Educational Psychology invovement.. what was helpful?

[itsallabitmuchx]

Hello all,

I am curious about parents' experiences of working with an educational psychologist.

If you have been involved with one, what were your experiences? What was helpful/not so helpful?

:)

Ours has been amazing. The school have always been lovely, but vague about DD issues. The EP has come up with a plan and an idea of what is going on, and the steps we can take to try and improve things.

Great to hear. What made you and DD feel heard and understood? :)

Ours was really really good. He spent a half day at school and saw DS and did some tests with him, met school staff and discussed concerns , met me and discussed concerns.

After only half a day his report showed a more accurate picture of son’s needs than his teacher was able to identify, and the suggested supports were, in my opinion, spot on.

Getting school to implement them all was more challenging………

Once you have their recommendations in black and white LA have to implement them at their school or find a placement that can.

The most helpful educational psychologist will look at what the child’s needs are and how they need to be supported.
An unhelpful EP will look at what support is available cheaply and then word a report to fit that.

This is not true. I’m not sure of you’re confused between EHCP’s and EP involvement.

EP’s contribute to the statutory assessment process (as part of EHC needs assessment). Even when they send the report to the LA, the LA does not have to carry out their advice or recommendations. Once information goes into a EHC plan this must be implemented but even then it isn’t always.

Our first LA Ed Psych was crap. She was the only professional who assessed DS1 during the EHCP process who said he didn’t need one. Fortunately she was overruled by the LA!

We have since moved counties. All three of the LA Ed Psychs who have assessed DS over the years here have been really fantastic, the first one especially. The ongoing issue we’ve had is the LA electing to ignore their advice. The first in our new county wrote such a strong report in favour of DS1 moving to a special school that the LA oh-so-conveniently-accidentally excluded it from their tribunal bundle! So I added it into my bundle instead.

We have also used three private Ed Psychs. The first and third were very good. The third actually ‘stayed with us’ from when DS was aged 11 to 19. He was really wonderful and watched DS grow up throughout special school and helped with the evidence we needed to secure his places in adult social care.

For us, the most important thing - obvious as it may sound - has been them taking the time to understand DS and what his challenges are. The two Ed Psychs I was less keen on (one LA, one private) seemed to just be ticking boxes rather than having any interest in actually helping him. DS has multiple complex disabilities and it was a challenge to find suitable schooling for him. The good Ed Psychs were instrumental in helping us to better understand DS’s needs and how they could best be met.

I have no doubt without the involvement of a EP our child would not have started at our first choice school.

I did not agree with their method of assessment but the report which followed said what it needed to so it doesn't matter.