Overwhelmed with report - now what!?

[FlamingPie]

hello, I am hoping for some advice or clarity on what I need to do to support my daughter. She is 8 and has struggled with her learning since starting in primary school. She is a really bright, cheeky, chatty girl and we never had any concerns about her development with the exception of what we thought were adoption related behaviours - attachment issues and hyper vigilance. Other adults she interacts with all comment on her 'old soul' - that she interacts in very adult ways - its not uncommon for adults to describe her as "8 going on 18".

At school she struggled to settle and it became apparent that she was struggling with phonics in reception. Covid disruption clearly didn't help and meant she frequently was able to avoid online lessons but we noticed that she often copied her school mates with answers a split second behind them. She also never seemed to move on with her learning - it was like letters and numbers were completely new to her every time we looked at them. We were surprised as we just didn't anticipate her struggling academically.

By end of Year 2, she was operating behind in all areas despite school putting in various approaches to support her. We consistently would see the same issues with her reading and writing with the same letters written backwards etc so we asked school if we could screen for dyslexia which the Senco did and said she showed 'markers' and they started to work towards an EHCP request.

Her learning if anything is getting worse. She can't grasp relationships between numbers (i.e. that 2 plus 3 = 5 but also that 3 plus 2 = 5). Even adding 1 to a number means she has to start at 1 and work her way up. Times tables seem to be pure guesswork. She cannot spell her name and consistently misspells with the same mistakes each time. She describes her brain being 'foggy' and that worsens through the day and she struggles to stay focused. When we do anything at home, she will stare at a wall or at her hands rather than look at words or numbers on a page and will actively provoke an argument in order to not have to engage with work.

School started various assessments including getting an Educational psychologist to review and the report was just so upsetting, She is in the bottom percentile for almost everything and there were various recommendations but I feel really confused and overwhelmed. The report references traits commonly seen in dyslexia and at one point references her as having dyslexia but I don't know if that now means she has a formal diagnoses of dyslexia. Same with ADHD - she is being assessed for that too and these behaviours and common traits are referenced but I'm unsure if that is then a diagnosis. There is also a mention of possible autism. I don't know whether at this stage I should be now looking for specialist diagnoses in these areas or is the Ed psychologist the best placed to do that.

I guess I'm also upset by the report saying she was in the very low percentile for almost all of the sections reviewed & as having mild learning needs. I recognise her total inability to recognise patterns (days of the week etc) but in other ways she is very fast. She frequently asks very pertinent questions about her birth family and is able to make big leaps in picking out nuance details that I won't have overtly shared as not really age appropriate. She also sometimes describes her thought processes or her emotions in ways that are extremely articulate and very visual - sometimes her descriptions of her internal world just knocks me for 6. She can read adults quickly and pick out what they aren't saying as much as what they are.

The report also recommends her getting an EHCP but can the LA still refuse us when the final report goes to them? I just don't know what we should be doing next to help support her and i'm so worried that the clock is ticking for her and everything takes so long!

Unfortunately, yes, LAs can and do refuse to assess or refuse to issue even when professionals such as ed psychs recommend one is required. If that happens, you should appeal.

I’m unsure if an EHCNA has actually been requested? If not, you should do that now. You can use IPSEA’s model letter, which is on their website. You don’t need to wait. The school should have requested one a long time ago.

Whether the report is a diagnosis or not will depend on the wording. If you are unsure, contact the ed psych and ask.

Thankyou, I appreciate the response. We have been accepted to be assessed at a panel for the EHCP and the reports etc will be sent to them imminently. Disappointing to hear that even if the recommendations from the ed psych are for an EHCP that they may still refuse her. I guess we will just have to cross that bridge if it happens so I have started reading some of those threads in anticipation.

I've just had an EP give me a report for my dd and while the EP believes dad's issues are caused by neuro divergence, she herself said it's not a diagnosis, they can't diagnose just kind of point you in a certain direction should you want to go that way.

EPs can diagnose dyslexia.

Just stumbled upon this post although I can see it's from last year.

Please get diagnostic requests etc in now as is so hard the closer to secondary school age they get. And support for any recommendations gets harder too, for example there is zero funding for Speech and Language funding available at all for secondary pupils in our area so we missed the boat on this (unless a child has hearing loss).

So get the assessments done and remember for can do what you like with the results (or shred them) but if it opens up support in future it'll be worth it.

It's horrid to read in black and white that your child is 'below age expectations' academically but remember the policy/curriculum makers that set the expectations are imagining an average (middle class???) child in a lovely leafy village school, quite unlike my child and probably yours. They don't take any account of their history.

Reports often need to quote buzzwords to trigger a diagnosis so it feels a bit like negativity bingo reading those reports!

Remember all the lovely things you know about your daughter, maybe mentally write your own report, just for your own satisfaction?!

All of us are so much more than a list of our bullet points of history/achievements. I know I wouldn't come out well in a written report unless it assessed very specific tasks. My memory is terrible, my cooking is messy but I'm also the fastest My Little Pony platter you'll ever meet, I'm great at recognising song intros on TV quizzes and I always write thank you letters to great aunts, even if it takes a month to remember to post them. ;-)

there is zero funding for Speech and Language funding available at all for secondary pupils in our area

Whoever told you this has given you incorrect information. EHCNAs can include advice and information from SALT and it is not lawful for LAs to refuse to seek that advice purely based on age and/or local funding arrangements. And EHCPs can include SALT for DC of any age and local funding arrangements are again irrelevant.