DD "just" possibly diagnosed with Aspergers, NEED to move school, Need help with questions for new school's SENCO (for Tuesday - tomorrow) Please

[Wills]

Right.... Had the year from hell in terms of dd1 and eventually at my sort of "d"m advice sort out a clincal psychologist to see if they could get her to talk about what was so obviously upsetting her as we couldn't seem to get it out of her. Anyway he "mis"diagnosed her as extremely gifted. Now whilst I'm seriously proud of my dd1 I also don't think she's "extremely" gifted. To cut a long story short we eventually went to another clinical AND Educational psychologist who did an indepth review including a Speech and Language test and concluded that "she has a high propensity to Aspergers".

Throughout the past year her current school (a junior (only) school at which she started back in September in Year 3) have been CRAP! Seriously crap. I'm happy... ish with the diagnosis i.e. it really answers loads of things about her personality throughout the whole of her life but not particularly happy with the thought of coping with aspergers - iyswim. So we'd like to change school. We're seeing two school's tomorrow who both have places and desperately want to know what sort of questions we should be asking.

I have more questions on this subject than time to write them. The two places have come up this week just as we are discovering that she "may" have this problem. I know that she hates change but at the same time she's being called names at school and I think that it might be better for her to have a "new" start in the long run although I already know we'll have hell to pay in the short term when she changes school. Mind you simply changing classroom causes dd1 to fall apart so what the heck .

By the way .... am dyslexic and particularly bad when stressed and am stressed.

a move and a fresh start sounds like a good idea Wills, even though it'll be difficult in the beginning.
Ok, so you need to sort your questions into academic and social.
What does she need most help with?
Will she be statemented?
How is she doing academically?

Message withdrawn

How many children do they have with a DX of Asperger's or High-Functioning Autism?

What proportion of those have statements?

What level of support are they able to provide to those children who do not have statements (this is important, as statements are not that easy to get for Asperger's/HFA).

What degree of awareness do the teachers generally have?

Will DD have access to any specialist teaching?

Just some suggestions off the top of my head.

oops is right I think...
ask what their provision for Aspergers is, how they intend to support your dd, help her deal with change, forging new friendships etc.
It'll be probably be quite clear which school has the most experience.
We are moving to a new school in Sept and when I told them ds2 had dyscalculia, they took me straight to the senco, who said they had a child with this already, what they were doing, what extra support he will get...none of the other schools we saw had any idea what it was even....

Wow - sorry but sort of thought no one would respond so am slightly blown away already. This has been a really "full on" week and whilst we're over the moon to have a solution that makes sense its also been a real shock. We can't really lean back and blame our bad parenting any longer for her outbursts and strange behaviour. And completely in keeping with the way our lives seem to run two places at other schools have suddenly come up in the week when we are barely able to handle talking let alone making serious decions about our child's future (ok so that was a little dramatic but heck its only Monday and feels like a long week already). We're seeing the current school's head, her teacher and their senco on Friday but regardless I do wonder if in the long run a fresh start for dd1 might not be better BUT this has got to be last change before senior school and I knew that long before any thoughts of "Aspergers" had entered our heads and dd1 has NEVER handled change. (amoungst loads of other things).

Now I'm rambling and I promised myself I'd keep this thread focused.

Oh and to top it all it turns out that she is gifted..... At 8 years 3 months she has the reading level of 10 years 9 months (and) the drawing skills of 13 years. So somehow I've got to keep focus of that as well and make sure they keep that going. etc....

Good luck Wills. We have some similar issues with DS1 who is somewhere on the spectrum but is also in the G&T bracket, particularly at Maths.

Keep us posted!

Thinking of you.

It's just a thought but could you delay moving her until you have had a bit more time to take in what Aspergers means and what sort of help/support she might need in the future. That way you might be in a better position to choose a new school.

it sounds like you have had such a difficult time. I am glad that the dx has helped you.

Think carefully about what has been bad about the current provision and turn this into questions.

Questions:

• can I see an example of an IEP (Individual Education Plan). Look at the goals and ask how they ensure they are implemented.

-ask how dds progress will be monitored.

-Local Authorites really vary on the statement front and so it really will depend where you are as to how it is worked out. Not havign a statement is not a bad thing if it is how you LA works.

-ask what kind of support she will recieve at breaktimes (e.g. how many lunch staff etc) I am thinking about the name calling

• if the school she is still at ask how they are going to address the name calling

-ask to see SEN policy

-take someone with you to note take

-don;t take any verbage crap - if they use jargon ask for plain english

-dds dx is still not clear, but she is still a G&T child

ask anything or give more of an area of questions if these are on the wrong foot.

Will watch your outcome with interest Wills, as we are going to look around a school on Tues for DS with the view to moving him in September. He's only done reception where he is, but are just not happy. In a nutshell, we've had no communication, no IEP or action plan but suddenly they've decided they want him assessing with a view to a statement. Like you I feel that a fresh start will be great for him, but then i also worry too that the change will just freak him out too much!!

I would also think about askin at the new school what they are going to do to help him settle in - a 'transistion plan'