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Education

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Original poster

The Able Child with Asperger's in Mainstream School

12 replies

mrsforgetful · 02/04/2004 10:51

O.k...here i go again!

Thomas- Asperger's/ADHD ...10yrs old with NO STATEMENT.

Very able- ahead in most subjects....GIFTED at ICT.....however......

Non- Educational "Welfare" and "social" needs which are getting worse

I have read the Code of Practice for SEN almost word by word and all i can seem to see is that unless he has 'learning' probs he will not fall into the '2%' that an ed psych told me on weds was the 'statemented few'

Apparently...if he had learning probs then the 'non ed' stuff would get included in a statement....but a statement won't be agreed just for 'non ed'

Please can someone clear this up- i have referred our family to Social Services as i am seriosly thinking about withdrawing him from school on the grounds of Discrimination,Neglect and Non-Inclusion...though i know this is not the 'sensible' thing to do...but if you read my threads you will have an understanding of where i am coming from on this.

Is there anyone out there with a

AS child who is.....friendly/social (though not quite in the way a NT child is!)/able/non-violent/MEDICATED on RITILIN type stuff /& inconspicuous.....get the picture.....

who IS STATEMENTED.....purely on NON EDUCATIONAL GROUNDS.....????

OP posts:

Rebi · 02/04/2004 11:03

I go to a Asperger's Parent support group and there is a woman there whoss son sounds like yours. He is about 9 years old.

He is very very bright, is on Ritalin and has support for 3 hours a day (this always mistifies me how they can decide which 3 hours the child is going to need this emotional support). I am not sure of exact details obviously.

If it would help meeting I will have a chat with her and find out details (first Monday of the month)?

Original poster

mrsforgetful · 02/04/2004 11:07

That would be great- i just need to know what i can expect...or try to get. Thanksx

OP posts:

Rebi · 02/04/2004 11:12

No problem - I will have a word with her as soon as I can!

hmb · 02/04/2004 11:20

I teach in a state school and we have a boy with 100% support (not at lunch/breaks, then he goes to the SEN dept for 'sanctuary'. He has ADS and is very able. As far as I can see he has no educational problems. His problems are all social. He is not 'friendly', but is plesent with adults who he respects IYSWIM. I'll check his ISP for some details if you like?

Original poster

mrsforgetful · 02/04/2004 14:27

REBI /HMB...thanks.....!!

I've had more bad news (will post that separately!) ...so your info is something to keep up my moral.!

OP posts:

Jimjams · 02/04/2004 14:35

I'm sure children do get statemented on non-educational grounds- for example if they have bad cp or something.

Just a word re the 2% - there is NO LIMIT to the number of children who can be statemented. When statemting was introduced the people who were introducing it said they EXPECTED about 2% to need statements. HOwever it is not a limit- statementing goes on a child's needs.

Whether it is realistic in your case to get a statement I don't know. You can request one though and the LEA have to consider whether they will assess. So if you choose to do that then you can- look on the IPSEA website for the letter you need to send.

If your son doesn't require extra staff etc (whcih you may think he does- in which case definitely request a statement), then his needs may be met via the shcool's sn budget. it's hard to know what to suggest though as the school are being unhlepful. All I can suggest is changing schools- that can make a big difference, but obviously is a gamble Do you know any other parents with HFA/AS/SN kids- they're the best ones to hear about the different schools from.

dinosaur · 02/04/2004 15:01

Sorry I can't help Mrsforgetful - we don't have a statement - I was told that DS1 would have to demonstrate that he was "failing to access the National Curriculum at an appropriate level" which he clearly is not. We were advised by our own independent ed psych to leave it be and apply again for a statutory assessment if he starts to have more problems.

However like your son I think it will be the welfare and social needs where DS1 will struggle, not the educational side.

The only think I can think of to suggest is to contact the National Autistic Society helpline?

Or if you are in London, I have a friend who does education law in his "spare time" (he is a lawyer but education law is not his day job) who has a teenage autistic son.

I'm really sorry I can't be more help.

And also I'm terribly sorry to read on another thread that you were upset by another poster's response to you and that that had stopped you posting for a few weeks. Was it me? I just seem to be upsetting people right left and centre at the moment. If it was me, I'm terribly sorry - definitely wasn't intentional.

Original poster

mrsforgetful · 02/04/2004 15:53

No dinosaur ...you didn't upset me!!!! It was when i strayed away from the safety of the SN and Behaviour threads that i got upset! I am sticking to you lot now!!! YOU regulars know who YOU are!

OP posts:

KPB · 02/04/2004 22:46

Apparently my dd's statement was down to the fact that she was in the bottom 2% with her language. Like your son Mrs F my dd is also a very bright gifted child but STILL cannot cope in a mainstream school without support and still got her statement. Not sure if this is non-educational but she was def. quite high on the centile charts (academically) when assessed by the Ed. Pysch. I think the sentence that probaly was make or break was by the SALT who wrote something like " is making good procees in her language skills but is still presenting with symptoms of a language disorder. doesn't seem to process language in the normal way, therefore making it difficult to understand A,B,C.....
I know someone in dd's school statemented for a language delay!!!
Not sure if this is any help but thought I would add it any way!!!

sassy · 03/04/2004 10:50

I have posted for you before, mrs F. I have been the Head of Year for a boy in years 8 and 9 with moderate Aspergers who was otherwise very bright. He was statemented and had about 15 hours a week of a time with a teaching support assistant (within his lessons). Support was necessary for two main reasons - to manage his behaviour (he was a very naughty pupil, partly due to Aspergers but partly just because he was naughty), but also to help him understand teacher's instructions, keep himself organised/on task etc. As you know, Aspergers kids tend to take things very literally so if a teacher explained things in a metaphorical way, he had no chance of following what was being said. I would think this is your strongest card to play in getting your ds statemented; that he may not understand much of what is said to him however hard he tries and risks underperforming as a result.(I haven't had chance to read your other threads BTW, hope this is helpful.)

dinosaur · 03/04/2004 23:03

Phew, Mrsf, I'm mighty relieved about that!

Highlight of DS1's day today - he got a new London Transport guide to all the public transport services in our area - spent many a happy hour poring over the bus timetables and maps!

Davros · 04/04/2004 12:53

MrsF I really think you have to stop believing them about Statementing and request an assessment yourself. It doesn't look like anything will change otherwise. The answer may still be the same but at least you will have some involvement in the process.

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