Autistic daughter with anxiety to go back to school

[mumneedshelp2022]

I have a nearly 13 yo girl with ASD. Since 3 weeks ago she has being refusing to go back to school and nothing I do helps to get her back. I have been looking at alternative high schools for her in our area, as she is in a mainstream girls only school at the moment. So difficult to find a place for her, as she has high functioning ASD but high limitations for social skills and finding friends. Have also tried to find some professional help to reduce her anxiety but again everything is full!! We leave close to Acton London area! Any ideas from anyone would be really useful!

Does DD have an EHCP? If not, you should apply for an EHCNA. If she does, ask the LA for an early review.

In the meantime the LA should be providing alternative education under s.19 of the Education Act 1996. If DD has an EHCP they should also be providing any other provision in section F.

Are you looking for a mainstream school or a special school?

Following as my daughter seems to be heading the same way, she’s 14. Barely attending school currently and when she does she is only managing to get in late.

Dory would anxiety be enough to get an ECHNA? She’s diagnosed autistic. School said she wouldn’t be eligible before, as she was keeping her head down and getting on with work, behaving well etc (masking!) but now she’s clearly NOT accessing education due to her needs. I just don’t know if there’s enough evidence though.

Sing anxiety to the extent you and the OP are talking can definitely meet the threshold for an EHCP. Besides, I imagine DD has other unmet needs which are causing, or at least exacerbating, her anxiety. For example, if her needs arising from her ASD were met you would probably find her anxiety would lessen. How can the school meet DD’s needs when she can’t even attend?

The threshold for an EHCNA is relatively low - a) has or may have SEN, and b) may need SEN provision to be made via an EHCP. Any other test or hoop the LA want you to jump through is unlawful. If DD cannot attend you have enough evidence to get over the initial hurdle.

You can apply for an EHCNA yourself, IPSEA have a model letter you can use on their website. Sadly, many schools and LAs incorrectly tell parents their DC won’t get or don’t need an EHCP but the parent goes on to successfully apply themselves. If you post on the SN boards there’s posters there who have been told the same whose DC now have EHCPs.

Appeal if the LA refuse to assess or assess but refuse to issue, the majority of appeals are upheld.

If DD cannot attend school the LA should be making alternative provision. This should begin as soon as it is clear DD will miss 15 days, the days don’t need to be consecutive with ongoing difficulties.

Exactly the same here! my daughter has great marks across majority of subjects and so school didn't see the reasons for concern. This has gone to a point where she has developed an eating disorder and panics every time we talk about going back to school.

She was only diagnosed with ASD last year, as doctors and therapists failed to diagnose her earlier. Only when she went to high school in 2020 is when things raised to a level where I had to go private to get her diagnosed. So no EHCP yet

Thank you so much dory that’s really helpful. Wow 15 days I think we are almost there although some of the earlier ones recently we did say it was related to an injury as that was also hurting (I didn’t foresee that she’d struggle much more than those few days 😣)

Really sucks for kids like ours doesn’t it @mumneedshelp2022
they just mask and get missed. We were lucky to get NHS diagnosis but I suspect she was only progressed along the pathway because her brother was being progressed too, and I was diagnosed myself by then so they really couldn’t deny the genetic likelihood :(

Going to try and speak to the senco soon. I think DD1 will be more up for that now as she’s no longer bothered about fitting in. Today she said her favourite thing of the day (dinner time ritual where we all say ours) was coming home. Never thought she’d say that about this school :(

She actually really likes her lessons - she’s not academic (and struggles with dyslexia/processing issues, which we did have screened privately via a charity) but she enjoys them and has nice teachers who like her etc. But she has said she just wants to get through it for some GCSEs. I don’t think she’d manage online learning either. 😭

mumneedshelp do apply for an EHCNA and in the meantime push for alternative provision under s.19, the Education Act 1996.

Sing even if the SENCO puts you off applying for an EHCP still apply yourself. DD needs support to meet her needs, mainstream may not even be the right place even with extra support, it isn’t for everyone. DS1 can’t manage online either. You don’t need to wait for DD to have missed 15 days, alternative provision should begin when it becomes clear she will miss 15 days.