Autism reception

[EHCP22]

Hi, DS started Reception this year. He has high functioning autism and an EHCP. DP and I are concerned that the school are unnecessarily segregating him from the other children. He has to go through the side door and spend some time in a sensory room. He is very happy to go in and doesn’t need the sensory room to self regulate before the start of the day, but the SENCo insists on this. He also leaves accompanied by his 1:1, so all the other parents can see this at pick up time. It’s safe to let him leave with the rest of the class, we are waiting outside along with the rest of the parents.

He is not sitting with the rest of the children on the main carpet, but has “his own” carpet by the wall a meter away from the rest of the children. We are worried about the message this is sending to our DS. He is not violent, he can be defiant and struggles with emotional regulation, but these measurements feel unnecessary and from our point of view discriminatory. The SENCO is gaslighting us and saying we need to trust the school. ( we’ve only discussed the sensory room set up so far). Do these arrangements sound ok to you?
Thanks in advance.

Doesn't sound right at all, they are doing discrimination. My partner works in the education field for a long time and he will say the same. Please raise your concerns with the head teacher. I feel for your dear child, he shouldn't be treated like this. It can create a negative impact on him.

Arriving via a quieter entrance and starting the day in a quieter/smaller/sensory room is a routine adjustment. As is the 1:1 handing DS over. It can be a busy, chaotic time that many DC struggle with, if DS struggles with emotional regulation arrival/pick could well be overwhelming.

The carpet arrangement also isn’t uncommon. There may well be a handful sat slightly apart from the main group. Doesn’t mean the school think DS is violent. It could be DS finds sitting with the main group overwhelming, or he finds emotional regulation or concentration harder or is more impulsive when sat with the main group or a number of other reasons.

Speak to the school again if you don’t think the adjustments are necessary, but it is still early days.