SEN review (year 9)

[elliejjtiny]

Has anyone got any tips for a secondary school SEN review? Dc2 (year 9) has his on Wednesday and I just know it's going to be the same as the last 2 where I come in having done loads of research and it's just a tick box exercise with a bit of head tilting thrown in.

Sometimes I feel that the school send department were only interested in him when he had a meltdown in the middle of maths (year 7) or tried to kill himself (year 8). I know I'm lucky that he doesn't do that kind of thing every day.

I wish I knew how to help him. He doesn't want anything that makes him look different, keeps insisting he is fine etc. I can't even hug him like I do with my other dc because he screams like he is being murdered if anyone even accidently touches him. His official diagnosis is ehlers danlos syndrome type 3 (hypermobility type) with sensory issues and autistic traits.

Is he on SEN support, or does he have an EHCP?

No ehcp, not sure about SEN support. He's on some kind of list at the school that triggers the annual SEN review and he has what they call a learning passport which is similar to an iep I think.

Has he already picked his options? If not you could discuss whether he could cope with the full set of GCSEs.
You could ask about exam arrangements. Does your DS handwrite or use a laptop - if he doesn’t use a laptop would that be easier due to his EDS.

Do you think the school are meeting his needs at the moment? Is there anything else you would like them to do? If he has never had his sensory needs assessed you could ask the school to refer to the Occupational Therapy team, who could do a sensory assessment?

A few questions @elliejjtiny. Apologies, it sounds nosey but the answers will help to direct the school SEND meeting.

1. Does DS have a formal diagnosis?
2. If so - what?
3. Who did the assessment and diagnosis?
4. After the meltdown and attempted suicide, did your GP put in place any recommendations ie CAMHS or direct referral to a therapist?

1. Have you seen a copy of the Learning Passport*?

What does it say? - Does the plan include both MH and educational plans? One will affect the other. Is it only reviewed once a year?

1. Does any in school or out of school therapy or agencies add to the contents of the Learning Passport?

• An IEP doesn't have to be called an IEP! Whatever you call it (Learning Passport etc...), it has to be fit for purpose ie a short generic paragraph does not an IEP or whatever make!!!!

Thankyou. He had picked his options (triple science, computer science and technology) but then the school said they might be able to offer further maths and electronics depending on the demand and he likes the sound of both of those. He said to me that he types a lot faster than he can write and it's easier but he wouldn't want a laptop at school/in exams because he wants to be the same as everyone else. He has a get out of class pass that he never uses. He has been having counselling which he loves because he can talk about formula 1 (his obsession) with someone who doesn't have their own opinion on it. He won't engage if she tries to talk about anything else and she keeps missing sessions which upsets him as he likes routine.

The SEN department take some of the children out surfing, horse riding and taking cars apart and putting them back together. I think he would love that but he doesn't have any funding and he said he doesn't want to go anyway unless his friends can go too.

We had OT involvement until he was about 8 which was really good and then it stopped because they said his needs weren't severe enough.

He can't access any mainstream activities like scouts etc because they insist he brings a carer with him and the one time we tried that he had a meltdown every time another child asked why he had someone with him. He does piano lessons as they are 1-1 so there is nobody except the piano teacher to notice that his dad is sat in the corner just in case.

I don't know what I want school to do tbh apart from support us with an ehcp application and to refer him for an autism assessment. Also I would like some kind of support in trying to prevent him from trying to kill himself again because it feels like me and dh are the only ones worrying about that now.

It's important @elliejjtiny to understand the differences and consequences of 'general' help and 'official' help. Depending on whether you have a formal diagnosis or not. The help can be MH, behavioural, social, educational or a mix.

No diagnosis = no official requirement to offer specific help **
Diagnosis = statutory (legal) requirement to offer help

** As DS warranted OT intervention, school / DS may fall under the Gov't SEND Code of Practice guidelines.

Apologies, but if you can answer any Qs from my previous post I can better help.

Sorry @AuntyFungal I think I cross posted so didn't see your first post.
In answer to your questions:
1)Yes, but he has other undiagnosed issues too
2) Elhers danlos syndrome type 3
3) A peadiatric neurologist
4) No, GP did nothing. School set up the learning passport and yearly sen reviews after the meltdown. After his suicide attempt he went to a and e. After they had stabilised his physical symptoms he saw someone from camhs once while he was on the childrens ward. Camhs said that as ds got upset when they tried to talk to him about anything other than formula 1 it was best that they discharge him and gave us a list of mental health websites.

The pastoral lady from school phoned us a few times in the first couple of weeks and offered counselling for ds but only if he wanted it. He didn't want it. He sees someone (I think she is a TA with extra training in autism) supposedly every week but it keeps getting cancelled because she is busy with something else.

5. yes, although it took a lot of asking, phoning and emailing to get sent a copy. The copy I've got has November 2020 on it (before the suicide attempt) so I have asked if there is a more up to date version. The plan I have got says there is no mental health problems. The plan has his name, tutor group, our names, contact numbers, GP's name and phone number. Under diagnosis it has ehlers danlos syndrome and sensory issues. Then there is a brief description of what ehlers danlos syndrome is, a signed (by us) consent form saying they can give him paracetamol in school if needed and it says that he carries cereal bars with him at all times for when his energy levels go down as ehlers danlos syndrome comes with a fast metabolism in his case. Yes, it's reviewed once a year.
6. no

So @elliejjtiny, what is it you'd like changed or made available to DS in school?

• access to appropriate education?
• access to extra curric activities?
• access to therapeutic help?

DS is covered by the Equality Act 2010 &
Gov't SEND Code of Practice
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398815/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf

In a nutshell - schools shouldn't discriminate on the basis of the disability. Pupils must be able to access education and extra curriculum activities. If a pupil requires special educational provision, it should be provided.

If DS's needs cannot be met within the school's SEND budget, then school should be making the application for the EHCP.

Lack of £ is not a defence for not providing adequate learning and activities for pupils with SEND.
So, either school is not appropriately differentiating activities that DS could do because they don't want to or they haven't got the funds for it. Which is when they should make the EHCP application.

1. Current diagnosis

Ask for the report. Was DS diagnosed via a MDT (multi disciplinary team - paed neurol &, clinical psych, & SALT & OT & hearing & sight tests)? As I understand things, only a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist (who are specifically ASD trained) can assess, score and diagnose. If not, I would be asking how DS got the ASD traits mention.

If you can I would self refer to a clinical psych for further investigation. I can recommend one in East London.
His behaviour and suicide attempt may be related to his medical diagnosis (eg extreme anxiety) or something else.

It might be quicker to go the private diagnostic route rather than LEA. A robust IEP should be as good as an EHCP in terms of providing guidance to schools for the DC needs. Not all DC qualify for an EHCP.

1. IEP

It sounds like DS's current one is not fit for purpose. It should reflect the child's current attainment levels and short, medium and long term goals. Education, social & behavioural.

The clinical report from his diagnosis and OT should form the basis of the IEP.
MH should be noted on the IEP.
The SENCO should be writing this.
It could be organised by lesson. How his diagnosis impacts each lesson. What accommodations & differentiations the teacher could make. & include break times and extra curric activities.
The IEP should note if the strategies worked. Termly updates to modify the IEP.
The IEP is also useful for keeping a record of the DC's classroom needs so the school can make an application for exam adjustments.
Some of the accommodations are governed by the JQC, others are at the discretion of the school.
www.wrightslaw.com/bks/feta2/ch12.ieps.pdf

1. Access to counselling.

A TA with further training may not be appropriate for a child with a complex medical diagnosis & ASD (?) & who has attempted suicide. I would ask why the TA cancels and why school have decided that this person is appropriate.

1. I don't believe DC should be able to opt out at this age of counselling. It is as important as medicines. If a child refused their meds, there would be an investigation. Good therapy is good medicine.

1. Do you / DS have access to a local E.D. help group?

Thankyou so much, this is brilliant.

I've found the camhs report in his mountain of paperwork. It says it's written by a worker from the camhs psychiatric liason team. The asd traits was a fairly informal thing that gets added to various reports. A lot of professionals have said it's obvious he has asd but they can't diagnose him officially. He also has 2 brothers and his dad who have been officially diagnosed with asd so there is the genetic link too.

I was wondering about going down the private diagnosis route. I was worried that a private diagnosis wouldn't be recognised by the school/la etc.

Ds seems to enjoy the lunchtime and after school clubs run by the school. I think he likes the structure of them more than standing around and chatting. Before covid he would be at a club every lunchtime but there are a lot less clubs around now because the school are still running clubs in year group bubbles.

I think the TA is just snowed under with work and ds has somehow gone down the priority list. This meeting tomorrow has been cancelled and rearranged twice as well, it was meant to be in November last year.

Camhs and the school both told me that they could only offer counselling if ds agreed. They had to stop the camhs assessment because he had his hands over his ears and was shouting "no" while rocking backwards and forwards. I think he should have counselling but I'm worried about making him more upset.

There isn't an ED group near where we live although I am in a couple on facebook. We go to a sports club in the school holidays for children with all disabilities and we used to go to a group for children with asd and their siblings but that got closed due to covid.