Why is it so hard to get help with additional needs for DS

[imnotareindeer]

The school aren't interested, they constantly say they will get the Senco to observe him but everytime I chase it they haven't. The agree on the issues, stimming, being in own world/ daydreaming , but seem to think as he is coping and just about scraping his targets that he is fine.

Should I forget them and go to the GP or will this not work? I'm going to get a speech therapist in privately again, have done this in the past. His speech is poor.

He's 5 .. year 1. Had a meeting with the teacher, but she's very dismissive and just says he's lovely. He is but I'm worried about him.

Yes GP. It's not really down to the school to go down the diagnosis route, there more for helping to learn like a care plan or ECHP whilst in school.

You don’t need to wait for the school my daughter was diagnosed before she even went to school (didn’t attend nursery l)

Yes go to your GP and say you want a referral to a Paediatrician and to NHS speech and language as paediatrician will want you to see them anyway so this gets you ahead. My son had private speech and language but still needed to be assessed by the NHS team for his diagnosis and EHCP.

Does he have a diagnosis?

You could apply for an EHCP Needs Assessment, all you need to demonstrate is that he may have an identified Special Education Need. This assessment will look at what support he needs in school and, if applicable, he'll be given an EHCP which is a binding document detailing that support, who provides it, how it is provided, etc. You don't need a diagnosis to do this, although it does simplify the process a little. There is a guide on the IPSEA website including template letters to help you make your application to the Local Authority.

If he doesn't have a diagnosis and you're concerned then, in my experience, GPs don't tend to be consistent in their knowledge of things like ASD and ADHD. I'd recommend contacting the school nursing team for your area, they can talk through your concerns and they can go into school to observe him there. They have routes into CAMHS and can make the relevant referrals, in my area they can also speed up the referral process as they can do the preliminary screening assessments before the referral is made.

While it might not be school's job to get a diagnosis like PP said, they can be very helpful in situations like this to help action it and get the ball rolling so I think it's very poor they're not taking it more seriously and not acting on it when they said they would.
If they haven't done something then I think you need to go to your GP
You can still keep on at them in the meantime

Budgets for Sen provision are tiny. The number of kids needing extra support is rocketing. In my small school we’ve got 1/3 of our reception class who need speech and language intervention. We’ve been allocated 1, 2 hour visit. We simply are unable to give the help we would want to.
Sadly, right now, if your son is coping in school, is not seriously academically struggling or disruptive then school probably simply don’t have the resources to make him a priority.
See your GP
If you can afford it pay for what he needs.

Definitely involve the GP. Sadly school have little budget / Ed psych support and it is targeted on the most extreme or older kids.

There is an interesting line anyway between what a doctor/GP/Paediatric consultant can diagnose and what comes under rather education system/Ed psychology. If you are suspecting Autism/ADHD which the stimming perhaps suggests then that is for the GP to sort. Oncr diagnosed they can be handed on to school/Ed psych for support. Dyslexia/dyspraxia etc are for the Ed psych. initially to diagnose.

@Justwalkyourfineassoutthedoor

Yes go to your GP and say you want a referral to a Paediatrician and to NHS speech and language as paediatrician will want you to see them anyway so this gets you ahead. My son had private speech and language but still needed to be assessed by the NHS team for his diagnosis and EHCP.

He's been under speech, but they do a review and say he is delayed in the assessment and in the same letter they discharge him. So there is no therapy to be had, and so it goes around again, hence using a private therapist in the past. I have accessed some courses when he was younger, but no actual speech therapy, more self help.

NHS speech therapy were pretty much the same for my son but the Paediatrician used their report for his information gathering. They are now back on board since we got his EHCP and go into school to see him (once a year!) but he is at a SEN school so has speech therapy daily anyway. We had private speech therapy for nearly 3years and they were amazing. Does your son have a diagnosis yet? This is what the paediatrician is most helpful for.

You can apply for an EHCP yourself without waiting on the school if they are being unhelpful.

@LittleOwl153 thank you, I also think my DH is very reluctant to approach the GP. He has a very much a denial thing going on. There is family history of issues and ASD on both sides. If the school had said something then it would be different, he thinks it's just me worrying. But that makes sense.