Let down by the system - can you help us ??

Thanks coogy i have never read the sen code of practise,maybe i need to take a bit of time to do this,the teacher that he has now actually apologised to me and said it wasnt her,it was the teacher before,i went in saw the senco straightaway and she said he shouldnt have been taken off it. xx

mumof4boys772

You may wish to familiarize yourself with the SEN code of Practice. I'm pretty sure it's a breach of code to remove a child from an IEP, without first discussing it with the parents and without their being just cause or significant improvement.

www.gov.uk/.../send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

I have done a post to K2ako, with information which you could also find use to help you, but it has been sent to moderation. 

Coogy.

Hello K2ako,

  Can I just say, I think this is disgracful!

Firstly, I think you should file a formal complaint to the School. All Schools have a duty of care to the children in their charge and privicy guidelines surrounding a childs special needs information. To publish on a smartboard; in front on the whole class, your childs special needs, is not only a breach of confidentiality, but has seriously compromised your childs safety and mental health as a result. Ask the School for a copy of their formal complaints proceedure and get assitance to file an official complaint to the governing body immediately.

Secondly, I believe you need more support, as clearly your concerns are not being taken seriously. Have you contacted IPSEA?

www.ipsea.org.uk/.../services

They have a helpline and should be able to give you advice on addtional things you can do, toward getting your son diagnosed and correctly supported.

Sadly, your story is indicative of many parents with children on the spctrum and his reaction to the poor understanding of SEN by the School, is a clear indication that your sons needs are not being met. You should also read the SEN Code of Practice and familiarize yourself with your rights and that of your sons.

www.gov.uk/.../send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

Invarably, when a mother has a gut feeling something is wrong, then their is? If you have this feeling then don't doubt it. Has your son had assessments from the EP, OT, SALT etc?

Very often the reason for denying support, is insufficent information. If the School are as incompetant as they appear, their is a good chance that they have not notified any outside agencies of his difficulties, so their will be little evidence to support those concerns. If your son has not had referrals to assess the above, then you can obtain them privately or ask your GP to refer your son for assessment to the individual specialists in the NHS. Private assessment is costly,but very quick (And, their is no hidden adgenda, so the reports are solely in the childs interests and not influenced by the LA's budget for children with SEN.) If you have independant evidence that your child has specific difficulties, then the NHS will look into this with follow up (Short) assessments themselves. Gradually, a more balanced picture will be formed.

Do pursue the EHP and ask IPSEA for assistance with this.

Sadly, your story is not unique. The problem however, is that as parents we believe in the process. As described in this short video, all too often parents have to fight for support for their children.

www.facebook.com/.../

I'm assuming that your son is in Secondary now. If your son does not receive the correct support and the school don't treat him with the dignity and respect he deserves, you may need to reconcider his secondary placement for a School more supportive of his needs.

I wish you every success. Do ask If I can be of more assistance.

Coogy xx

Post

K2ako,

Getting the right support and assistance for someone on the spectrum is difficult and there are many posters on the forum who are really struggling to get everything in place at school and at home. The forum is a place to pose problems so there are often more problems than answers.

Autism is a complex problem but there is a lot of material (books and websites) that can help you crack the code and help you make the right environment for someone with autism. We are often very sensitive to the social surroundings and to our physical environment. These can often be changed but sometimes the environment is too broken and it is not your responsbility to fix a failing school for example.

There are also a lot of organisations and people who can really make a difference. Schools can be immensely supportive but other schools can be ignorant and useless. The same goes for GPs, mental health teams, social services etc etc.

Have you discussed your current problems with your GP? They should be the first people to talk to when you have got to the point where you are at. Do they know the delay and the consequences that your son is going through?

Hello K2ako,

  Can I just say, I think this is disgracful!

Firstly, I think you should file a formal complaint to the School. All Schools have a duty of care to the children in their charge and privicy guidelines surrounding a childs special needs information. To publish on a smartboard; in front on the whole class, your childs special needs, is not only a breach of confidentiality, but has seriously compromised your childs safety and mental health as a result. Ask the School for a copy of their formal complaints proceedure and get assitance to file an official complaint to the governing body immediately.

Secondly, I believe you need more support, as clearly your concerns are not being taken seriously. Have you contacted IPSEA?

www.ipsea.org.uk/.../services

They have a helpline and should be able to give you advice on addtional things you can do, toward getting your son diagnosed and correctly supported.

Sadly, your story is indicative of many parents with children on the spctrum and his reaction to the poor understanding of SEN by the School, is a clear indication that your sons needs are not being met. You should also read the SEN Code of Practice and familiarize yourself with your rights and that of your sons.

www.gov.uk/.../send-code-of-practice-0-to-25

Invarably, when a mother has a gut feeling something is wrong, then their is? If you have this feeling then don't doubt it. Has your son had assessments from the EP, OT, SALT etc?

Very often the reason for denying support, is insufficent information. If the School are as incompetant as they appear, their is a good chance that they have not notified any outside agencies of his difficulties, so their will be little evidence to support those concerns. If your son has not had referrals to assess the above, then you can obtain them privately or ask your GP to refer your son for assessment to the individual specialists in the NHS. Private assessment is costly,but very quick (And, their is no hidden adgenda, so the reports are solely in the childs interests and not influenced by the LA's budget for children with SEN.) If you have independant evidence that your child has specific difficulties, then the NHS will look into this with follow up (Short) assessments themselves. Gradually, a more balanced picture will be formed.

Do pursue the EHP and ask IPSEA for assistance with this.

Sadly, your story is not unique. The problem however, is that as parents we believe in the process. As described in this short video, all too often parents have to fight for support for their children.

www.facebook.com/.../

I'm assuming that your son is in Secondary now. If your son does not receive the correct support and the school don't treat him with the dignity and respect he deserves, you may need to reconcider his secondary placement for a School more supportive of his needs.

I wish you every success. Do ask If I can be of more assistance.

Coogy xx

Unofrtunately scholls can ahve no idea what we have to handle as parents,the last 3 or 4 years have been very very tough for us,its has been constant,it has been violent,its has been outragious with lots of screaming and swearing from our child and one teacher last year in her great wisdom decided to take him off his iep, telling him to tell mum to take him to the optician as he was blinking a lot!!!! the reason he was blinking a lot was because he was anxious!

Come this year,different teacher,senco off a lot on sick, teacher says to me, "i think your child is on the autistic spectrum"!  but because the peadatrician has not had any info from school we have been told by pead he has autistic traits,sensorys issues and hypercussis....................

Dad has just had a heart attack, he did smoke and we had tonnes of stress through all this, and hes had stents fitted and my son is still having meltdowns and calling his dad a big fat bast**d and kicking and screaming and being violent.

The teacher has been good says she will do this that the other,whever it materlises or not i dont know,meanwhile i have printed and laminated him a visual time table for home and an american anger chart about good and bad choices,its about time i put my bottom into gear,its been very very hard as ive been feeling really depressed and not wanting to do anything because of how we are living but have realised untill i do anything things will not change.

I sincerely wish you good luck and make the right choices for your child xxxx

Mainstream schools vary. Some are suitable for ASD kids some simply aren't. Some have special units for handling autistic kids, some have no idea how to handle them. A lot will depend on the catchment area - I would imagine, from their reaction, that the kids at this school may not be from a good catchment area.

Thank you for your advice. I will be putting everything in writing. I just find it so hard that no one wants to help us.

I am keen to work with school or anyone who will help us.

I am also thinking that mainstream may not be the way anymore

The school shd hang their heads in shame.  It sounds like they don't want to make the effort.  That may be the case even after he's diagnosed.  You can hang on too long in a bad situation instead of calling a halt.  Your son sounds really unhappy.  I can understand why.  I'd get a doctor's not to keep him off school until his diagnosis comes thru.  I'd be investigation more appropriate schooling for him during that time.  Mainstream sometimes isn't the right place for our children, even with all the necessary supports, never mind without them.  There'll be info on this site via the home pg relating to your rights + also on the ipsea site.  If I were you, I'd put everything in writing from now on, then you can prove things if need be.  Good luck.

that is a consideration I am holding out for this pathway diagnosis meeting to see what comes of that. part of me thinks whay should I move him and cause him more anxiety through more change as this is is first year at secondary school

Can you move him to another school? This may sound defeatist but it may be the quickest way to get him into a better environment.