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A statement for my HFA daughter year 7!

tbag

Hi all

Just to update you all and offer hope to others;

My now 12 year old daughter has been given a statement and a place in a school with a base for autism! (massive sigh of relief!). This is despite having good literacy skills and her primary school and high school (which she only attended 8 times!) both telling the Educational psychologist that they didn't notice any problems. If you read my previous postings you will see my daughter had massive problems at school, but all of the suffering was her's. She was well behaved and did her work, thats all that mattered to them! It has been a real struggle to get her any support, she is passive autistic and has a blank expression that doesn't show signs of distress until she gets home and lets it all out. Her cognative age was 7 on the psychologists test, the school did not notice!!!!

But we have got there in the end! This is hopefully the start of proper help and understanding for her! :)

  • That must have been infuriating.  I'm not a bit fan of Camhs tbh from both personal and professional point of view but I believe there are some good workers out there.

    I was lucky in that the primary school were the ones to tell me there was a problem however they never suspected being on the spectrum until she was 10 and then didn't want to put words in my mouth.  Sadly, the first paedatrician she saw thought it was all 'in my head'.

    She had two EP reports at primary but I don't think either mentioned a cognitive age.  There were lots of scores on there that meant nothing to me and I only know her IQ because at the transition meeting, the new Senco asked the EP.

    How come you have to wait until September before she starts school?  Can she not start mid year?

  • The assessment service will send you a list of schools at some piont during the statementing process. If a school is named in a statement for your child they should be able to get transport provided. I don't know how this works in other areas but where I live you apply for transport seperatly after the statement has been agreed.I'm in Essex. My friends ASD son has a chaperone in a taxi, the same chaperone every day. I will be requesting this for my daughter. It was difficult to get support for my daughter, she had a passive blank expression all the time at school and in front of proffesionals. She would not speak at her camhs assessment so the whole report read 'mum says this' 'mum says that' even though the lady could see my daughter whispering to me! It made me sound like a mad woman making it up! Both schools said they didn't notice a problem, which was complete lies! The EP report was really helpful for our case. She highlighted my daughters vulnerability And did lots of different 'tests' that showed my daughter has much less understanding than her vocabulary would lead you to think. She reported my daughter has the cognitive age of 7, I couldn't make that up! It proved the schools were wrong, not me!

  • I'm encouraged to hear that you have got a statement as I have almost prepared my paperwork to send off to the LEA.  Its given me some hope as I'm doubting I will get one given previous failure.

    I'm not sure where my daughter is on the spectrum. When I asked, I think the consultant was worried about upsetting her as she does tend to cry a lot in front of him! so didn't say but I think he was implying not at the higher end.  Her IQ is low - approx 75 and she has specific learning difficulties but never enough until now to get a statement.

    When I spoke to the lady from Parent Partnership, she encouraged me to apply for the statement and told me about a school that has a specific ASD unit in Weymouth however, its about 30 miles from us.  My daughters sensory disorder is quite acute and I think the travelling would be too much for her.

    I'm a bit new to all of this and have no idea how to go finding a school with a specific ASD unit attached.  

  • Still so similar!  The difference is, my daughter was off for a whole half term with anxiety and the professionals wouldn't believe me!  She had a home visit from CAMHS to do a mental health assessment and had told a variety of professionals it was school making her in the state she was in and they were still blaming me!  Saying I was inventing it and causing her anxiety.  I did everything the right way too, seeking professional input and doing everything to support her.  My younger child is also more severely on the spectrum in some aspects.

    Afraid there is no PM facility on here!

  • Hi Intenseworld,

    thank you so much, your support on here has made the whole stressful process a lot easier to cope with. Is there not a PM on here?It would be great to share stories with someone who can relate! My daughter was signed off school on medical grounds as 'anxious school refuser'. The EP had to do a home visit! She has a place in a school with specialist provision for autism to start in sept. In the meantime she has a home tutor 4 times a week, funded on medical grounds. I aslo have a son who will be 4 in june, he was diagnosed with autism, sensory processing difficulties and developmental delays 2 days after turning 3. Because he is more severe, support is always more easily given for him, whereas my daughter everything has been a battle. It doesn't make sense, as he is very happy most of the time, while my daughter was in great distress!

  • Wow.  You have virtually told the exact same story as my own 12yo and her pattern of events.  Wish there was PM facility on this site, we could morally support each other as well as exchange anecdotes.

    The only difference is that she is at mainstream which doesn't have an ASC facility, they didn't specify her emotional age - but did state that she is emotionally immature and she attended school for more than 8 times (went for about 3 months before staying off with stress).