Hello all,
My son has Aspergers and Dyslexia. He's post 16 now and supposidly supported by conneXions at College. Since leaving School his statatement has ended and he's been given a MOAP/LDA (Moving on action plan/Learning Disability Assessment.) The problem is very little of his assessment has been implimented and he's half way through his college year. He's a bright lad and with the right support could have managed the level of course he was on, however he's struggling because he cannot read and write so they've dropped him down a level. If he had the assistive software identified in his MOAP he would have been able to access the course literature, but it hasn't been supplied!
Since moving to the college he's truly struggled. His behavoiural outbursts have increased and so have his night terrors. The change of College was meant to be supported by transition support delivered by a Targeted Youth Worker, but again this never transpired. The last text I recieved from the TYW was in Nov 2013 saying he'd be in touch. I've since found out the guy has left the job, but no substitute has been put forward. My sons well supported at home, but is really being let down by the educational establishment and the LEA.
Both my husband and I have struggled dreadfully over the past 6 months to keep him on track. He dropped out of education in Jan, but has now returned. He was so well supported at his last School and the dysparity is so huge between College and School that he's drowning. He says he feels abandoned.
My experiences so far have been horrendous with post 16 provision and I've heard some pretty poor stories with regard to SS, so what I want to know is,
Is their a mentor service or targeted support that I can access to help him get back on track and support him with his needs?
We live in Sussex and i've contacted my local centre Autisum Sussex, but they say their is only funding in West Sussex for targeted support. This is not what their website reads so i challenged it again some months later and got the same response.http://www.autismsussex.org.uk/WhatWeDo/YoungPeople
ConneXions tell me their is nothing for High Functioning Aspergers sufferers in East Sussex.
There is the YES service for youth with SEN, but this is designed to support once the young person becomes a NEET. This really feels like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted and I don't want him to get to meldown before he gets any assistance.
The strain is begining to take it's toll on the family and i'm so weary of having the doors shut in my face. Am I alone in this difficulty or are others finding the same problem? Is this a common problem in other areas?
We are limited in funds, but i'd even consider private assistance if such a thing exists! Thanks for listening,
Yours Exhausted
Coogybear
