I'm a teacher and happy to answer any questions

[DellaF83]

Hi, I'm an experienced primary school teacher and happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

You're welcome Thyme. People need also to understand that schools are very wrong if they claim they can't afford to meet the needs of their most vulnerable children.

What they can't afford in that instance, is an interactive white board for every classroom, their Friday Yoga teacher, their expensive SLT members.

These things are not statutory requirements, but educating children with disabilities is.

[insanityscratching]

Star I recognised our AO person from a description by another parent on here of her complete lack of understanding, her insistence of foisting visual timetables on her child and her patronising patter that was seemingly repeated word for word to both of us.
She wanted to know how to get rid of her? I suggested moving schools and forgetting to inform her that your child had moved. Seems to be working here anyway
I suspect our LA don't want experts going into schools anyway just in case good, workable and effective support was suggested rather than the over use of the laminator.
Our AO service was reviewed a few years ago to justify limiting the service to children only with an Autism/ASD diagnosis and not to children with AS or those on the pathway to diagnosis. It wasn't reviewed by an independent body but by one of their own Ed Psychs who decided it was an excellent service funnily enough

[StarlightMcKenzie]

LA Advisory Service personnel I expect are promoted or engineered out of the classroom and schools before they cause further harm and are not what I would call an 'expert'.

Neither are the ones who from a FOI request turn out to have no teaching qualifications at all, and probably no parenting experience either. Certainly a request for their qualifications and training shows quite a scary picture indeed in the two LAs that I have resided.

[rabbitstew]

Ha, ha. They tried visual cues and happy and sad faces on my ds1 - who has issues with NON-verbal information and is best communicated with through words! Still, he quite liked his feelings wheel. Didn't go for the idea of showing the teacher a picture of a toilet if he needed the loo, though.

[daftdame]

We had one(VT), even though not ASD and could read the main Timetable on the wall at 4yrs anyway.

I'm not sure all the teachers do know better, although there are some lovely ones who have no preconceptions. There is a lot of room to be subjective in continuous assessment, since the criteria is not finite.

As I have said SALT..not much. Ability in that area was there when tested and is there. I think the teachers did not allow enough 'settling in' in Reception. Plus expectations were far too high. 2 weeks and then wrote off for Statement and got it.

[OutedUnderOldName]

Isn't this example of visual timetables an example of school and parents knowing better than the "experts"? As mentioned previously in the thread, but criticised as teachers daring to think they knew better!

PS - VT doesn't work for us either.

[mrz]

you have reminded me I have to make one for a child in my class (great advice wonder why I didn't think that might be the solution to his difficulties)

[insanityscratching]

Starlight Autism Outreach are obsessed with visual supports round our way, left to them dd would never need to communicate with a living person she could do it all with laminated velcro backed symbols
God knows why I and school did our utmost to ensure that she could use her own voice to be heard when if left to them she wouldn't need to ever. Unless of course they are in cahoots with the equally dire and largely absent SALT .
Have you been treated to the feelings wheel? That is a joy to behold, still figuring out why they think it's preferable to use that instead of dd alerting her TA or teacher that she is struggling
Mind you it's hard to be enthusiastic about a service that couldn't pick out dd in a class of 25 even though I think it's glaringly obvious and needed the teacher to point her back to the right child when she lost track of her after playtime

[Thymeandthymeagain]

Just want to thank you starlightmackenzie for your excellent posts that my exhausted brain would be unable to compile yet is able to agree with every word! And you've taught me new things too. Thanks for doggedly, painstakingly explaining the cause.

[StarlightMcKenzie]

Oh gawd, visual timetables.

Autism Advisory insisted that ds used one of those 'to help him become independent of adult support', because obviously it is definitely cheaper preferable to be dependent on little pictures than have to get regular practising interacting with another person when you have ASD. Not.

What do they think he's going to do when he's an adult and unable to ask what is happening next?

[insanityscratching]

No it's what schools think they should do rather than providing what a child actually needs. When I tell you that shock! horror! dd with ASD doesn't have a visual timetable because she doesn't need one even though Autism Outreach recommended she had one anyway School and I nodded and smiled and carried on doing what works for dd instead

[daftdame]

Bed I expect. It is where I'm off to now. Goodnight all!

[insanityscratching]

I wouldn't say I trust them blindly because if I did I'd leave them to get on with it and I don't do that I keep a firm grip on the wheel. Dd's school is open with me and respects my opinions and I feel we are a team who want the best for her and work together to achieve that.

[MortifiedAdams]

Where is the OP?

[daftdame]

Oh the happy and sad faces. What a joke. We have had this. Are they supposed to be magic or what?

[insanityscratching]

Dd's TA is hugely sensitive to dd, she can read her body language because I taught her, she knows where dd will struggle and is at hand equally she fades away so that dd can be independent when she chooses, she can prepare dd for all sorts of challenges, she can ease her path with teachers and peers. I'm not talking about sitting there showing her pictures of happy and sad faces I'm talking about someone who reacts and adapts to how dd is at any moment in time.

[daftdame]

hmm I have come to that conclusion, regarding the experiences. Yes they can certainly shape your views. I understand why you take the stance you do though, just know, from experience it is not all that is out there.

I'm not sure how representative my experiences are or even whether all who go through this would realize, so many want to trust the professionals. I did but just couldn't.

[daftdame]

Emotional support? Don't know that they are qualified, we have had to terrible pop psychological gems...

[insanityscratching]

I wanted dd's needs met and I knew having a statement was the best way to ensure that they were. I wanted to have a say in how her needs were met and I wanted her to have that protection so that support couldn't be taken away on a whim or because other children had needs too.
We have completely opposite viewpoints and experiences don't we?

[insanityscratching]

But school is about more than the academics isn't it? Dd has no academic support but has bucketloads of emotional support so that she can be included in absolutely everything and so that she has friends and is happy and content whilst there and isn't at the point of meltdown when she comes home.

[daftdame]

I never wanted the Statement. I applied on the school's advice. I expected it to be reviewed properly.

[insanityscratching]

Dd had a statement before nursery and I wanted dd to attend the school that could best meet her needs and our catchment school (although OFSTED outstanding) would be poor in comparison to the school she's in. It's not important to me to be in the community I suppose because ds's school is 30 miles away dd's is just three away so feels local to me.

[daftdame]

He is very intelligent but then I would say that, I'm his mother .

I don't want the support for him. I'm not a great fan of a great deal of the generic interventions that he has received. He has been happier since the support has tailed off.

[vestandknickers]

Where is the Op.

I'd like to ask please - do you really like those "world's greatest teacher" mugs?

[insanityscratching]

You see the statement should be a blessing rather than a millstone, you've done the hard bit by getting a statement now you just need to find the school who will use it to ensure your ds reaches his potential. If he's achieving and making progress without the statement just imagine what he could be doing with support tailored to his own particular needs.