Can we have an ASD/additional needs support thread?

[Namechange8471]

I thought posting here would be best for traffic.
Impending update at 8 has me worrying about more/longer school closures and the impact on my child.

I thought we could use this thread to vent or for advice. Or achievements dc have made despite the current circumstances.

I'll go first,

Dd is 12 and autistic, 'high functioning', she was really dissapointed not to return to school.
She has made great progress since starting in September, even making new friends which is a huge deal for her.

She does well with zoom lessons, however struggles with set tasks. I have tried sitting with her however she tends to get stressed if she doesn't get something right the first time.

How is everyone's dcs coping? Any tips to help me or others?

No coping at all. Frequent meltdowns and now appalling sleep patterns

Whilst lockdown doesn't phase me the thought of months of this behaviour still to come is exhausting

With regard to set tasks, if any time limits are removed, that can help. It can also help to have a ‘ practice run’, they often turn out fine due to lack of pressure.

Comfy how old? What are they not coping with specifically? Lack of contact? Lack of supervision? No timetable?

Dreading weeks on end with my ASD 6yo. He lashes out when stressed/worried/angry and I somehow have to WFH while educating him and my 4yo.

DC1 is 9 and will be going in as he has an EHCP and school have recognised how difficult it is for him to access online learning. He is looking forward to it. He has got to the point at home of not coming out of his room much so I am relieved. He has found the tier 4 Christmas holidays so hard.

Sending hugs to you all and your Little ones. People just don't get it.

Don’t. I had my 11 year old DS home today - last Lockdown was primary and I could do the work. This lockdown - the first lesson was computing and binary addition - I have never learned binary 😱 I think I am going to have to send him in (SEN place) even though I am not sure - mental health/anxiety probably better with me at home (hence keeping him here this week). I am very depressed about him going backwards and the longer term impact.

I've got a high functioning teenager. He's happy about school being closed but equally home learning is a nightmare. He's in an exam year and has just been rolling on the floor hysterically laughing at us whilst we're trying to talk him through tomorrow's schedule. If he's not constantly supervised he won't work and he also binge eats so I have to watch him in the kitchen.
I have two primary school age too. It's going to be difficult

@Gilead

Comfy how old? What are they not coping with specifically? Lack of contact? Lack of supervision? No timetable?

15 years old. Struggling with online live lessons due to other kids not muting mikes and anything they do that isn't 'correct'. If it's not correct he just explodes. The rage is getting bad, worries me. Sometimes I don't feel safe around him as he's bigger than me

9 year old ASD DS here, doesn't particularly enjoy school and academically behind but definitely bright enough, both DH and I are key workers so contemplating trying to get him into school. He won't do very much work at home would want to just play on his tablet all day so I would rather he was getting some sort of routine, his anxiety is all over the place just now.

Can i join , i havr a non verbal nearly 4 year old daughter diagnosed year ago, she goes to special nursery, no idea if going to stay open, also has 23 month old, im unablr to homeschool as very little understanding so just managing at home like the nearly 6 months last year, needs to be watched constantly going to be intense again, her sleeping is all over place was awake since 4 this morning not alseep yet

Oh thank goodness, sen seems to have been completely forgotten.
The Guardian are reporting that special schools are staying open, but can’t find anything in the guidance.

DS 16. He's just done first term of a FE vocational course. He has an EHCP so has been doing the online learning part of the course plus maths/english in college with a support worker. He can't manage independent online learning. A big part of his course is practical and was the bit he most enjoyed. I struggle to see how any of the teens on the course SN or not can really gain much from remote learning.

It is what it is of course and we'll have to make the best of it but I'm hugely frustrated and disappointed as he made such great progress since starting college. He was a persistent school refuser in secondary and spent most of it out of education so seeing him finally happier and committing to something was brilliant. I'm worried that his interest in education and mental health will crash again.

Just to add I realise he will still be able to go into college with a support worker as before but with no practical classes and very few other kids in the setting I know he's not going to find it enjoyable. He'd just started making friends before Xmas.

comfy can you get recordings of the sessions? It may help, you can run through before playing it and forewarn him?

asd child is asleep, not surprising as they went to school on only five hours sleep today.

they are really really unhappy about having to be in school but would not fucking work at home.

I need to sleep now but spent the time doing an online shop or three.

All vulnerable children supposed to attend so all with EHCP - which means all special schools fully open (if they can staff them!). The group is wider than in March when schools did risk assessments to decide which pupils could attend
Guidance says:
Vulnerable children and young people include those who are assessed as being in need under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, including children and young people who have a child in need plan, a child protection plan or who are a looked-after child; have an education, health and care (EHC) plan; have been identified as otherwise vulnerable by educational providers or local authorities (including children's social care services), and who could therefore benefit from continued full-time attendance, this might include:
children and young people on the edge of receiving support from children’s social care services or in the process of being referred to children’s services adopted children or children on a special guardianship order, those at risk of becoming NEET (‘not in employment, education or training’), those living in temporary accommodation, those who are young carers, those who may have difficulty engaging with remote education at home (for example, due to a lack of devices or quiet space to study), care leavers, other children and young people at the provider and local authority’s discretion including pupils who need to attend to receive support or manage risks to their mental health.
DS is 14 ASD. He will be at home this week and maybe next - school is being flexible on this. I will probably send him back once the post xmas spike has started to flatten / staff have all been tested as I need to work and he cant do remote learning without constant 1:1. He also hates me teaching him.
School may shut anyway if it doesnt have enough staff - i imagine many teachers will need to sort keyworker places for own children. Last time they were able to set remote learning worksheets etc in evenings so didnt need find their own childcare.

Thanks for starting this thread OP. I’ve got two kids with SEN. My youngest is very upset that we will have to go back to learning at home - he finds it very tricky and doesn’t think his teacher (ie ME!!) is up to it. He’s in his last year of primary school.

My oldest is meant to be in year 13, we started off in year 12 with 4 a-levels but have not just gone down to 1 1/2 and not attending lessons as his mental health is very bad. Waiting to see what support will be offered to him....

Now trying desperately to get hold of an extra laptop so I can work alongside them both!

Good luck everyone 🤞

Children who are in the process of being assessed, are they supposed to be allowed to attend?

@LemonSquirtInTheEyeOfLife

Children who are in the process of being assessed, are they supposed to be allowed to attend?

When you say assessed, do you mean for a diagnosis or for an EHCP? I think it depends on what you’re school counts as vulnerable but as far as I’m aware, its mainly just kids who currently have EHCP’s who should attend school alongside key worker children

DS 11, struggling to make friends in Year 7 this is not going to help. He loves remote learning but will spiral into anxiety if he can’t follow the remote lessons - this if he can’t understand one tiny aspect of a lesson.... it’s going to be a long 7 weeks. I will be staring work at 5am again to be around to support him. Hoping my boss will let me work flexibly again

DS10 has horrible anxiety about having to do a zoom class this morning, not sleeping crying etc. Last lockdown he went in as refuses to learn at home as home is not school. This time he probably won't get a place because 50 other parents have applied - last time he was one of about 15 kids in school. I'm an nhs key worker as well so I don't know how I'm going to make calls all day and supervise him every 5 minutes 🤯

Thank you so much for starting this thread OP - I’ve found this period so isolating as other parents and work colleagues just don’t get the particular difficulties I’m experiencing.

I am a single parent wfh full time and have two DS 8 (Y4) and just 6. Eldest in the process of assessment for ADHD ( some ASD traits) and severe anxiety. He couldn’t cope with lockdown last time at all and is already struggling. Can’t access online learning and can’t work independently and just can’t handle ‘school’ being ‘at home’.

Also the change/lack of routine makes him severe lay anxious so lots of meltdowns with aggression largely to me but also a little to my youngest. Followed by trying to self harm as he hates how he can’t control himself. He’s getting bigger and can really hurt me.

I’m thinking of contacting school after the first two weeks to see if he could go in even a few days ( although getting him there is his brother isn’t will be tricky!).

I cried last night as this school year he has a brilliant teacher for the first time and had been making so much progress - socially more than anything. And also just for how hard this is going to be.

I’m actually having the opposite worry. DS is 7yo and seems to do well at home - he does tasks well in short bursts and it suits him to he able to get up and down and walk about while learning.

However, when he has been in school this year it’s been a total nightmare. He is out of the routine and doesn’t really know any class mates so has been so distressed going in. I don’t know what I’m going to do when schools open again.

Glad for this thread. Ds 6 is high functioning asd. He's actually happy about not going to school, he doesn't like going I think as it's a struggle for him. He doesn't have any friends really and finds the work tough. Currently being assessed through school working towards an ehcp I think and also was waiting on a new speech and language referral.
He's extremely hyperactive so I'm dreading the next 6-7 weeks as he just cannot keep still. I will try and do some school work with him but I'm not going to push him as he will only get stressed out as will I! I'm going to focus on giving him daily exercise and some reading
Hope everyone is coping okay 👍🏻