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School not helping 8 y/o with Aspergers...

Doris

Hi!  Sorry - this is a long one!

I'm really not sure how much help anyone can be as obviously every situation/child is so different but I'm hoping I might get some opinions and ideas from you guys 'in the know'!  My son is awaiting the Multi-disciplinary meeting to formalise the diagnosis of Aspergers.  The consultant has told us that she is certain he has it and the meetings should hopefully be a formality.  DS also has Dyspraxia causing problems with both fine and gross motor functions.  He currently attends a Sensory Circuits group before school each morning, uses a writing slope and pencil grips.  We're awaiting his next review to look at a possible physio referral for his posture.

DS copes very well in school generally - usual ASD issues with friendships, organisation, rigidity of rules, etc. etc. that come and go but on an even keel with no real help from school. However, we are well aware that he is not achieving anything like he should be academically.  For all standardised tests, DS's scores are 125-135 and the school have acknowledged (verbally) that he is 'gifted and talented' in literacy, numeracy and science.  We know that he is a very bright little boy with a huge vocabulary, an incredible memory and an fantastic ability to figure things out.  (Sometimes the very simple things are the ones that challenge him the most!) To look at his work in school however you would think he was distinctly 'average'.

*I should say at this point that we are in no way pushy parents.  Both my husband and I are teachers (DH is currently an education adviser for the County, I was a Primary teacher an part time SENCo but am no longer teaching due to having M.E.) so have a good understanding of children's abilities.  We aren't all that interested in high levels just so long as our children are happy.  We know that DS isn't perfect but we know that he is very bright, we know that he is incredibly frustrated at school and we know that he isn't meeting his potential.*

The school currently have him down as a level 3a across the board which is good for Y4, they have him predicted to get Level 5a in Y6 Assessments but in his written work he is only ever producing a level 3c.  We have asked many many times how on earth they are hoping to get him to achieve these very high Y6 levels and they have no answer.  Basically, they 'know' that he is bright and they 'know' that he has all the individual skills to achieve greatness but he never PROVES it in school.  He is slow to write in literacy (even with the OT things in place), he is slow to type (and they are even slower to give him a laptop for typing tutor practice) and, more crucially, he is a total daydreamer/over-thinker when it comes to brain-to-paper activities.  Maths is a good example - the teacher says he achieves all the desired learning objectives but never quickly enough to move on to the extension tasks, even though she knows he is perfectly capable of doing those too.  That means that all the children in his group are being stretched and given real 'thinking' activities and he never gets this chance.  In literacy he is so bogged down with recording things that he misses out on the activities that come when you're finished, and in science he rarely gets to finish practical activities as he is still copying things from the board or recording a title and date!

Aaaagggghhhh!  With the maths example, the teacher sympathised(!) but said there was nothing she could do because she doesn't have a TA with her.  We know as teachers that there are other things she can do like find a different way for him to record ideas, use a partner to help, structure the work easier, give him less 'basic' stuff so he has time to move on to the extension, etc.... but we are no experts in this.  I guess my question to you all is - what do we do?!  The SENCo seems resistant to help and I can't help but think that this is because they have no official diagnosis so she doesn't have to help, plus DS is a quiet, well behaved little boy who flies under the radar, doesn't do their stats any harm and his parents are 'nice'.  We are still battling over whether he is actually on the school register as having SEN (I would think he'd be SAP) let alone having an IEP. 

Are we being mugs?  Should we go in and demand they do more? What more could they do?  What are our rights? Are we being unreasonable?  We're beginning to look towards secondary schools now, and although we haven't made any definite choices yet, we're pretty sure DS will need to pass an entrants exam for the more suitable schools which based on current he progress he just won't!  More to the point, he is bored with school, bored with lessons and has an increasingly low self-esteem when it comes to learning.

Sigh.  Sorry for wittering on so long!!!  I'll be grateful for any wise words before heading into school to do battle!!!!

Thank you!  Doris

  • Yes. Absolutely agreed.  Deep breath and into school...!

  • "adequate progress" isn't enough if he is capable of more though.  The law says the education has to be suitable to age and aptitude.

  • Thanks for the replies. 

    IntenseWorld - I found all the links really useful thank you.  I've gone back over the local guidance and feel a little more 'fore-armed' now!  I don't think there's even the remotest chance that he'd get a statement, specially as the school have him recorded as making 'adequate progress' (he isn't, but we're finding it hard to prove that).  And actually *I* don't think he needs that - just something in between that or nothing.  But the thing that keeps ringing around my head is the NC Inclusion statement which definitely does NOT apply to our son's education. 

    I'll be contacting Parent Partnership too thanks. It's amazing how you don't think of these things when you've been out of the game for a few years.

     

     

    Upsy Daisy - Thank you too.  You are right about the IEP - there is NO reason why he shouldn't have one.  We should have pushed for this before. 

    You make very interesting points about zoning out and downtime - both utterly relevant to DS.  I had considered the visual timetable before and dismissed it - I didn't think he needed it as he copes well with changes generally.  BUT this is something else that could be playing on his mind and distracting him from his education.  As with many ASD children, he gets home from school and it all comes out.  Perhaps we, and school, don't realise just how much this is all impacting on him. 

    I will mention all of this to his teacher/SENCo at next meeting.  One problem we have with becoming 'one of those parents' is that we are very well known at the school.  My husband taught there for ten years (left before DS started) and I volunteer there.  We know all the teachers and SENCo really well which makes it much harder to be forceful.  It shouldn't of course because this is our son's education and happiness at stake.

     

    Thanks again.

  • http://www.specialeducationalneeds.co.uk/iep---individual-education-plan.html

    "The IEP is not a legal document, which means that the LEA does not have to produce a plan or make sure that a child receives any support that is outlined in the plan."

    A statement is the only way to go to ensure your child gets the support they need, providing their needs are sufficient to warrant one.  Here are the guidelines about what areas statements cover:

    https://www.gov.uk/children-with-special-educational-needs/overview

  • In my opinion there is no better reason for a child to have an IEP than that his recorded levels fall short of his ability. 

    You are clearly well aware of the interventions the teacher could use to support him so start writing or emailing them asking that this is done and an IEP is written to formalise the process.

    I would also ask them to consider the sensory environment. Both my daughters and other children I know too, become overwhelmed by sensory input in the classroom and can zone out as a self defence mechanism. Even if your son isn't getting to the point of zoning out altogether, the sensory environment may well be disrupting his concentration. You can ask for an OT to come and offer strategies to minimise this disruption. Ask him too because he may not have realised the value of sharing this information with you.

    Also, he may be doing well socially, but that might be very hard work and be happening at a cost to his ability to learn. Does he have any down time during the school day where he can take a break from the demands of social interaction? Would he want it if it were available? Sometimes 20 minutes reading in the library instead of going into the playground at break or lunchtime can work wonders for a child's ability to concentrate afterwards.

    Make sure there is a visual timetable available to him throughout the day and it's detailed enough to allow him to prepare himself for what's next. It needs to include the normal routine and anything that's slightly different about that day. It doesn't need pictures - he's too able for that - so a list on a whiteboard for the whole class to see would probably be best.

    You will have to get used to being one of 'those' parents. it took me a while but I'm hardened to it now. If your son's needs are not obvious in school they are likely to be sidelined and you are his only true advocate.

    You know that lack of a TA is no excuse not to meet his needs. If they really feel that you're asking too much they are free to apply for a statutory assessment, as are you.

    I hope that helps 

  • Just to also add, according to the Equality Act 2010 all public bodies have to make reasonable adjustments for someone with a disability.

    http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/education-providers-schools-guidance/key-concepts/reasonable-adjustments/

  • The simplest answer would be to apply for a statement, although unless you can demonstrate his socialising or behavioural issues (which can include anxiety) are affecting his accessing the education then it might prove very difficult to get one.

    I would write to the head requesting to know what support he is on in writing and whether he has an IEP.  As I'm sure you know, IEPs are not a legal requirement of schools, but you can ask for official notification whether he is on SA or SA+.

    Contact IPSEA or Parent Partnership for advice as they can tell you what your rights are and where you go from here.

    But you are right, in law, schools have a duty to provide a high quality education, you might find this information useful because if a child is not educated according to their aptitudes and abilities they are falling short of requirements:

    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/56/section/9
     
    9 Pupils to be educated in accordance with parents’ wishes.

    In exercising or performing all their respective powers and duties under the Education Acts, the Secretary of [F1State and local education authorities]shall have regard to the general principle that pupils are to be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents, so far as that is compatible with the provision of efficient instruction and training and the avoidance of unreasonable public expenditure. 

    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/56/section/7 

    7 Duty of parents to secure education of children of compulsory school age. 

    The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—

    (a)to his age, ability and aptitude, and

    (b)to any special educational needs he may have,

    either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. 

    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/56/section/13A 

    F1 13A Duty to promote high standards in primary and secondary education. 

    (1)A local education authority shall ensure that their functions relating to the provision of education to which this section applies are (so far as they are capable of being so exercised) exercised by the authority with a view to promoting high standards.

    (2)This section applies to education for—

    (a)persons of compulsory school age (whether at school or otherwise); and

    (b)persons of any age above or below that age who are registered as pupils at schools maintained by the authority;

    and in subsection (1) “functions” means functions of whatever nature.]