To ask for some desperate help re my DS EHCP?

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The LEA have finally agreed to assess my son after I appealed a refusal to assess.

DS is 10 and has ASD, is selectively mute, anxiety and sensory problems. He is due to move to secondary this September.

Academically he is achieving (expected) and gives his current primary no trouble at all; however, his explosive outbursts at home and his inability to participate in daily life due to his anxiety and mutism is having a huge impact on him (and our whole family - cats included!).

I’m anticipating after the educational psychologist’s assessment , they will refuse to issue a plan.

If anyone can answer the following to help me out , I’d be hugely grateful:

1:) DS is currently on a waiting list for NHS SALT and OT . Will this affect whether he can access these as part of his EHCP? I’m expecting they will say he’s getting NHS support so it doesn’t count towards him needing an EHCP.

2:) What should I expect from the EP? Will they do tests with DS? He is likely to respond by either staring or offering limited verbal answers.

3:) Even if the EP doesn’t find anything ‘wrong’ with DS in terms of learning, he does still meet 3 out of 4 of the ‘areas of need’. Could an EHCP still be issued on that basis?

4:) Can anyone offer any ideas on what I should be asking for in his EHCP?

DS is going to struggle with:

Uniform (it’s already expected that there will be no adjustments to this)

Homework: DS point blank refuses to do this and will not attend homework clubs; I don’t expect the school will allow adjustments to this

Transitions: From home to school and for lessons . I won’t be able to just drop him off and expect him to get himself in to school for a long time yet.

Transport : DS can not get on a bus himself, will be unable to pay and does not like to be out alone. I’m having to change my working hours to accommodate driving him to and from school .

Relationships: He does not talk to anyone he does not know exceptionally well. Including peers and adults .

Communication: He is selectively mute and will offering limited verbal responses when asked a direct question .

Curriculum: He is very literal and will also struggle with literacy, drama and RE.

SEMH: DS is on the waiting list for CAMHS as his anxiety is debilitating

Sorry this is long. The whole process is exasperating.

An ehcp should detail the help he needs. So the SALT and OT should be incorporated into the plan. E.g "DS will have 20 mins a day with a 1-1 ta to deliver the SaLT programme."
And "DS should be able to access resources as required by OT programme as and when needed."

Other things you mention should be more specific than you have said. So have a think, what do you actually want the school to provide to help him with transition through the day? A ta to accompany him?, or to be able to leave a lesson 5 mins early so he can move about the building when it is less crowded? Or something else?

You as a parent get to have your say in what is in the plan, so make your views known now, before the assessment starts.
The EP is only one person who inputs into the assessment. The Salt and Ot, CAMHS and DS and you and teachers and senco and any other professionals you want to involve can all submit reports to the assessors.

Its a shame that he is still on waiting lists and not been seen by anyone yet, I'm not sure how that will affect the process, to be honest..

I found talking to the Ed Psych massively helpful. I had provided a full history as part of the paperwork and asked her to read it before we met so she could just ask for clarifications. The rest of the meeting was then spent discussing strategies to meet my child's needs. You need to ask to have things like adaptations for uniform and provision of transport as your child can't use the bus safely added and ask the Ed Psych for guidance over homework. I got so much out of that meeting it was great.

Just literally try and get everything possible added into the EHCP. It places a duty on the LA to ensure it is provided.

Hi, it's a difficult process I agree. You've done a great job dividing up by areas of need.

things like uniform changes are reasonable adjustments required by law under the Equality Act so you don't need an EHCP for that. Also think about small adjustments if you haven't already eg softest cotton shirts, no label, leave top button undone under tie, that all really helps my eldest.

I would strongly recommend reading Tania Tirraoro's book getting started with statements, not sure if the photo has attached but it's on amazon via kindle (and iPhones have a kindle app, not sure if android does too) and is brilliant, esp for kids who aren't behind academically but have other reasons why they need support. It includes example passages from
applications etc that i found incredibly useful.

Also the SEN gov guidance is useful if you haven't seen it already - it's v long but the section on the 4 areas of need is worth reading.

See section 9:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/398815/SENDDCodeoffPracticeJanuaryy_2015.pdf

Would you like your son to be able to attend a specialist setting rather than a mainstream secondary?

Not sure if you know that you can apply for the ehcp you don't have to wait for school - this is what I did and it took less than 3 months to come back.

The EP (I found) was there to help and offered excellent advice and support (aware they won't all be like this)

I know it's difficult in these covid times but could you arrange some meetings with a few schools to see what there pastoral care is going to be like and what they can offer you and your son with regard to adaptions and transitions? This is what I intend to do when my son moves to secondary next year.

If he's been agreed to statutory assessment and it's been identified he needs SALT or OT already they should do that as part of the assessment. But the main thing you need to be prepared for is what do you think the EHCP needs to provide to support him and thus you at home. Although it includes health and social care. It is primarily education... if school are finding he is making good progress and doesn't require support. Then they wouldn't provide provide top up funding for the school to do interventions. The EP might be able to help idenfity what the school can do to help. It's difficult difficult children are masking all day and doing well in school then let it all out at home but it is taken into consideration.

@17bluebirds That’s helpful, thank you.

@Allllchange that sounds positive . I will make some notes ready for our first meeting with the EP of what we would like to discuss .

@halesie thanks for the links. I’ve added the book and the link to my bookmarks to go through this week .

@user1485155939 I really don’t know! I do think he would benefit from the right special school but I don’t know if he would be deemed in need of a special school because he ‘copes’ in school with intervention. Most of his behaviour at home is attributed to his issues with school.

@Sticklebricks444 do you mean outbursts at home are not taken in to consideration? That seems very unfair my DS is utterly miserable at school but he masks . He is meeting targets but he is behind socially.

Doesnt matter how what ds does at home, it's how he behaves at school. Problem your going to encounter (I'm not saying this is right) is that he needs to be seen struggling in school and he isnt at the moment. Yes you think he will struggle at high school but this hasnt been proven yet in an educational setting. You will need to keep pushing and fighting. Gather all evidence you have from other health professionals

@Hankunamatata I take that on board

He does openly struggle in school and he has interventions in place including limited TA support and a learning plan. His school have referred him different organisations for support previously. It’s just not as extreme as at home . He is meeting expected targets but I was under the illusion that an EHCP does not just have to be about academic needs?

Mine have ones for social and emotional BUT they are/were extremely physically volatile in the classroom when not handled correctly so ended up with 1:1 for the saftey of the class.

My Ds's EHCP is mostly not about his academic needs.

Your child does not need to be behind academically to get an EHCP, and school don't need to have spent any money on him previously either.

Ds's behaviour out of school was discussed in length as part of the EHCP process. Especially as he masks so many of his difficulties in the school environment.

He got 5 grade 9s for his GCSEs last year and four months later he was granted an EHCP, so it's absolutely not true an academically able child can't get one.

Apologies that was bad typing. I was trying to say it should be taken into consideration that your on is masking during the day, but it just difficult for the school to know how to evidence what support they need. But ultimately an EHCP is generally aimed to give schools extra funding and a clear set of interventions to be completed during school. If it is agreed he needs an EHCP and there is elements of support needed at home you can ask for a personal budget towards that. My understanding is it very rare to get personal budget though. But meet with the EP and get all the assessment done first then see what the recommendations are xx

@Punxsutawney that is very reassuring. My DS has needs in 3 out of 4 of the areas of need relating to an EHCP .

The 4th need (learning) is yet to be assessed. On paper I think he absolutely does qualify for a plan as he has extensive support just to support him in daily life - it’s impossible that this doesn’t spill in to school but he is a very good masker. I’m aware it’s not that simple though.

@Sticklebricks444 Thanks for clarifying

It’s such a long, draining process .

I have only come on to reassure you that, should the EHCP be refused, all of the issues you have outlined can be addressed in a mainstream secondary school without an EHCP. We have several pupils who sound very similar to your ds and we are able to offer reasonable adjustments around uniform and homework, meet and greet from front door, escort back to transport at the end of the day etc

The Ed Psych that assessed dd for her EHCP got the measure of her very quickly. It was a pleasant surprise! The chat I had with her after she'd seen dd centred around the anxiety more than the autism. The recommendations that the EP came up with basically formed the EHCP.
A couple of years on dd is still in mainstream secondary. We did have to go privately to get anxiety medication but it was worth it.

@sunshinesontv thank you one of the reasons I’m unsure about MS or a SN school is that I think DS will greatly benefit from the smaller classes in a SN school.

DS requires SALT, OT and CAMHS support - can these things be provided in a MS school? Most of the SN schools I looked at provide these on site but MS does not.

Afraid transition from junior to secondary is where the gap tends to widen and show up difference and ability or not to fit in with systems and others further. Mine went to secondary considered coping at school, and very quickly stopped coping.
(Having said that, junior school had just expected less and less out of him in terms of education or participation, and the LEA didn't think him slowly sinking was a bigger deal as I did.)

I'm out of date as my knowledge is statements (of SEN) rather than EHCP's, certainly then social needs were only important if they were affecting educational ones. In our case they were, as it was a jungle, and he was instant prey.
However I believe EHCP’s were supposed to change that situation.

I hope I'm not being too negative here, but have you understood major differences in school structure at your secondary? A lot may be dependent on how large and urban the school is. Someone from a better school than ours assures you they would manage those things with your child. Our old school still assures parents, the children will manage. (They don't, there's a v.high drop out rate from there for children with ASD.)

He’s no longer going to have the same group of peers (who are used to him/supportive or at least leave him alone etc) for most things.
He will be in a different classroom possibly with different kids, every 50 mins, having navigated crowded, possibly loud, corridors to get there. So will he be lesson/learning ready?

What is he like with trips, sudden team building activities, and bearing in mind Covid, outdoor activities? Sometimes they happen on week 1 and can define relationships for the future. PE? Changing for it?

Very quickly the need to fit/be the same strikes in secondary.

Isn’t he a couple of weeks away from knowing his future school? If so I’d be knocking hard on secondary SENCO’s door right now, asking do you want this to be a successful transition, or a lot of work fixing it later?
One thing to ask for anyway, is to visit the school and know its layout in advance. (may need covid test 1st) Normally that would be Ok, and it can sometimes show up issues.

He should arrive with every staff member knowing about him, and that he's not being intentionally 'rude/sullen' etc in his staring or silences.
Right now he's not a school refuser, everyone wants it to stay that way.

If he’s highly literal I'd assume he's going to need lots of help decoding several lessons, (and unless he’s lucky with his peer group) otherwise alone he’ll swiftly be drawing negative attention from others as well as struggling.

You might want to consider writing your ideal scenario 'statement', and then working backwards, as to how reasonable it would be and ensuring it's helping him to independence, not smothering.

I started with a requirement of: Significant differentiation to meaningfully engage with the school day and educational syllabus. and went on to show what that was, what it would look like and why it was needed.

The 'school day' matters, and soon affects learning. Schools may not like to advertise it, but part of what they do is to prepare for the workplace.

I’d look at long term educational outcomes if he’s masking at school and blowing at home. Is that sustainable?

There will be elements of the curriculum that will be about being a functioning member of society, so that’s part of modern education, right? Education, especially for those with ASD, isn’t just about syllabus and exams, he has to be able to apply that education into adult life.

When looking for provision I suspect SMART is still a useful acronym:
Sustainable
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time Based

So much of what was offered us (things that didn't cost time or money mainly) could be instantly seen as below par as they didn't meet two or more of those objectives.

Somewhere down the line the ability to take home work and do it, is surely going to become an essential skill for him. I may be wrong but suspect that one is likely to become your problem. (why I include ours.)
The homework issue we had was inability to record and understand what was required to be done, how much, and by when, in the time given in the lesson, from the whiteboard, so I sought preferably a pre printed slip with details, or less preferably for all, it to be written by an adult into his communication book. That meant it could fall to me to help work out what they actually wanted leading to a major reduction in the amount of work over literal poor child believed was expected of them. Is the school using any sort of parent portal?

Transitioning between lessons is likely to throw up issues from what your describing. Is he able to get everything in and out of a bag in a timely manner? Poor executive function floored mine.

A male mentor might well be an asset if the school has them, even if he is silent with them. It also gives him another place to go or be sent, if things are getting difficult, and another voice in reports. (Might sound strange, but ours was great in openly saying he could do nothing for Dc unlike with most of the kids he mentored)

Sorry this is so long, but I hope there's useful stuff in it somewhere.

Just one point: if you feel that his anxiety at secondary school will be severe and he won't cope, state that you are concerned that his ASD-related anxiety - together with selective mutism and difficulties with social skills - mean he is at risk of being a school refuser at secondary. That waiting to see if he ends up in crisis after transition to secondary is a risk to his mental health.

@Elleherd thank you so much for your input . That is very helpful and has given me food for thought .

@GreenTeaPingPong DS has already been a school refuser in primary . He’s never missed a day but it wasn’t without picking him up and carrying him to the school gates. You can imagine the distress that caused us both. He’s also been on a part timetable in the last but it was very temporary.

I am very concerned about the impact this transition is going to have on his mental health

@PastMyBestBeforeDate I didn’t see your post there . I hope our EP is as good as yours was

Make sure you specifically ask for SALT and OT assessments, don't accept not known to services/ on waiting list. The LA can commission assessments by therapists if he cannot be seen in time for the EHCNA.

The Ed Psych assessment can vary. Mot engaging well is not unusual and the EP should (hopefully) be experienced to gain enough information. It might be that standardised tests can't be completed fully, but that in itself would serve as evidence of difficulties.

Whether ehcp is issued depends on whether the LA conclusion is if needs can be met within school own resources. Which is why having appropriate assessments is important.

Uniform should be accommodated as a reasonable adjustment without an EHCP.

I had to remind my LA of the SEND regs about assessment
Its 6.h)

As part of a needs assessment the LA must seek advice from:

"a) the child's parents or the young person;
b) educational advice (usually from the head teacher or principal);
c) medical advice and information from a health care professional;
d) psychological advice and information from an educational psychologist;
e) advice and information in relation to social care;
f) advice and information from any other person the local authority thinks appropriate;
g) where the child or young person is in or beyond year 9, advice and information in relation to provision to assist the child or young person in preparation for adulthood and independent living; and
h) advice and information from any person the child's parent or young person reasonably requests that the local authority seek advice from."
SEN regs 6(1)

H means you can request SALT, OT and psychiatrist &/or clinical psychologist assessments. If the LA can't, or won't, assess the LA must commission independent assessments. If the LA issue an EHCP SALT, OT and therapies such as CBT or art therapy can be included. They should be in section F, therefore they are he LA's responsibility - if the NHS can't or won't provide it the LaA must commission independent provision. All can be included if a child attends MS.

The biggest thing is to make sure the EHCP is detailed, specific and quantified otherwise it isn't worth the paper it is written on. To enable this the reports need to be detailed, specific and quantified. If they are vague and woolly the EHCP will be too, so ask the LA to go back to the report writers.

There is more to EHCPs than academic progress. Things like social and emotional development are just as important. You can have an EHCP and be academically able.

Transport won't be included in the EHCP. It is possible to argue your case without an EHCP.

Outbursts at home indicate unmet needs at school, even if the school aren't recognising them.