school says my ds does not need a statement?

[crazygal]

hello there everyone...
i did put this post else where,but got no response,
i hope someone can help me here.
my ds is 7,and just 3 weeks ago got diagnosed with mild ADHD,
over the last 2 and a half years of school we have being called in several times over his behaviour,
with them saying hes troublesome,challenging,disruptive etc.....
we had a parent evening,were the teacher was very positive,saying hes doing very well,although she can see hes gone from above average to average/just below average,she said he is disruptive and struggles threw each part of the day,(morning,lunch,afternoon!)
im guessing hes still trying to be class clown...
she told us that they have to get a one 2 one in for him when hes abit more hyper,and that is normaly around 2-4 times in a week,for an hr to a whole afternoon.
i asked the teacher if he could do with having his own 1-1 ta?
teacher said
1:dont go there.
2:if theres 1-1 available in the school then we can use them.
3:hes not that bad.

so what do you guys think?
if he does need 1-1, then how do i go about it?
what if the school says no?
ds is changing his school next year,he goes into middle school,
thank you xxx

Hi crazygal, it would generally depend on your local authority as to whether the hours he needed would qualify for a statement. Certainly where I live he doesn't sound like he needs enough hours and his needs could be met within delegated funding - at least that's the line you'd get from the council.

Have you only spoken to his class teacher? You need to involve the SENCo if s/he is not already involved, and see what reasonable adjustments can be made to his timetable to try and head off problems before they arise.

hi stitchingmoss,
yes i spoke to the school,and the senco is the head teacher,she said they have no funds for that,
its just that his diagnosis is threw now,and as they said he struggled,i wondered if he could get some help?
i think deep down i wont.
we are going to see middle schools soon.
maybe i should see if they could help?even if they dont statement,i would just like to know hes getting support in class,and not disrupting it!x

Not sure where else you posted, but try special needs: children (not the special educational needs section of education). There are lots of v helpful and friendly people over there with lots of knowledge who can advise

oh thank you,
ill put it on there in a bit,x

i think it's unlikely he would get a statement for adhd to be honest. he might get a behaviour plan or contract, and an iep with some targets to do with attention etc. in my experience, the lea will only provide additional funding for a child with extreme behaviour difficulties rather than mild adhd (of the chair and table throwing/ class having to be evacuated for their own safety kind), and even then only when the parents of the peer group complain about their own child's safety whilst at school.

you do need to stay in touch with the senco and class teacher and discuss what support is appropriate though - it sounds as though school are doing very well at providing some 1-1 to keep him on task.

is he on medication? it might be worth a trial if not - sometimes it can enable the child to be relatively independent - but for some kids it doesn't work or isn't suitable.

crazygal, yes it would be important to discuss this with his new school but as others have said, this isn't about statementing, it's about making sure he has support to manage his issues when they arise. Open and regular communication with home and school is an essential part of this.

Good luck x

the middle school will also have lots of experience in dealing with adhd as well. (there are 3 boys in ds1's class with noticeable adhd, for example, and as an lsa in a secondary it was certainly unusual if a class has no adhd-dx children in it) so you need to discuss with them what support he needs/ is likely to get on transition.

You could apply for one yourself anyway, you can but try. tbh it sounds like, given he'd leave next summer, they aren't interested in spending time on it as it might not benefit them. Tell the middle schools you are considering about your ds, the diagnosis and ask the SENCO and head how they would support your ds with or without a statement.

thank you everyone
this is very helpful,and like i said,i think deep down i wouldnt get one,but as long as hes supported i dont mind,
i will discuss it with the middle schools and see if they can offer him that support,
my son can be such a good boy,but just needs "lots" of reminding!
and his behaviour gets out of control if he doesnt get that,
yes i think the school are doing very well with him,but i feel i should be doing more for him,
plus i havent told anyone about his adhd,
he hits others in his class and gets soooo angry!ive had parents complain about him and im so stressed about it.

With the hours you indicate he needs support, the school would be expected to cope with that with its delegated SEN funding, irrespective of how many SEN children are in the school. I'm not suggesting this is fair ... it's just how it is.

Crazy - It sounds like school are doing very well with your son, and at this stage he doesn't need a statement.

What a diagnosis brings you, is not extra help at school, but extra understanding about exactly what his problems are.

Now that you know he has ADHD, it's a good time for you to look at what else you can do to help him. There are things you can do which should very much help him at school.

1. Multivitamins.

Most kids nowadays aren't getting enough multivitamins, but for kids with ADHD it's very important that they get enough:

• Omega - you want one with high EPA and low (or no) DHA.
• Zinc and Magnesium - some studies have found zinc to be as effective as ritalin for kids with ADHD.

2. Diet

• Cut down on sugar, e-nums and additives
• High protein, low carbs (but not very low carbs)

A lot of kids with ADHD are very fussy eaters and live exclusively on carbs, which just makes their problems worse.

Recently I cut out e-nums etc for my DS - and he stopped having heart palpations! (Which I didn't realise he had )

There's a lot of very helpful info in The Brain Food Plan

It's really, really hard in our modern world to feed our kids properly. And I'm embarrassed to find out how much changing their diets has helped my 3.

Then of course there are things like Fidget Toys and a Move n Sit Cushion which will help him concentrate in class.

My 7 yr old has ADHD. He would be classed as mild I think. He's not mild as he was dxed at age 3 but the school manages him very well and he is on medication. He is doing so well this year that he is rising from being at the bottom of the class academically to near the top.

The school manage his one to one time within the current budgets. I suspect like others have said a statemnet is unlikely unless he acheives chair throwing status.

My DS is helped a lot through exercise. A TA takes him outside to kick a ball around for 10mins when he gets a bit 'lively'. He is bright (as many ADHDers are) but needs a lot of stimulation to avoid boredom. Maybe talk to your school about how they will manage this.

A child with mild ADHD would be very unlikely to get a statement in my area and to be honest even a chair thrower wouldn't get one here

indigo, ds1 let the air out of his wobble cushion accidentally because he was fidgeting with the valve in class. his teacher says she saw him do it, and the look of horror on his face, but didn't mention it. after two days of studiously ignoring it, ds1 eventually confessed, and she sent him off to the pe teacher to get some air put back in. he does say it helps a lot though. i asked him if he felt it would help at home for homework and the dining table etc, but he looked at me as though i was unhinged.

the omega and epsom salts seem to be helping a lot.

I've just discovered these www.specialdirect.com/Product.aspx?cref=TTSPR1365615&rid=180&cid=28 and really wish I'd had a one for leg swingers

they look interesting - but purple and yellow??? i love that they claim it doesn't distract anyone else. ds1's teacher likes to have everything black or grey so that it doesn't draw peer group attention. they often use a black dynaband tied around the chair legs so kids can stretch it with their feet and push against it.

ds1 puts the chairlegs on his toes. i presume for sensory feedback, i'm told it's quite common.

wow mrz
that thing for your feet looks quite cool!
i dont think he will get a statement myself,but was just looking for an outsider point of view on this,
my ds does hit alot,last week he hit 2 boys in the face :(
i dont know how to stop him doing that!!
i have done charts for him this week to help with that and to use his WORDS.....
i have also just enrolled myself on a course,brain gym and rythmic movement,ill spend all next year doing it,im hoping ill learn lots from this that can help my ds
and on a positive,we went and looked at 2 middle schools this eve,the 1st is in our catchment area,and i just couldnt feel anything from it,apart from the fact that all the students and parents that are in my ds class now were there and i had my usual anxiety.....
i asked them about how they would deal with children like my ds ans they said positive words,talking to us etc,when i asked how they will deal with him if hes disruptive in class/hitting/shouting answers/being cheeky/calling you an idiot....he got stuck,he just said he would find out why hes behaving like that,
he said to me,im not answering your question the way you want am i?
i said no,not really,
he then offered for me to have a day in the school to see how they run...
the 2nd school was amazing!! positive positive everywere!!
every room had something different to offer,like traffic lite system,
going from a silver star to bronse to gold.
they had a board in each class were the children could put on a post it who and what they thought another child had done that was good.
they also have a buddy system were a yr 5 child will keep and eye on a yr3 child,they have a worry box,that the child can put things in,in confidence,
and for children who struggle with behaviour they have a quite room were they can talk to some one.
they have a room for children who also struggle with emotions and feelings,called the s.t.r.e.a.m room,each letter means something,like e-emotions.a-anger.r-respect.t-thoughtful.
and so on
sorry im going on now,but feel excited,emotional and happy about this school
they answered all my questions,and said he wouldnt have 1-1,but there was lots in the school to help him.

what does his behaviour plan look like?
what are the consequences currently?

have you trialled meds?

the second school sounds great. it sounds as though they are well used to children with different issues. it would be interesting to see whether they have a high level of sen students on roll.

behaviour plan?at school?
i have one at home,if thats what you mean?
i made a great chart out,and he can earn points or lose them
eg: +100 points if he tells an adult hes feeling angry
+20 points ifhe lets someone pick a game to play 1st,etc etc
then he can lose points,
eg:-100 if he hits anybody
-20 if he calls someone a bad name etc.
we have 6 on the points that he can gain,and 5 on the one he can lose,
we are talking about it till monday,when he can get started on it,ive also made one for the school,im hoping the teacher wont mind!!!
but we have to try and get him so see what hes doing before middle!
the 2nd school said they have 230 children,and 14 have statments,which she said was alot.
i havent tried meds on ds,i dont want to,why?because i can get great results myself,and all he needs is adult help to learn i think,
im carefull with his diet,he is allowed sweets on sundays and he has to earn puddings threw good behaviour. x

No many schools use IBPs if behaviour is a major concern

example

and if they do not believe his issues are serious enough to warrant a behaviour strategy/ plan/ contract at school, then they are quite right. he doesn't need a statement.

it sounds as though they are offering him a bit of extra support to stay on task if they have someone free, which is all they think he needs.

it is interesting. i do understand you don't want to try meds. and that's completely fine - it's a personal choice.

but what you are effectively saying is, my son has a medical problem, but i am not willing to even the try the medicine that might remove the majority of his symptoms, and i want the school to provide an extra staff member for 30 hours a week and pay for it, because of my choice. and i believe that all he needs is an extra staff member to help keep him on task and control him.

and again, that's fine that you want that. but one of the reasons we are looking at home schooling is because we have a realistic idea of a teacher's role and capability. and of the funding available to reasonably mildish add/hd kids who don't really 'fit' into such a rigid system.

ds1 would thrive with 1-1 help. but he isn't going to get it. and so he won't reach his potential. i do expect the school to do their best to help him reach his potential, but i'm just not convinced it's possible (because there is no way on this earth that they can provide 1-1), so it's up to me to look for alternatives. which currently means i am considering a meds trial and/ or homeschooling.

but it's all personal choice. hope it goes well for you and ds. i might discuss whether a behaviour plan or contract would be useful though.

MADWOMAN-
yes you are right,meds are a very personal choice,
we have also got family experience of meds that have not worked and have caused the family alot of stress!
our ds sleeps very well,and is also under weight,which we have been told meds will disrupt his sleep and can cause even further weight loss,etc
plus the pead agreed with me that with adult guidance he does very well,
so why therefore,put him threw the meds?
it is something that has crossed my mind at times,something we are very weary and scared of!!! we have also heard of so many others were they havent worked,
its a very hard decision to make as im sure you know,
every week i get 2-3 children round and do supervised play dates with ds and i teach him how to play nicely,and it works alittle!
but tbh i just dont know whats best,i want a fairy godmother to come along and tell me and take over!