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PLEASE - Son diagnosed autistic 14 now struggling re statement

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My son was diagnosed autistic in May 12 aged 14. I pushed for this after many years of problems. He has never been picked up in school - - - long story and now we have so much ground to make up.

This is a very late diagnosis and his education to date has been nothing less than a torment and frustration to him.... now we know why. My son is below average in all subjects and considerably below in others - though he is intelligent and capable in other settings. Further my son refuses school and sometimes walks out. He is not badly behaved he is simply unable to manage. His experiences of education to date are poor, he recieves repeated negatiuve feedback, is often called lazy, manipulative and stubborn. 

My question is do I push for a statement? 

I have requested the SENCO at school refer my son for statement though I cannot help feeling she is being obstructive. She has written that staementing process is very different these days and school can meet most childrens needs within budget etc. She has questioned my son's diagnosis in both her emails, asking who did it, when etc. It is clear she thinks I have told lies???? I have no idea what the agenda is here...

Why do I want a statement:

Because my son is going into year 10 in Sept and only has 2 years of formal education left.

He has a great deal to make up and it is clear he has a range of difficulties thriving or making progress in his everyday school environment without more help. 

Although school have been helpful nothing seems joined up or focused. My sons low moral, underachievement etc are evidence that they are not aware of his specific needs & nor are there any specific targeted plans to help him. 

Maybe, just maybe, if my son has a thourough assessment and an education plan tailored to his needs + support then he might experience the joy of education that many of his peers enjoy. Maybe his new experiences will influence his future choices about further education and most importantly improve his life chances in the long run. 

I would love to know what other people think... Time is of the eccence and I have nobody objective with knowledge of this area to bounce off.

Any information is better than nothing

Thanks Thanks 

Parents

  • Hi again,

    If your son is depressed, or showing signs of not improving from a depressive state, you could try what my mum did and refer him to CAHMs via your local GP.

    I was only diagnosed because one teacher noticed how much I was struggling with OCD tendancies and recommended (discreetly and with the promise I wouldn't tell the other teachers he said so, as though afraid he'd lose his job) I get tested for OCD.

    The GP was surprisingly good, she acknowledged how upset I was getting simply describing my problems and referred me to CAHMs right away for assessment. I'll admit, CAHM's took a lot of months to organise a meeting to 'test' me for autism (the psychologist in the very first meeting recognised the similarities between my symptoms and another young aspie patient of hers), but within weeks, I had a formal statement and diagnosis as well as continued support until about a month ago to help me adjust with my diagnosis as well as how to cope in school and in daily life.

    CAHMs are also a lot more informed with the whole legal procedures about what schools can, can't, should and could do for you personally, and can even arrange meetings with the school to discuss how they can adapt to help you.

    Best of luck.

Reply

  • Hi again,

    If your son is depressed, or showing signs of not improving from a depressive state, you could try what my mum did and refer him to CAHMs via your local GP.

    I was only diagnosed because one teacher noticed how much I was struggling with OCD tendancies and recommended (discreetly and with the promise I wouldn't tell the other teachers he said so, as though afraid he'd lose his job) I get tested for OCD.

    The GP was surprisingly good, she acknowledged how upset I was getting simply describing my problems and referred me to CAHMs right away for assessment. I'll admit, CAHM's took a lot of months to organise a meeting to 'test' me for autism (the psychologist in the very first meeting recognised the similarities between my symptoms and another young aspie patient of hers), but within weeks, I had a formal statement and diagnosis as well as continued support until about a month ago to help me adjust with my diagnosis as well as how to cope in school and in daily life.

    CAHMs are also a lot more informed with the whole legal procedures about what schools can, can't, should and could do for you personally, and can even arrange meetings with the school to discuss how they can adapt to help you.

    Best of luck.

Children
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