Ed Psych visit/assessment

[hazeyjane]

The ed psychics coming to see D's tomorrow at school.

He is 5.7 and in year 1 in a resource base for complex needs in a mainstream school. He has an EHCP. He is largely non verbal ( although trying to use some words) and relies on makaton and an aac device to communicate. He used to have very bad separation anxiety, but has settled really well into school. He loves being in the unit, which has 10 children, and goes into a ms class in the afternoon with a 1-1.


He has average understanding of language, and is managing to access some of the curriculum with support - starting phonics, basic numeracy.

He has some sensory issues, has a very restrictive diet, hates loud sudden noises and being touched by other children. He tends to want to be around adults and isn't keen on other children - although he enjoys watching them. He has problems with his gross motor skills, is wobbly (wears splints), needs supportive seating, often falls. He is in nappies, partly for physical reasons and partly because he is incredibly resistant to the idea of going anywhere near a toilet (or a bath, or a swimming pool......)

At the last SALT review there was a lot of talk about him moving to mainstream - we expressed our concern about this, and his teacher said she was talking way in the future. But........ever since there have been constant references to ms, to how well he is doing, how he is far exceeding the other children in the unit (curriculum wise) and I generally get the impression that his teacher would like him to go to ms sooner rather than later.

I am worrying that the ed psych is going to be looking at ds with this 'plan' in mind, and feel I need to know what sort of things I need to be asking and letting her know when I see her after she has assessed ds. This is the ed psych report that will be crucial for his application for juniors (a separate school which also has a complex needs resource base). He has only been assessed by observation before - am I right in thinking this time there will also be an IQ type assessment??

My fears about ms is that he won't get enough general support - in the unit he mixes more because it is a smaller class with lots of adults and he isn't glued to one adult. I fear that if he goes to ms he will have a 1-1 (which he needs in order to communicate) who he will cling to exclusively.

Hmmm not sure if I am even asking anything! But I am in a state of minor panic!!

[hazeyjane]

Obviously that should say psych rather than psychic - although that would be nice!!

[GruntledOne]

I think you need to keep emphasising that DS is only making progress because of the support he is getting, and that in your view that won't continue unless the support stays in place. It sounds awful, but you probably need to emphasise his problems, particularly the fact that he is non-verbal, his sensory problems and his social problems. Suggest also that he needs an occupational therapy assessment.

[hazeyjane]

Thankyou - meeting in an hour, so fingers crossed.

He is under an OT as well, although it is a bit rubbish here!

[hazeyjane]

Well.......

She did a non verbal IQ test (unable to do a verbal one, and combined results would be very skewed if she did) and his score was 104 (!!!!!)

She said he had an amazing memory, was very keen to do the tests, worked out how to use her stopwatch in under 2 seconds, and was able to tell her about my sister visiting next Saturday and that his favourite game is spies, using his talker.

The lowdown is that she Wants to recommend goin in to mainstream at juniors, as he is cognitively so far ahead of the children in the resource base, and that some of their behaviours (eg sensory seeking and very tactile and noisy) are the very opposite of ds's behaviours (sensory defensive, hates being touched, hates noise). She envisages that he will be able to do his GCSEs, but that he will need a hell of a lot of support because

1. he is non verbal, and he will almost certainly be needing to use his electronic talker to communicate ideas etc
   
   
2. his social skills needs a lot of support, as he doesn't like other children being near him, he doesn't seek out children to play with (only adults)
   
   
3. he is very resistant if it is something he doesn't want to do (VERY Resistant!)
   
   
4. he has sensory needs
   
   
5. physically he still needs support
   
   So on the one hand - big up to Hazey Boy for astounding us all with his brains! On the other hand - oh shit, Mainstream??!!
   
   What she and the teacher discussed was him building up the time he goes into Ms until the end of year 2, always with full time 1-1 support.

[hazeyjane]

He certainly is!

At pick up, his teacher said she had spoken to the SALT and ed psych after wards and they wondered whether we should look at speech units attached to ms as well as ms.There are 2 relatively near to us, so she is going to arrange visits, then we can see what the options are.

[hazeyjane]

Well it's all gone a bit crazy here, but wears OK. Work for me is moving forward, and it is hard but good, college work is not moving on and is boring and......boring, the girls are doing well, and are just lovely!! How are you and ds?