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Should Aspergers child be put in a behavioural pupil referral unit?

missjw

I am just about at the end of my tether with my daughter's schooling.

She was diagnosed with ADHD/Dyspraxia aged 7 and Asperger's aged 12, she is also epileptic. She is now aged 14 and in year 10.

She attended mainstream school until year 8, when the school insisted they had 'tried everything they could' and said that they felt they were just 'babysitting' her. She was moved to a small unit which had no structure or fixed rules and this was a disaster. Following several attempts to get into a suitable PRU, she was finally given a part time place in June 2013.

She has received 2 exclusions already due to her meltdowns, where her language can be quite colourful, although she is not violent; she will refuse flatly to work and staff are concerned about the effect this is having on other vulnerable students.

She is very difficult to motivate in and out of school and rewards/consequences etc... have no effect.

Anyway, the executive head of the PRU has now decided that she does not want my daughter there any longer (although she has passed this desire on to me via another staff member); and there is suggestions of her being moved to a PRU for behavioural difficulties. I intend to challenge this as i believe her outbursts are her way of coping with sensory overload (high pitched voices seem to be a trigger), not out of intention.

I have been struggling with schools for over 10 years now and have rarely gone a week without her being sent home.

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar problems, to me it seems so unfair that a child with a diagnosed conditiion should be dismissed as a 'naughty kid'.

  • Hi - this must be awful for both of you.  Social care is so short of funding now that if you needs are not "high" or "severe", then sufficient funding from them is difficult to get.  If he doesn't fit the categories for being part funded by health then you end up in the situation you're presently in.  This leads to the problems you both now have.  You somehow need to get his assessments into the "high" brackets, not on every indicator, but on several of them.  You need to highlight how life would be for him if you were not intervening to help.  This is v important.  By doing what any loving parent would do you may inadvertently be facilitating him getting a "moderate" instead of a "high" score.  I did something similar to you for a few years.  It will take a toll on your emotional and physical health and cannot be maintained indefinitely, esp when your other son is taken into account.  Get a carer's assessment, as has been suggested.  Explain how his life would be if you couldn't give all this support any longer. That is v relevant.  What if you were ill, how would things deteriorate?  Get your GP involved in relation to yourself and your son.   

  • Hi,

    Why is your don so unhappy in his flat? What does he need in order to be more happy?

    You can appeal Social service decisions.

  • I think you need to get an assessment of need as their carer by social services.  His brother can also have an assessment of need by them.

    Perhaps you could write a letter to social services detailing what you have said and copy in his GP.  Perhaps if it's all laid out on paper they will see the dilemma.  If someone came in to help him with meals then he would have more money spare, but also I think you can appeal social services decisions, ask them.

  • My son is 28 has a dx of aspergers and is living alone very miserably in a council flat. His mental health has deteriorated really since puberty and probably a lot to do with school experiences amongst other issues. He has finally after a massive battle had a community care assessment by a mental health social worker. Long story but adult social care refused after initially accepting as they wanted mental health to fund it. After weeks of meetings we were delighted to learn he had been assessed as needing 8 hours. The disappointing part is after a financial input from adult social care he would have to pay the first £90 a week! I was prepared for them to maybe ask for a contribution but he does not have £90 a week spare. Yes he gets dla (middle care low mobility) and is on esa but as he has been living alone for 2 years he uses most of his money. As he doesnt cook ( ready meals and takeaways) his food is expensive and as he is so unhappy in the flat he goes away on short trips to Manchester just to escape. After receiving the latest NAS mag and reading about personal budgets and how you could buy an ipad, get driving lessons, pay a carer to take you to shows etc i am confused as the NAS doesnt suggest you pay for it all yourself or are they referring to adults still living at home? Has anyone else had experience of this? My son hits problems most of the time if he goes to town alone and has started losing his temper up town as he thinks ( and is sometimes right!) that people are taking the mickey. I already have given up a lot of time to attend appts, take him out, visit saturday and sundays, have long phone calls everyday and rush to his flat whenever he needs me. I am also supporting his newly diagnosed brother 26 who still lives at home. What would happen if i wasnt there?

  • Thanks for that, i'll take a good look now; I've never come across it before.

  • What about something like this http://www.academus.org.uk/ (a virtual/online school) which the LA can pay for?  It would be possible to do at home or from a school or LA premises.

    A PRU will have children with all sorts of behavioural issues which may compound your daughter's problems.  She sounds like she needs a break.