Hi, my 13yr old son has just recently been diagoned with ASD (aspergers). He had a hard time coping in primary school,spent the last two years on a part time timetable and his ASD was not recognised until the last few months of being there hence the late diagnois. He managed to attend his secondary school for a few months with them thinking he was coping well, but he was just trying to fit in and the meltdowns at home just went to an all time high. After a bullying issue he refused to go to school. Everything was tried to get him back to school but his anxiety was just too much. After a fine from the education welfare Children Support Services was put in place to give him tutoring lessons in a public library, orginally 3 times a week for 1 hr 45 mins each time. This had to be changed to 5 one hour lessons and he couldn't cope with the orginal length of lessons. CSS role was to re-introduce him back into school. This was unachievable as he was unable to get out of the car in the school car park.
Now we are at the stage where he is finding hard to cope with lessons being held at the library (they are very busy libraries), he refusing to do the English lessons as he hates writing, maths work he does fine.
CSS are saying that they may need to stop the services due to his lack of attendance and also that they need a letter from his paediatrician stating why he cannot attend mainstream school, what medication he is getting for his "illness" and how long will this illness last.
We have been in touch with IPSEA who advised us to apply for ehcp and request a special needs school. On their advise we went to look a couple of schools, both said that my sons needs are not severe enough.
Another organisation we were put in touch with said he would not qualify for ehcp and that as mainstream is not suitable for him we could always home educate.
We have a meeting with the school, education welfare office and CSS next week and just dont know what to do next. We feel that our son cannot cope with mainstream school, he describes it as a war zone. He would never go out of the house if he had his way and we feel HE would isolated him even more. He is very bright for his age and all we want is an education for him, but he seems to fall into a gap that is between mainstream and special needs which there does not seem anything for.
Sorry for the long post.
