Autism Spectrum

[Stingray2406]

I'm the parent of a 10 year old unique son who has Sensory Autism and ADHD, my son does not take medication and does not have a statement, however the daily challenges are still very extreme, trying 5 pairs of socks on before we manage to find the right pair, to managing his anxiety ready for the day ahead, as parents with Autistic children will already be aware, the exhaustion is tremendous from managing the foods and other people's misconceptions, parents thinking your child is naughty when your child is actually suffering anxiety and has a melt down , to the lack of Social Skills and acceptance from the children at school who tease and bully.
My son is in Main Stream School and the teachers are supportive ( I've had to push for this ) to put a Care package in place to suit my son's requirements, I make sure we have regular meetings to make sure my son is happy and prepared for his learning journey
However my issue is Senior School, where does a wonderful son like mine "fit in "?? He would struggle at Senior school with his lack of social skills dealing with teenagers and older children, most senior school's also take away the T/A assistance, my son would crumble without the support I ensure he has in place @ school, I have looked @ specialist schools for support but again he is not allowed to attend as he has" no statement" which seems to be a requirement, I'm told it's expensive to go through the statement process and in my son's current class they have 5 children within the Autistic Spectrum, So where does my son fit into the education system? I feel their is a huge gap in the education sector for these unique and talented children, does anyone have any advise or information please?

I’m not sure who told you it’s expensive to go through the ECHP ( formally statement ) process, it shouldn’t cost you as a parent anything.

I would start by visiting your local schools, asking to speak the the SENCO ask what social skills support they can put in place, are there options for play time, nurture groups. Some schools are good at this others are not so good. They should be able to assist you with transition work, photos of class teacher and answer lots of your worries.

Some children with SEN issues need a ECHP plan some don’t, my DD doesn’t but needs a small secondary with good pastoral care, my DS does and in a special school. It’s done on a child’s needs rather than diagnosis. You as parent can apply for an assement for ECHP plan yourself you can download a template letter from IPSEA, it doesn’t have to be down to a school.

Many autistic kids do well in mainstream, remember we only tend to hear the bad stories. My son is Y10 and had quite significant support needs at primary but settled well and made a solid group of quirky friends at secondary. He initially had TA support in about 75% of lessons but this is much less now.

My experience from hearing other people's stories is that often the schools regarded as best (Ofsted outstanding etc) can be with worst for supporting kids with SENs, so my suggestion is keep an open mind when choosing and don't be swayed by fancy PR. Communication is key, I've found being able to discuss stuff by email with his tutor and Senco, and dealing with stuff before it becomes a crisis, has been the biggest help.

EHCPs are just England - Wales still has statements and Scotland has a different system.

I'd agree with the advice given above, regarding schools that are high in the league tables of have outstanding inspection reports. Our experience of one such school was that they simply shoved SEN students under the carpet, unless they had a statement, and even in some cases when they did have a statement. My daughter has ADHD and we had to remove her from a top ranking state secondary school because the SEN and pastoral provision was dreadful, despite their outstanding reputation. SEN children simply didn't exist in their data and exam results; they weren't entered for GCSEs by the school unless they were predicted good results.

Thank you

I'd start the ECHP process.
Also my DD only got any TA support at secondary (her primary school were in denial and would ideally have persuaded me to move her). She has fitted in very well at secondary, and finds it far easier with their much more clear rules and requirements. The school is also quite "mericful" for example the one time she became overwhelmed and lashed out they modified the punishment because everyone (including the poor victim) recognised that DD "couldn't help it", but she has been given a lot of guidance on managing her frustrations etc.

I would go and look at secondary schools, and go and talk to SENCOs and see just what they offer in your area, and how experienced they are. There are also near me "bases" in a few schools especially for ASD students. I would also have one or more plan Bs (I had the bases, a specialist school for high functioning girls and HE).

Oh BTW my DD's school is very high in league tables and Ofsted Outstanding you can't judge any book just by its cover.