already receives (or will receive on admission) in respect of Max.

 

also regarding SALT:

 

© curriculum,

 

� Access to the full range of National Curriculum subjects.

� Max should have specific programmes to develop his speech, language and listening skills. These should be developed jointly on a collaborative basis by a speech and language therapist and teaching staff and delivered as an integral part of the curriculum and monitored jointly by the speech and language therapist and teaching staff.

 

It is working very well, his TA has already been TA to another ASD child in the school and stayed with her from Reception to Year 11. She is very experienced the school, the system, and has been with Max now for 18 months, starting in nursery. Max would not cope without her, she guides him through the day, backing off when necessary, and cajoling when necessary. Most importantly, she genuinley cares for Max.

 

Jo

[Tylers-mum]

My son's does!

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

Sonia, I've been in touch with the education advisor at the NAS and left a message, apparently they phone you back. I have also spoken with IPSEA, and because 2 months have lapsed since the final statement was drawn up then it will be difficult to appeal. However, because there are 4 things that the LEA are support to write to you about when they issue a final statement and I appear to being missing at least one of those things then we may be able to appeal on the basis that the 2 months notice period doesn't come into effect.

 

I am waiting for them to contact me.

 

I feel as those I have been so naive regarding Statements and there is a lot more to them than I realized, I think I have been being "fed" the things that I only need to know

 

You guys are so knowledgable, where do you find out how the system works?

[phasmid]

In my case my knowledge comes from the inside - I work in education - and through my studies for my degree.

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

Fool! I just check the Statement again and I had one issued in September when my sons Aspergers was added to his Statement but also had another one issued on the 23rd November because of his change to middle school.

 

This is within the 2 month period, so maybe I have a chance to appeal and have some things added.

 

Could someone give me an example of the kind of training one would receive in line with "Providing training for all staff in special educational needs in line with the Disibility Discrimination Code of Practice"?

[phasmid]

It could be anything really. I took staff from my school to an open day for parents and professionals organised by a now defunct local support group. There were 4 seminars run as well as a general Q&A session as well. It was very good and supported by the loacal NAS branch. They all came away with a better undestanding of what ASDs really meant for the child (and the parents!). It could also be something organised by the school itself such as an inset day where an outside expert is asked in to talk to staff...and so on. It is a bit ambiguos in the wording really and is therefore very open to interpretation by the powers that be.

 

It ought to follow the sort of things laid down in the Autistic Apectrum Disorders:good practice guidance (This is available on-line via the DfES or teachernet - if you can't find it let me know and I'll seek the link for you).

 

HTH

[carrieq]

After quite a turn around from the school thinking ds was simply controlling he ended up with 1-1 support full time from May 05 to Nov 05. He now has a named person assigned to him who is there when needed but otherwise works with groups he is with. He used to be taken out in the morning to avoid excess stimuli and then spend pms with the class but he is now in the classroom all day except for his slt sessions, learning support time and inclusion support service input.

Carrie

[invent 10 things b4 breakfast]

Finally someone from IPSEA phone be back today. Her advice was to quickly file for a tribunal as I only have until next Monday. She said it can then take 4 months to get to the hearing.

 

She recommended getting an individual Education Psychologist report carried out, then telling me it was about ?400 Has anyone actually got one of these done and was it any use? It's a lot of money!

 

Apparently she (and you guys ) are right, I can get more detailed support written into my sons statement, eg specifying that LSA's are TEACCH trained. I reiterated what my PP lady had been telling me and I was told that she was wrong and that although LEA's have their own policies they don't stand up when it comes to the law, so to throw away the manual that comes with the tribunal form!

 

Also I have a letter from my LEA which came with my statement that states I am responsible for my son's travel because his school is out of catchment, again I was a "policy" and, when taken to tribunal, would not stand up.

 

The only thing I am concerned about is the fact that he is changing schools and I don't want to give a bad impression to the new school of us being nightmare parents. However, saying that, the IPSEA lady said that it would be in the schools interests to specify because when it is specified then the school don't have to find it from their budget, it then comes from the LEA.

 

I am feeling more confident, although she did warn me it wouldn't be easy, I just hope I have the strength for it.

Edited January 16, 2006 by invent 10 things b4 breakfast

[helenl53]

Hi Becky

 

I have come in late to this thread.

 

Are IPSEA going to help you with the appeal to SENDIST?

 

 

Think you are learning quick how the 'system' works.

 

I think that you need IPSEA or NAS when you are tackling these things.

 

PM me if you need any help

 

Best wishes

 

Helen