Severe dyslexic DS - advised to go for statement - what next?

[changer22]

Following an ed psych assessment DS has been diagnosed with severe dyslexia (1.6) with very slow processing skills.

I am concerned (and it was in the report) that we now have other issues - low self esteem, lacking in self confidence, low perseverance, etc. that I am wondering what chance we have of getting him into a private dyslexic school with a statement paid for by the LEA.

I don't think that extra attention from a TA with a statement at his school will help and that we need concentrated specialist help.

We are thinking - perhaps rather drastically, but hopefully those who have been in a similar situation will understand - about selling up and moving areas to pay for it ourselves but if we have a chance of succeeding with the Statementing process, we would stick that out.

So... my - rather nosey! - question is for those that do have a child at a dyslexic school - how severe is your child's dyslexia and who is paying?!

DS1 is 8 and moderately dyslexic after ascreening at school. I have just filled in forms for Individual Pupil Funding, he has been at School Action Plus for over a year.

He has been having private tuition at Dyslexia Action once week since September which has really helped.

DS1 loves school and he does get some support, one to one reading, dyspraxia group, phonics groups BUT none of the teachers are dyslexia trained. But he is making progress. I want the IPF and an educational psychologist report so we can pin point what we are dealing with.

There is no instant quick fix, have your tried Dyslexia Action? How old is he? Have you talked to him about being dyslexic? This really helped DS to know why he was finding some stuff very hard. I also found some older boys with dyslexia he could talk to them about it all, like mentors, which was fabulous.

TBH I have never heard of any LEA paying for a private dyslexia school and I don't think they will.

Does he have and individual education plan?

What help beside TA help have the school put in place?

What has the SENCO said?

It's not unheard of for LAs to name a private dyslexia school in a statement, but it's very difficult these days and the dyslexia would have to be very severe. In the cases I've heard of, there were subsequent additional issues which stemmed from the dyslexia - e.g. anxiety leading to school refusal, additional dyspraxia/sensory issues etc.

The statutory assessment and statementing takes a long time - it can take over a year if you have to go to tribunal and you could be looking at costs for legal advice, private reports etc. So, it could be more cost-effective for you to pay the fees directly yourself if you can, or pay for additional dyslexia tuition after school.

I would suggest getting in touch with some dyslexia schools as they may be able to put you in touch with parents who have got the LA to pay, or give you an idea of how many places are self-funded/LA-funded.

Your first step towards getting a statement would be making a parental request for a statutory assessment. You can get the model letter from the IPSEA website.

Thank you all for your replies. Having had a few days to think about the options and read other MN posts in a similar vein I think we will have to tackle this ourselves.

We need such a concentrated attack on this I just don't think the school can provide it by use of a TA. I think we need to change the environment to a solely dyslexic one and kind of start again.

There seems little point in wasting time - it seems like most statements take nearly a year - and money (I saw one poster had spent £25k!) to not get what we really want which is concentrated teaching now.

I have a very severely dyslexic child (no other substantial issues). We could not afford expensive legal help, but did pay for private assessments and the Educational Psychologist to attend both Tribunals. We probably spent in the region of two to three thousand pounds over a couple of years. We did not start the process until we had tried everything else and we carefully gathered evidence over a number of years. We spent a lot of time organising our case and took all the help we could get. IPSEA will probably assign you an email helper. They were invaluable. SOS!SEN I have recently been told are also good. The end result was that we did get a Statement by his Year 5, then a placement at a specialist school in Year 7 (LA ordered to pay). It is quite a distance away so he has to board.

Bottom line is that when you get to Tribunal the Panel are independent, making it a very different and much more positive experience from the negotiations with the LA that precede it (our LA are known for fighting Statements for dyslexia at every step). The Panel are supportive of parents who represent themselves and understand you are not legal professionals. I felt I did a terrible job on the day the second time but we still won. However, you do need to be very organised and keep to the rules/timelines beforehand. The process is supposed to be set up so that you do not have to spend an arm and a leg on legal help, but going it alone is tough. If you have a fair case though, you should succeed in the end. It is upsetting to hear half-truths, or worse, from the LA but, in both cases, for us the Panel were very good at spotting these.

Even if you decide not to go down this line at the moment you might be wise to start an ongoing record for your child, if you haven?t already. The golden rule is record and keep everything; reports, letters from school, records of meetings and what was said, your child?s emotional day to day behaviour (bad dreams/school refusal/etc.) and so on. You will have a much more powerful case if you have an accurate written record that spans time.

Whatever you decide, I hope you manage to find a path that is both right for you and your child. For us, although it was difficult, I would not hesitate to go down that path again if I had my time again.

Have you heard about the Free School opening in Leeds which is going to provide support for dyslexic pupils at no extra cost.

Hi Changer, take it step by step.
In the first instance apply to your LEA for stat assessment for your son.
In the meantime make sure he has an up to date IEP at school that is being properly monitored & reviewed.
Apply for the statement yourself rather than letting the school apply as a parent has a right to appeal the school doesnt.
It is easier to get a statement if you can prove that your child has not made adequate progress despite additional support from the school.
Once the LEA have agreed to assess & agreed that a statement should be issued (dont forget statements are about far more than just TA support) then you can begin your fight to have the school of your choice named in part4.
Remember the LEA will argue that they can meet his needs from a school withing the LEA control.
They do not have to prove they can BEST meet his needs.
You must make an argument that their options will not meet his needs.
Get hold of a copy of the SEN code of practice & learn it inside out.
Talk their language & keep your evidence factual & to the point.

Their is a wealth of statement experience over on the SNchildren board that tends t get more traffic than SEN boeard.
For advice use an independant charity remember parent partnership whilst meant to be indipendant are funded by government/LEA and their advice varies hugely by region. Some are very good some pretty poor (so i hear).
Sorry if ive told you stuff you already know! Good luck

Changer, Ds2's first stemement took just a couple of months, some LEA's are better than others.
Dont be fobbed off by them telling you that they dont issue statements for dyslexia etc. Statements should be issued based on needs and such a blanket statement is illegal but some LEA's will try it on!

I have a profoundly dyslexic child bottom 1% but has scored 110 on verbal iq score on ed psych report. My child has other issues such as irlen syndrome mild dyspraxia hypermobile fingers sensory issues suffers from anxiety and has hypoglycemia( not medicated).
All of these educational issues have been diagnosed within last 18 months as a result of me having to withdraw my son from school to get to the bottom of these issues due to my son being phobic of school and little cooperation on their part.
We are currently in the process of trying to obtain a statement after submitting all the information required and having him assessed by our LA. However our LA is a very difficult and obstanent one and at every turn possible inform you of what they wont do or what you wont get if asking for particulars. This hasnt stopped me off course as im fighting for my childs right to be educated and supported properly.
We are now awaiting a decision on if we are granted a statement or they try to is issue a note in leiu. My son is 11 years and will be of secondry school age september 2013.
The LA are insistant he will be ok going to main stream school but we will have to wait for a decision.first.
I am wandering what my next move will have to be!Quite frustrated and nervous at the same time!

OP could you home ed?

If you are considering moving to fund a private school would you have the funds to have 1:1 tuition?