The Big "D" Day has arrived.

[jayzmummy]

If you manage to read this extremely long post then well done. I really could do with some ideas as to what sort of questions I can throw at these people this afternoon.

Well ladies today is the day I have to submit my decission to the LEA as to which school J will be going to if he returns to school in Sept.

Ive got a big Pow Wow with the LEA officers this afternoon. There are going to be so many professionals there and Im going it alone as DH is tied up with other commitments.

EP, CP, School Doctor( cus she has a very warped opinion of ASD!), OT, o'rrible Paed, SALT and two LEA officers will all be there from the local services.

Our independant EP and CP are coming along as is the link education teacher, Liz.

The first group of professionals apart from the SALT do not accept the independent CP's dx of Autism....but we knew that would happen...."funding", "budgets" and the words "lack of" spring to mind!! Dont accept the dx = cost cutting cus they dont have to provide services!!

CP as you know was refferred to us by NAS and worked at Elliot House under Lorna Wing for many years....he really knows his stuff and is very highly thought of in neighbouring counties.....so the lack of the local profesionals recognition of the dx doesnt concern me at all. What they know about ASD they could write on the back of a postage stamp and still have space remaining!

Our CP has made a suggestion to the LEA that they provide an ASD unit within a mainstream school for the ever growing numbers of children that are being dx with "the active but odd" dx of Autism.

He reports that this is the only placement that would offer J the educational provision that would fully meet his needs and if they do not do this they will be negligent by not providing an adequate educational setting.(I'm starting to wish solicitor chappie had been invited to attend!)

Our EP fully agrees with the CP's dx and recommendations as does Liz, the home teacher and SALT.

We have "looked at" all options available with schooling J at either a local mainstream or local special school. We have also "looked at" a residential school which is 70 miles away from home. Whilst this school would be a fantastic placement for J, I cant bring myself to send him away each week and of course the LEA would refuse funding because according to our idiot Paed J does not have a dx of Autism.....his opinion is that J has and I quote "just SPD and Autistic like tendencies". Lorna Wing is sending him her research into Semantic-Pragmatic disorder....then lets see what the smug git has to say about SPD not being an ASD!!!!

CP is suggesting that we approach the LEA and request funding to send J to the residential....fight our battle to secure funding and then when LEA have agreed to do this we tell the we dont want it! BUT instead they can use the however many thousands it will cost to educate J for the next 7 yers at the residential school, to make available a ASD unit attached to a local mainstream school. This unit would be able to accomaodate 6 children for the same ammount as it would cost to send one child to a residential school. Considering the LEA's are always banging on about lack of funding one would like to think that they would take on board our cost cutting plan....they sure know how to waste money!!!!

Does that make sense? I know of one other mom who has done this in South Devon.

Its going to be one hell of a battle and will probably skint us out with solocitors bills.....but I have to get J into a school where he will flourish and achieve his full potential.

So wish me luck. Keep your fingers crossed for me. It would be so lovely if he LEA would roll over and play ball....but somehow I dont think they will....well not without a battle first!

Ye hah!!! DH has just phoned to say his meeting has been cancelled.

[lunavix]

I don't know much about all this, I have been following your story though and just wanted to wish you luck xxxx

[jayzmummy]

Thanks....Luck work for me.

[monica2]

Sounds like this is going to be difficult meeting Jayzmummy, I would try to sidetrack from the differing opinions on the diagnosis and focus more on the suitable placement for J's needs, in my experience this is what the LEA concentrate on most becuase ASD child has different needs anyway. (sure you know all that anyway) If they state that x/y school has the provisions to meet J's needs I would have a full on explanantion (including evidence) of why that is not the case. I know a case worker for our LEA and she tells me that their decisions are made mainly from placing the child in x school would be an efficient use of the LEA resources, so I would focus your argument on why that would be the case. Wishing you heaps of luck (feel like I am teaching my grandma to suck eggs with this one) I am sure you wil be brilliant, with all your experience and battles

[jayzmummy]

There is a massive difference between wanting the right school and needing the right school.

Our CP has been very blunt with us and told us that if J does not gain acess to he right school then he will be lost.

The LEA are most insitant that J's needs can be met within a mainstream school.....they seem to forget that J endured 4 years in mainstream and was taunted, tormented and abused to such an extent that he attempted suicide. FFS this is a 9 year old child's life hanging in the balance because of funding issues.

Ive spent the last few days collecting all my evidence which clearly details that a mainstream placement is not suitable but then neither is the special school. There are so many children out there that simply can not cope in a mainstream school.....the schools are just are not geared up to meet the needs of a child with sensory, social communication and learning difficulties. But then J is to HF for the specail school and that comes from them not me. His class teacher is woried that J will regress instead of progress!!!

Poor lovey is stuck in no mans land with no where to go.....but not for long because I will get him the right placement if its the last thing I do!

I would seriously love J to go to a mainstream school....I would want him to have full one to one support and for him to be integrated into our local community....but it just doesnt happen because of funding issues, lack of resources and bloody budgets!

Just because the LEA cant manage the purse strings effectivly and provide my son with the access to an education he deserves, he is subjected to being uneducated in an inappropraite school setting.

Cor im ranting arent I??....will hop of my soapbox and try to calm down....I want to stay as collected as can be this afternoon....but somehow I have the feeling this meeting is going to be very heated!

[Davros]

Good luck Jayzmummy, pleased to hear that DH's meeting has been cancelled. Sounds like it will be tough but worthwhile and you do have some good support there. Let us know what happens once you feel up to it!

[Merlot]

Wishing you lots of luck. I am so glad that your dh will be with you. Let us know how you get on - I'll be thinking of you.

[MandM]

Jayzmummy - This is probably too late, as you're probably already in your meeting by now. Good luck with everything and I'm glad that dh can be with you to give you support.
You know what it is you need to achieve, you have prepared well and you already know that you are probably going to have to endure a long battle so everything is on your side. Plus, we all know the lengths that you will be prepared to go to for J's sake.

Please let us know how it all goes. Thinking of you.

[coppertop]

I've had a hectic day and so missed all this. I hope it all went well, JM. xx

[monica2]

Hi Jayzmummy hope it went well and you are not too exhausted/emotional to update us soon

[shey]

I have been thinking of you all day. I hope your meeting was a successful one. Our son is only 3 but we are spending every day worrying about the appropriate school. We are in the statement process so will need to name a school eventually. Fingers crossed!

[jayzmummy]

WE GOT WHAT WE WANTED....Yeah Haaaaaaaaaaaa!


Gosh that felt good. The past year has been a mighty roller coaster of emotions and today was worth every tear I have shed over the uncertainty of J's educational future.

Very shortened version because

1. the meeting lasted 3 and a half hours!!
   and
   
2. because my posts are getting longer and longer each day. I must learn how to condense 100 waffly words in to 10 meaningful words....see Im doing it already!!!
   
   Right everyone turned up and when we arrivd "they" had already had a meeting to plan what was going to happen in the meeting with us...why do they always do that???
   
   Mr Paed was very quiet....I think a lot of what I had said to him previously had finally hit home. couple that with the fact that he was also at the John Clements seminar a couple of weeks ago and he said he hadnt fully acknowledged the impact ASD has on families until he heard JC speak. He was as quiet as a mouse.....wimp! not so ready to have a go at me when there are others around grrrrr!!!
   
   School Doc came out with a couple of corkers and DH soon shot her down....get this according to school doc ASD is not a life long condition...WTF??????????? [bang head against brick wall emotion]
   
   Liz and SALT were ace and they supported us right through. Independant CP sounded off quite a bit about the sham educational provisions for ASD children in our area and independant EP basically highlighted all of J's needs and how the LEA's current proposals were not suitable.....he even talked of negligence and quoted a few education acts and somehow incorporated the phrase "I'd be afraid....very afraid of your futures if this is not resolved here today....not next week, next month or next term, here today....NOW"! Even I jumped when he slammed his fist down on the table.
   
   So after a hell of a lot of mumbling and a few hightened emotional moments....I didnt cry....I got angry....we got down to the nitty gritty.
   
   Head Teacher from Special Shool then joined the meeting....the meeting was held at the special school whilst J was having his 2 hour session there.....HT reported that J initially had appeared as a child who was to high functioning to attend the special school. He was not socially engaging with the other children, but was not showing any behavioural difficulties assocaited with his difficulties. However since easter the class teacher has reported back to HT that as she begins to scratch the surface with J it is becoming more evident that J has very complex needs, especially with his social communication and interaction. His level of understanding is not age appropriate and his speech is difficult to understand which causes problems with J's self esteem and is the main cause of frustration for J within the classroom environment. Therefore in her opinion she felt the special school placement was the most appropriate placement for J.
   
   Liz agreed that the placement at special school was what was needed for now BUT she also felt that J would benefit from some mainstream integration....afterall J doesnt see that his ways are different....its everyone else who has the problem! Mainstream would help him with his socialisaton skills and would be a way to keep the door open if it was felt at a later date that he could return into a mainstream setting with one to one support.
   
   More humming and arghhing and this is what finally was agreed.
   
   Residential....possibility for the future but not appropraite at the moment. Will review for senior school education.
   
   Special school placement from Sept with ammendements to current statement ensuring provisions are in place for Sept when J starts there.
   
   Ammendments to include
   
   SALT intervention 3 x weekly 1 hour sessions in small group and 2 x 30 min 1:1 sessions per week.
   
   OT to be added to statement. 3 x 30 minute sessions per week in small group, ensuring SID programme, supplied by BIBIC is incorporated into the sessions.
   
   3 half day sesions supported 1:1 at local mainstream school with SAL specialist unit attached.
   
   Recomendations made by CP to be adhered to
   
   ASD advisory teacher to be appointed to J and to attend the school every three to four weeks to advise on interventions and strategies to enable J to integrate back into school life.
   
   J is to be integrated slowly back into school life with it envisaged that he will be in full time education by October half term.
   
   Transportation will be provided.
   
   [mile]
   
   and not once did I mention having to appoint a solicitor!!!!!
   
   Best of all..................................
   
   THE PAED ACCEPTED THE CP'S DX and apologised for causing us untold pain and suffering!!!!!!!
   
   Finally we can move on.
   
   I would just like to take this oppurtunity to say a huge thank you to you all. You have helped me so much over the past 6 months and I really would not have know half of what I know now if it wasnt for you guys. You have supported me through our fight to get a placement, our fight to get a dx and helped us through the painful times when J was finally dx with autism. I will be forever in your debt.
   
   Thank you one and all.xxxxxx
   
   
   
   Did I say this was a shortened version....I LIED

[TheRealMrsF]

all fantastic!!!
But to read that the Paed apologised...well that is double fantastic!!!


And.....maybe because of you and J...other families will be spared his ignorance!!!

Well done...bet you are flying like a kite tonight!!!

[jayzmummy]

You bet your bottom dollar we are

[RnB]

Message withdrawn

[jayzmummy]

Thank you.

[monica2]

Jayzmummy that's fantastic news I am so thrilled for you and your family, especially J!! Not such good day for the Paed though ha ha ha you sound like amazing parents who have had to jump through hoops to get what J deserves, the system is so unfair and crap! Hope this is the start of a more positive future for you all, well done!!!!!

[Blossomhill]

So, so pleased Jayzmummy
You have been fighting such a hard fight for so long now. I am so happy that things are finally going the way you deserve and how they should have all along.
Finally J will get the education he so rightfully deserves.
Remember to give yourself a huge pat on the back as I know what an incredibly hard journey you and your family have been through.
Hugs Bloss xxx

[coppertop]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Well done, JM! Brilliant news!

[JakB]

So pleased for you. You are an inspiration and I'm so thrilled that your boy has got the education he NEEDS!

[Davros]

SOOOO fantastic to read this JM. Have a wonderful weekend just as a starter. You've done a fab job for J and for other families. So, so pleased (and it will spare you any more 1.5hr phone calls with me )

[JakB]

I need a 1.5 hr phonecall with you Davros, before Friday when I meet the LEA [nervous]

[JakB]

Sorry to hijack, will start new thread

[jayzmummy]

OH NO IT WONT DAVROS....you dont get off that easily
I need to sort out the ABA.....I can say it properly now and not call it ABBA as in the group

Also need loads of info on TEACH....this is the method they follow at the special school.
I asked HT about schools restraining policies because Ive heard some horror stories just lately.....and she said they use the TEACH method???? i didnt want to appear a total numbskull so I bluffed along that I had heard about TEACH....well you did mention it I think when we spoke???

So I will be giving you a call if thats OK

[Chocol8]

That's fooking excellent news Jayzmummy!!!!

Wish i'd seen this earlier - absolutely brilliant! Are you gonna go out and celebrate? I would!

You sound like you had some good people fighting your corner and I love the "i'd be very afraid.." comment. Just brilliant, brilliant news and so very well deserved! WELL DONE! (((((hugs))))) xxx