Best school intelligent ASD kid

[2006hildy]

What's the best school for an intelligent ASD kid he is six P3 level stage.

The MLD schools don't seem suitable and mainstream looks too busy our postcode is HP23 4QU.

He is behind because of his autism and not his intelligence,

[MsNg]

This is the problem we're having and the answer seems to be that there's nothing round here anyway...? A decent mainstream is the best we've been able to come up with, maybe one with an ASD unit attached so the staff have more experience of teaching children with ASDs with thing like time to work quietly 1-2-1 for a lot of the day built into his statement.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

www.eger-roth.co.uk/ you can try this. Might need transport

[2006hildy]

Hi,
I think I have come to the conclusion he is better off in mainstream with near to fulltime 121. Just needed someone to confirm my thinking. It just seems scary in secondary school as so much is expected of them. He would most certainly have 121 help at some point outside of school.

However the teacher pupil ratios drop from primary 21:1 to secondary to 15:1 (plus then he can have 121 help) where as in MLD school the ratios are 7:1 with no 121! According to the Department of Education website.

Would like a small secondary school but where is one here and think it would be better for him to learn to cope in big wide world before I shuffle off this mortal coil.
Somebody mentioned the best things he can learn are social skills and life skills which he would get from his NT mainstream school. He will just have to catch up academically as an adult learner.
He has no statement yet. Haven?t fought that battle nevermind fighting the battle for independent schools.
Sorry to say heard that Egerton Rothesay was struggling but may have been just propaganda from non-independent side?
I have visited a few schools and was just fishing to find others to visit.
Thank-you

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Hildy. How is he going to LEARN social skills in a mainstream school?

[2006hildy]

starlight - this is the propaganda I have been fed hence wrestling with what's for the best.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Just being amongst NT peers isn't going to help your child. If that was all it took, he wouldn't HAVE ASD.

[2006hildy]

Yes I feel so gullible/naive against these so called professionals especially when they sound so aggressive.

At our last TAC meeting:

1. the Autism Advisory service had not even seen our son since the last one six months ago.
   
2. They had changed the SALT again and she was getting to know my son!
   
3. The teacher had very little to say and had no evidence of how DS was doing.
   
4. Only the LSA really knew what was going on and is a dinner lady. At least she is conscientious and adores DS.
   

5.The Family Support Worker did not turn up

Awful who do I complain to?

I wouldn't mind helping him catch up with a tutor if the system was working properly. I feel fleeced. Hence all my posts.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

hildy, there really is nothing you can do except apply for a statement.

But first make sure you DO complain, just to get a written record of what has happened so far, to show that your ds is not getting the help he should.

I'm not saying he needs or will get a statement, but getting the process started does make people pay attention and start to deliver services.

[2006hildy]

these so called professionals say DS making too much progress to apply for statutory assessment. But like you say may have to.

Progress made so far EYF score 47 points at end of year reception and P3 at end of year 1 should be on level 1.

I have made my complaint to HCC and Family Support Worker (to get a written record of what has happened so far) and contacted Parent Partnership.

Is Family Support Worker different to The School Family Worker or same thing?


Thank-you

[StarlightMcKenzie]

I don't know hildy.

I know hertfordshire well and I know they are bunch of incompetent liars.

I battled with them for a long time, and ultimately I believe I would have won, - but it was costing my family.

I can advise you using the standard good practice advice that I have given to others from LA's that I do not know, and I would say from this perspective that you should apply for a statutory assessment, as well as keep a regular log and diary of ALL interaction with professionals, and follow up any spoken information with a letter of clarification to form a paper trail of evidence.

wrt to the rest and the details, I don't think I'm best placed to advise. I would be delighted to support you taking them on, but I couldn't be certain that it wasn't about me iyswim.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

You wouldn't be applying for a SA for academic progress btw, it would be for support with social interaction and social communication.

[2006hildy]

Now you are talking. I have never mentioned this perspective of applying for SA to HCC before and don't really know what you are saying.

Can you elaborate and /or direct me to something I can read up on it to educate myself a little before I go all guns blazing.

Thank-you

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Well a deaf child wouldn't need help with academic stuff, but they'd need a TA or teacher trained in sign language in order to have access to the national curriculum, or perhaps a hearing aid.

A child with ASD, needs tools to access the national curriculum and learning. Those tools are social interaction and communication.

So the child may well be great at maths, but what is the point of that if they don't understand the teachers instructions, or are even aware that they are supposed to be trying to.

You don't have to tell Autism Outreach this by the way or HCC. They KNOW all this. It is the frigging bread and butter of being an Autism specialist. But all the care about is that the child is 'contained' in the cheapest setting, not educated. If school and they see 'no problems', what they are referring to is that your child is causing THEM no problems, not that your child has no problems.

[2006hildy]

He is in Y2 now.
Yes so I wouldn't be applying for a SA for academic progress, it would be for support with social interaction and social communication.
DS is not doing well socially he is developmentally a two year old for social interaction. Still learning to share and take turns. He does not realise what he has to do in a group situation. He sometimes takes his cues by people watching and being fiercely independent.
Social communication he is developmentally a three year old knows vocabulary but cannot string sentences together. He utters single words or learned phrases only and then expects you to guess what he is telling you.
I agree DS is causing them no problems, not that DS has no problems only a few minor behavioural ones.
He does need extra support during unstructured times ie break and lunchtime.
He has 1:1 support for mornings only.
He does not attend a SULP (Social Use of Language Programe) group developmentally I don?t think he is there yet.
I don?t think he has MLD
Yes talking about P scales used in national curriculum levels.
Thank-you