Year 4 DS, ASD diagnosed and most likely adhd.
Twice a week he goes to a farm and so only attends schools for the last hour of the day on those days
At the farm there’s no other kids his age when he goes there and he’s not hugely interested in the animals so he’s usually just playing or doing painting etc by himself which tbh he could do at home.
I think it did help him a lot at first (there used to be other kids there, but hasn’t been this school year at all) but now I just don’t see the benefit to him, the only benefit is that he copes better with school because he is physically there less, which doesn’t feel like a long term solution it just feels a bit like whacking a band aid over the issues he faces with school.
It’s also difficult to get to and costs £150 in taxis a month that I can’t really afford but I wouldn’t mind one bit if I thought it was helping him but i don’t think it is.
I know school are likely going to say it is helping him, and if I stop taking him to the farm it will likely be me getting the blame when everything goes to shit at school but I just think if school is somewhere he gets distressed being and can’t cope with being full time then there’s changes that need to be made at school, not just having him be there less. Or atleast if he was doing something somewhere else but actually doing something and with other children etc would be better
He’s very bright but very behind, because before he had an EHCP in place he was never even in the classroom and I can’t see him catching up if he’s at a farm twice a week and in nurture playing Lego a lot of the time when he is in school.
He was so upset last night telling me how he hates being autistic because it makes him ‘stupid’ after some digging he was upset that the level of work he’s doing at school isn’t anywhere near the other kids.
I just feel like the priority at school is that he’s less annoying for them rather than him learning and reaching his potential. There’s a lot going on with ds atm he’s so miserable and almost even depressed and I just don’t know what to do or how to help him.