Should I get a tutor?

[debs40]

I'm at a point I thought I would never reach.

I am a completely unpushy parent. I hate all the vicarious living through your child and pushing them to reach targets earlier and earlier, so let's get that out of the way.... no offence to anyone

However, I have a 7 year old boy who is currently in Yr 2. He has Developmental Coordination Disorder and possible Asperger's Syndrome (he is currently on the waiting list for assessment) and is just about managing to keep up in class.

He is a very good boy but does find sitting for long periods of time difficult and sensory problems can affect his concentration. He also finds writing difficult although he does keep within the normal range for his age.

His recent report demonstrated levels of around 2c-2a across the board but teachers have pinpointed many problems areas which include focussing on the task in hand, recording work, and checking and needing adult support sometimes. He is very impulsive in answering questions and on doing some work at home with him, it is clear to me that he does miss things that go on in the class. He does not function well in a large group.

He is on SA+ and gets some assistance but I dont think he will need a statement and the assistance provided by school will therefore be limited and unenforceable.

Before Christmas, he was assessed in verbal and non-verbal reasoning tests as being on the 95th centile and teachers feel this is an accurate representation of his ability. I am concerned that he may not reach his potential as he goes through school and the classes get larger.

He needs extra support in the form of some consolidating 1:1 tuition and I wondered whether this would be the time to consider some private tuition.

Thoughts anyone.....?

2b is the expected level for children in year 2 so with a range of 2c to 2a. I wouldn't be too worried at moment.

I'm not sure what sort of help you want from a private tutor. To my knowledge, they won't be able to help him with group or communication work. Mainly because these activities may come under the heading of therapy and may be regulated. That doesn't mean that you couldn't do this anyway but you may need a referal or at least ask the SENCO at your school if they know anyone who does this privately.

I would wait until the assessments have been completed before planning your next move. Just because your DS has scored highly in some tests does not mean that he will not get support. Although your SENCO may have already suggested as much since every LEA is different and he/she will know how yours works.

However if you are worried about him falling behind a tutor won't do him any harm either. As long as the tutor is aware of his needs, preferably was some SEN experience, and the sesions are fun.

I think a tutor is a very good idea. It will be important to maintain his confidence and perhaps focus on his understanding of the areas which he finds difficult. By this I mean that as he gets older he needs to gain some insight into his difficulties and his strengths.

It is very easy for children who are not run of the mill to get disillusioned and demotivated. He is obviously a very bright little boy. The school might not know how to deal with him. If you could find a really good tutor, orientated towards SEN but also able to stretch him academically, you may find that s/he would be able to advise the school as to how to best teach your son.

Thanks for your really helpful posts. I know he is doing ok at the moment but I feel him slipping as the pace changes and I do worry for him as he moves to the junior end of school.

He does have OT outside school and targets have been set to do with this on his IEP. He also has some support for the social communication aspect within school. The Ed Psych is coming in before the end of the academic year to assess.

He has been being assessed for about a year and a half and it has me who has been doing the running with this. It has not come from school. I have been proved right concerning every concern so far.

Merle, I think you are right about confidence and motivation. Any ideas about finding someone with SEN experience?

I wish I could give you some advice re. SEN orientated tutor but I think it is just a case of searching around. Maybe the school might know of someone?

We took my son when he was 7 to a retired teacher who also did some work going into schools with puppet shows. He was a really nice man and was helpful because he wasn't bothered about the curriculum etc but was just interested in children and learning.

Maybe someone older, who is experienced in teaching but who got fed up with the rigidity of the current system? We did find a SEN orientated tutor, through family connections (lot of teachers) but this was no good as she was used to tutoring children who were working at a much lower level, so she said that she really couldn't help us.

Your son might struggle with the lack of flexibility in the current school system, so anyone who understands this and is prepared to take a more flexible approach would be great.

debs40 I'm afraid our current system for identifying and supporting SEN children means that you do have to work rather hard to make sure that your child gets the support they need. Some people have an outright fight on their hands .

Even if your school is excellent, there can still be friction from the LEA. That's not to say that most schools are intentionally ignoring children who need support it's just that the money only goes so far. The most obviously in need children will get the support first. So being a pushy (meant in a good way) mummy can be a benefit.

Thanks. Your replies are really reassuring. I feel it is the right thing to do and I think you are right. There is only so much schools can do even with a statement and if you fall in that 'middle area' of having SEN but not meeting the very taxing requirements for a statement, then you have no choice but to plug gaps yourself.

I think, otherwise, there could be a lot of wasted stress etc.

I am seeing the Head tomorrow. I might ask her if she knows of any SEN tutors. There is a woman who supply teaches at the school who is ASD trained and has worked with DS. I wonder if she does private tuition or do you think that would be inappropriate?

Thanks ....your replies have been really helpful.

You can but ask the head if she could ask the supply teacher in question if she does private tutoring. It's not inappropriate she may just not do it.

Thanks. I appreciate your help

Personally I'd pay for private Ed psych and SALT assesments and base your request for a statutory assessment around these private assessments. Be prepared to push for tribunal and more often than not LEA avoid tribunal anyway and get support for ds in school rather than shelling out on a tutor would be my advice.

Thanks asdx2. I will see what the Ed Psych says when she comes in and I will certainly follow the statementing route as far as I can. However, I do know that this can take alot of time and can be difficult for a child who is 'holidng his own' and not causing any disruption in the classroom.

Also, 1:1 is only as good as the quality of support a child receives in school and I don't see that parents have any control over this. Even with a statement of x hours a week, there is no guarantee of improvement if the staff dealing with the child (usually a TA) are not specifically skilled.

I need to feel we have regained control so in the meantime, while waiting for the process to be undergone, I think a tutor might be a way of doing this.

The report from the LEA ed psych will not be as comprehensive as a private one because the LEA is their employer.
Likewise the SALT report will bear in mind that any recommendations will need to be met by a very stretched service if you get my drift.
My only concern with a tutor would be that ds may not find it easy to transfer skills learnt from a tutor into school.
His performance in a 1 to 1 situation is unlikely to be comparable to a class situation.
The tutor may bolster him enough to to enable the LEA to avoid their obligation to provide proper support in school.
The tutor might not use the same methods which could confuse your son.
TBH it's likely that the support ds needs is not academic support but more social and emotional support to deal with the stress and anxiety from being at school.
This support is needed at source and not outside of school when ds most likely needs time to process the events of the day and de stress rather than being pushed into more academic pursuits.
If a statement is specific enough and quantified enough then the TA is forced to deliver as it is stated. It is also possible to have the need for an asd trained TA specified on the statement as it is on dd's statement.
Just my thoughts

Thanks asdx2, they are really useful thoughts. How did you find the LA took to your private reports? I have heard that they are not given much weight because they're regarded as 'paid for' opinions.

I completely agree with what you are saying though. Our SALT report was not thorough and passed the whole thing back to school to deal with via social skills groups etc and it would be good to have very clear opinions.

How did you go about locating someone? I understand centres like the Dyscovery Centre can deal with assessments across the board (e.g. with Ed Psych) but their package comes to about 3k!

I had no trouble at all getting a statement for dd because I had already threatened tribunal for ds to get autism specific provision.
They backed down two days before the deadline and I got the provision ds needed despite being told for 18 months ds didn't need specialist provision.
My experience is that LEA's don't like parents who make it their business to know what they should be providing.
Knowledge of the SEN code of practise and IPSEA and SOSSEN for advice and support does tend to get you listened to.
The thing with private assessments is if the LEA know that you will go to Tribunal then even though the LEA prefer to consider them bought and paid for opinions they are well aware that Tribunal don't.
SOSSEN and IPSEA can provide suggestions of recommended professionals for you to use if you don't have recommendations from other parents.

Thanks. That is really helpful.