Hello everybody
I'm in the process of compiling my letter to the LA to ask for an assessment on my 10 year old lad. He is higher functioning so his grades aren't way down, my problems lie mainly in his communication and behaviour.
He is so easily led, for example he jumped off a building within the school grounds 14 times because some children told him to, he angers at others so easily, headlocks tries to the strangle them etc but manages to "hide" his behaviours from his teachers and letting rip at home instead. I do have schools backing on asking for an assessment but have been told they feel its unlikely because hes a bright boy.
Could anybody give me some wisdom on what sort of information to put into this letter or general advise please? I feel so sad that everybody tells me he won't get a statement because he's not failing in his actual progress, why should he not get the support because he masks things and then meltdowns at home instead :(
Thanks so much
mum25
I've been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome aged 17 (this should be my new catchphrase, seriously) and I suffered every single day at primary and high school. I've always gotten A's or A*'s in all my subjects (except PE, massive fail in that department) and I've always hidden my feelings about teachers or people or my subjects from school, because due to my grades they didn't see any reason to treat me differently other than to give me more work and mke me do more harder and challenging things. I always used to rant to my mum when I got home and she'd be the one to get on the phone and argue for me because I didn't (still don't) have the confidence to speak directly to teachers, mainly because I don't know the right way to do it.
It took a small mental breakdown (stayed up 10 hours straight on a school night trying to get a terms' worth of Maths accelerated homework done that night) to make mum call up the GP and ask if I could be refferred for what we thought at the time was OCD. Because they thought I may be at risk due to how long I've had to suffer through all these emotions I got referred to CAHMs, where I met with a psychologist after an initial assessment who then diagnosed me with Aspergers Syndrome.
Admittedly it took a while to get diagnosed because of trying to find a psychologist that was free to assess me (6 months or so) but since the diagnosis life at school has become so much easier, its hard to adjust to their sudden attitude change but it is easier. Teachers are more accomodating, I'm free to go to a quiet place if I need to and the SEN department are now looking out for me.
If your son's higher functioning then like me he might not know how to express himself in the school environment. I was always terrified of getting a detention or being classified as a bad student because my reputation as a hard worker was the only thing that would make teachers listen to me when I chose to speak up.
I've been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome aged 17 (this should be my new catchphrase, seriously) and I suffered every single day at primary and high school. I've always gotten A's or A*'s in all my subjects (except PE, massive fail in that department) and I've always hidden my feelings about teachers or people or my subjects from school, because due to my grades they didn't see any reason to treat me differently other than to give me more work and mke me do more harder and challenging things. I always used to rant to my mum when I got home and she'd be the one to get on the phone and argue for me because I didn't (still don't) have the confidence to speak directly to teachers, mainly because I don't know the right way to do it.
It took a small mental breakdown (stayed up 10 hours straight on a school night trying to get a terms' worth of Maths accelerated homework done that night) to make mum call up the GP and ask if I could be refferred for what we thought at the time was OCD. Because they thought I may be at risk due to how long I've had to suffer through all these emotions I got referred to CAHMs, where I met with a psychologist after an initial assessment who then diagnosed me with Aspergers Syndrome.
Admittedly it took a while to get diagnosed because of trying to find a psychologist that was free to assess me (6 months or so) but since the diagnosis life at school has become so much easier, its hard to adjust to their sudden attitude change but it is easier. Teachers are more accomodating, I'm free to go to a quiet place if I need to and the SEN department are now looking out for me.
If your son's higher functioning then like me he might not know how to express himself in the school environment. I was always terrified of getting a detention or being classified as a bad student because my reputation as a hard worker was the only thing that would make teachers listen to me when I chose to speak up.
