Mainstream or special?

Hi,

I'm in the next county over, but no I haven't heard of any. It is a lottery though. At the moment, I have one who travels 80 miles (1 1/2hrs) a day & does a 12 hour day, and it's just transpired he's got virtually no support, despite a comprehensive LDA (Learning disability Assessment.) My other travels over an hour, but with some extensive intervention on my part, is now well supported and thriving academically. His health however, is another issue. Both are older than your child though.

One went to a specialist primary for a short while; which again was an hours journey, (after a disasteroius mainstream primary experience) and this was a great stepping stone to secondary, but both my boys are high functioning and needed stretching so at the end of thier primary we opted for mainstream Secondary. It's worth mentioning at this point that the School we opted for had no specialist ASD unit and focused on inclusion. We were offered a School with an ASD unit by the LEA, but turned it down in favour of the one we chose.

You know your child best and must go with what you feel is right.

I agonised for months over it. Many sleepless nights worrying (in addition to the sleepless nights spent with them. They don't sleep well.) over the decision i'd made, but the School offered a good transition programme with regular visits and tappered transition into full time. Named mentors/liason persons for communication of any worries, so the boys knew who to go to and had regular reviews (in addition to annual statement reviews & pupil reviews) with direct e-mail/phone contact for us to convey any meltdowns or concerns. More importantly they had nurture groups for their core subjects which meant small numbers and additional staff. Perfect for someone on the spectrum who is high functioning, but who struggles with noise and sensory issues.

Their were moments, don't get me wrong, but you had a sense the staff really cared. I couldn't fault them.

I was contacted recently by a moderator  from NAS with regard to some issues I have with my child who has had no support and she also suggested.

http://disabilityrightsuk.org/

He's been very badly failed at FE and now appears to be suffering some mental health problems as a result. It's been the worst educational experience of his life so far, bless him. The DR uk may also be able to give you some advice with regard to exclusion.

I so sympathise with your plight. I've known parents move counties to get the special needs provision that they need for their child, however the only advice i can give is that their maybe a Gem on your doorstep you don't yet know about. Look at things holistically though. Mind, body and soul. A School that deals in two will be good, but one with a holistic aproach could transform their life. 

From a lad who was home tutored due to School refusal and who suffered daily with MAJOR meltdowns, I have a lad who's now coping so much better in an NT world.

My other boy is in need of some seroius support. It's always a work in progress and both will need ongoing support throughout their lives, but you do what you can as the issues arise. 

Good luck hun. Sounds like you are very resourceful. Far much more than i was. Very trial and error.

Regards

Coogybear

Hi,

I'm in the next county over, but no I haven't heard of any. It is a lottery though. At the moment, I have one who travels 80 miles (1 1/2hrs) a day & does a 12 hour day, and it's just transpired he's got virtually no support, despite a comprehensive LDA (Learning disability Assessment.) My other travels over an hour, but with some extensive intervention on my part, is now well supported and thriving academically. His health however, is another issue. Both are older than your child though.

One went to a specialist primary for a short while; which again was an hours journey, (after a disasteroius mainstream primary experience) and this was a great stepping stone to secondary, but both my boys are high functioning and needed stretching so at the end of thier primary we opted for mainstream Secondary. It's worth mentioning at this point that the School we opted for had no specialist ASD unit and focused on inclusion. We were offered a School with an ASD unit by the LEA, but turned it down in favour of the one we chose.

You know your child best and must go with what you feel is right.

I agonised for months over it. Many sleepless nights worrying (in addition to the sleepless nights spent with them. They don't sleep well.) over the decision i'd made, but the School offered a good transition programme with regular visits and tappered transition into full time. Named mentors/liason persons for communication of any worries, so the boys knew who to go to and had regular reviews (in addition to annual statement reviews & pupil reviews) with direct e-mail/phone contact for us to convey any meltdowns or concerns. More importantly they had nurture groups for their core subjects which meant small numbers and additional staff. Perfect for someone on the spectrum who is high functioning, but who struggles with noise and sensory issues.

Their were moments, don't get me wrong, but you had a sense the staff really cared. I couldn't fault them.

I was contacted recently by a moderator  from NAS with regard to some issues I have with my child who has had no support and she also suggested.

http://disabilityrightsuk.org/

He's been very badly failed at FE and now appears to be suffering some mental health problems as a result. It's been the worst educational experience of his life so far, bless him. The DR uk may also be able to give you some advice with regard to exclusion.

I so sympathise with your plight. I've known parents move counties to get the special needs provision that they need for their child, however the only advice i can give is that their maybe a Gem on your doorstep you don't yet know about. Look at things holistically though. Mind, body and soul. A School that deals in two will be good, but one with a holistic aproach could transform their life. 

From a lad who was home tutored due to School refusal and who suffered daily with MAJOR meltdowns, I have a lad who's now coping so much better in an NT world.

My other boy is in need of some seroius support. It's always a work in progress and both will need ongoing support throughout their lives, but you do what you can as the issues arise. 

Good luck hun. Sounds like you are very resourceful. Far much more than i was. Very trial and error.

Regards

Coogybear