TRYING SOMETHING NEW AT SCHOOL

[allytjd]

DS2 has a new head teacher who is a bit more flexible than his predecessor so I stuck my neck out and suggested that I come into school to help DS finish work (he probably has AS and has trouble staying on task in the classroom) rather do it at home when he is tired. He works 1:1 with me in a "low stimulus" room for 2x45min sessions and so far we are enjoying it and getting a lot done. He is being assessed by the ED-pysch at the moment but realistically he probably won't get any other 1:1 'til next academic year. I am beginning to think i might prefer to do it myself on my own terms rather than wait for help from the LEA as not all the TA's I have come across are as educated or creative as me (although all nice) and I genuinely like and "get" my son. Have I created a useful halfway house between school and home-ed or given the LEA an excuse not to help later? FWIW flexi-schooling is not encouraged round here generally (Ihave suggested it many times and always been fobbed off).

[ancientmiddleagedmum]

I would have loved to do this ally, but the school wouldn't let me anywhere near the classroom on the grounds that "other mums will want the same treatment and we'd end up with 30 mums sitting next to their kids in class". I wanted desperately to be his TA, and I'm also a trained teacher, but they wouldn't countenance it. You sound like you have hit the jackpot with this new headteacher, just keep your head down and keep doing it but don't draw attention or attempt to formalise it is my best advice. Bet the LEA won't be as flexible.

[AttilaTheMeerkat]

How old is your son?.

I am glad to see that at present they are being co-operative currently (what you're doing would completely go down like a lead balloon in my son's school, infact my son was not part of my group on a school trip).

My one concern is that unintentionally you may be setting a rod for your own back by helping your son like this in school because the LEA are likely not to be so flexible or will even allow this the further he goes through the school system.

If there is no Statement in place in the longer term then one to one help will unlikely be forthcoming.

[allytjd]

The staff are sneaking me into school at the moment to avoid other kids asking too many questions and other parents knowing too much, luckily DS2(7) is AS enough for it never to occur to him to tell anyone. I am also sucking up to the school by helping out with school plays etc. I have been told that you do not automatically need a statement to get help in the classroom and the problem for us is that if a child has a statement you are not allowed to request a school place in another local authority (this is scottish law), the only small, nice secondary school near us is over a county line and we would prefer not to move if we can for various complicated reasons (we will if we have to).

[ancientmiddleagedmum]

From this and from the post on the thread below, it sounds like Scotland is a lot better than England for ASD kids all round!

[aefondkiss]

ally that sounds really good if it is working for you both, my ds is at ms nursery and he has a TA now, but I did offer to go and help and they were not willing.

I would love flexible schooling for my children!

[allytjd]

Keep asking aefondkiss, it has taken me three years and a bit of luck to be allowed in to help and it could be stopped at any time, but if there is one thing having a child with special needs has taught me it is the need for gentle perseverance. At times I have seriously considered homeschooling but DS2 has always chosen school when given the choice and it is nice to have some time on my own as my three DSs are a bit full on. I think teachers are only receptive to ideas that mean no extra work for them, we are only finishing workbooks that he stopped halfway down in class so not terribly exciting, I hope the staff can't here me using silly voices to make multiplication fun tho'.