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About Statements and any personal experiences of 6th Forms

Bidd

Hi there,

I am a parent of a 15year old boy who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome 5 months ago. Mike is a very able boy who goes to an Independent School having achieved a very high score in his entrance exam, particularly in mathematics and verbal reasoning and an average mark in English. As a result he won an academic scholarship upon admission.

Over the years Mike has struggled socially and got into trouble many times and as a result he has been labelled as disruptive and argumentative. I think it's only just sinking in for Michael that he has problems which are not anybody elses doing.

The school have been informed of the Psychiatrist's diagnosis, the Psychologists assessment and the Speech and Language Specialist's report and they are beginning to address Michael's needs. I have began the process of applying for a statement, I will find out next Friday if the application can continue. We have decided that if this is a 'no' we will appeal and obtain the assistance of a solicitor if we need to fight our corner. Can anyone offer me any personal experiences of applying for a statement this late on? Mike would like to continue into 6th Form and possibly university all being well.

Mike is at a very low point in his life and is very negative and often says 'what's the point' if a suggestion is made for anything. I have been advised by one of these specialists that a complete change of an appropriate environment is perhaps what he needs. We have thought of a residential school and have seen one on the internet which is run by a Quaker organisation in Thirst, Yorkshire. Has anyone any experience of this residential school specifically for high functioning Asperger's children or know of anywhere else to recommend.

Any information would be welcome.

Thank you

Karen 

  • Hi,

    the school will probably try to put you off "its too late", but you will need to persist with the statementing process as it will probably give him extra time for exams, small room etc. Also, it will carry through to the 6th form, which will be of benefit to him. It will also be noted on a UCAS application and he will be given special compensations during the application process.

    The SEN dept at the school should also have peer mentoring in place and a "safe" place to escape at lunch time. School with  sizeable SEN dept also have lots of football teams, chess teams etc.

    Every child on the SEN register in our school is fully intergrated and well accepted. there is absolutely no reason why your school should not do the same.

    Would also agree with above post re CAMHS - they have a good deal of expereince and are great for social integration.

  • Hi Bidd

    I'm new to this forum but felt I had to respond to your post. I am also mum to a 15 year old boy with a diagnosis of high functioning autism, who is very bright but whose autism and sensory issues makes life pretty tough for him. My son also has a secondary diagnosis of impulse control disorder - changed from ADHD when he was 13, and some of his behaviours can be quite challenging. 

    I was interested in your question about the quaker schoool near Thirsk - I know exactly which school you are talking about as we seriously considered it - Our son went to an independent prep school and did well but had a dreadful time coping in mainstream secondary. In year 7 at secondary school he 'crashed' completely and we were advised to look at special schools. The school you are talking about was one of them. Our experience is that alot of these schools for 'bright' ASD kids (ie not labelled as low IQ or LD) actually specialise in EBD ( emotional and behavioural difficulties) and have also tagged autism on in more recent times, but are not truly geared up to meet their needs or have a mix of kids who 'clash' with each other. Our son did a taster few days at the school you refer to and was completely overwhelmed as many of the kids are not on the spectrum and are very socially aware and quite 'loud'.

    I don't want to sound negative, but it is really important that as parents we understand that a special school that claims to understand or specialise in aspergers doesn't automatically mean a better experience, whatever they say on the propspectus or Ofsted ratings. We looked at a number of schools and we thought we had chosen very carefully for our son. However he had a very hard time, because of the mix of kids and the complete lack of proper understanding of autism of some staff, made worse because he was boarding and therefore we didn't see him so often. Because of his autism he couln't easily explain that it wasn't working for him.

    There are some fab schools out there and our son is now happy and settled in a good (independent special) school, but he lost most of his Key Stage 3 becuse of the mistakes we all made. The main NAS website has a good checklist when looking for schools and their helplines are grreat for advice. I suppose all I am trying to say is that a special school is not automatically a good school or the answer for your child's individual needs....what we all really need is somewhere special that works and this can be special, independent or mainstream, it just needs that special atmosphere and people. Please make sure you have a list of things to ask any prospective school about what's important for you all and that they really 'get' autism and will tailor their support to your son and go the extra mile rather than expecting him to conform to them....

    Good luck xxx

     

  • Hi Karen

    Please bear with me, I am very new to this site but felt compelled to reply to your post sadly, not because I can offer any practical advice as yet, but because I am in almost exactly the same situation as you. 

    My son, Harry, is almost 17 and despite displaying traits, and there always being a "tendency" towards Asperger's, he wasn't officially diagnosed until last year.

    Like Mike, Harry was educated through Independent Schools not because of his Asperger's but simply because I felt it would be appropriate to meet his academic needs - he was, at one time, considered "Gifted" but this has now changed to "High Functioning". 

    Unlike Mike, Harry coped very well with mainstream education for many years. He was lucky to develop a close circle of friends who accepted him for what he is, without question. Yes, there were (and still are) occasions where he is forthright and quick to voice that his opinion on something is right, based on factual and, indeed, logical evidence. You can't criticise them for that, can you?! But he really did engage with his friends and spent lots of time with them, something I think he saw as a necessary evil! 

    From experience, I would suggest that Mike's social challenges are based on frustration at not being understood - I once read something on Asperger's where it was described as similar to being in a foreign country where you only comprehend a rudimentary version of the language. Mike is probably feeling like this, struggling to make sense of everything and not really being able to fathom why none of his peers feels the way he does!  

    Does Mike understand that he is not responsible for these feelings? I know Harry found this relevation quite enlightening - I explained that actually the difficulties he experiences are not his fault, they are the result of a very active, fascinating brain which annoyingly is wired a bit different to the rest of us.

    In all honesty, being High Functioning doesn't actually help, it hinders! Harry is very aware of the differences he displays and has tried to mimick the actions of those 'normal' people around him throughout his life. He does this very well but sadly he does it actually too well, to the extent where his teachers were not aware of the tendancies and support needs and were dismayed to learn that, upon diagnostic testing, he was so typically High Functioning Asperger's that his consultant sought his permission to use his profile as a Case History when teaching students!    

    With regards to the SEN, I really hope that you have more success than me - I pushed for this in Year 10 but was informed that despite having a designated SENCO at the school, actual SEN's are rare outside of the State Education System. That said, I am a firm believer that anything is possible and as a parent I am sure that you join me in believing that whatever Mike and Harry need, they will have! 

    I would also suggest you make contact with your local CAMHS as I have been advised that in the absence of an SEN, they can conduct an assessment and write a report which is duly considered as an approprriate alternative. It seems that like Harry, Mike's needs are not so much of an academic nature, more of a social / emotional one. If that's the case then CAMHS should be able to both help Mike access specialist support and provide formal, written evidence of his requirements and the environment (such as a residential school) to which he will respond best.   

    Please do let me know the progress you make with this and if it would be useful, I will do the same. I am about to load the bullets and go into battle once again on this,  with all guns blazing. Harry has been very ill since 2008 following an altercation with a teacher at school. The details are perhaps a conversation for another day but suffice to say that the impact of this incident has resulted in him experiencing severe anxiety, which in turn manifested itself into an eating disorder. He has been in hospital on an intensive weight gain programme for five long weeks and will be there for the next six months or so but looking on the bright side he is now receiving the treatment he needs to start his life again.

    He was too poorly to undertake GCSE's in Year 11, but is very eager to do them, hence my research into finding a suitable school. I too, have seen the school you mention and whilst I haven't visited, so can't comment on that one in particular, I have seen others and would offer a word of caution....I know Harry would most definitely not fit in to the environment that some offer. Please don't misunderstand me, they offer fantastic support and facilities run by really dedicated, wonderful staff teams, but they just wouldn't suit Harry for many reasons. Learning disability is a term, I have found, that is very broad scope, and in nature tends to bring with it an element of unpredictability - definitely something which Harry struggles with! He, like Mike, needs to break the cycle in order to achieve and I am sure that the right environments are out there. I am investigating state boarding schools currently, which, providing they can offer additional support socially and emotionally, would be perfect for him in terms of structure and routine. 

    If you want to give me an indication of where in the country you are then I will gladly keep a look out for any possibilities as I do my research.

    I really hope that you haven't been too bored by my ramblings, and at least you know now that someone else "feels your pain"!

    I send you both my best wishes and luck for a successful fight! 

    Jo

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