Mixed feelings about ASD Outreach meeting today

[Claw3]

Not sure if i have been fobbed off or whether this is good thing to be honest!

Had a meeting with ASD Outreach advisor in school today. She observed and interacted with him in a small group session for a couple of hours.

She observed and teachers reported lots of problems to her and she is saying that she will make some recommendations, but will refer ds onto Visual impairment team, SALT and also a team who deal with motor skills.

She is saying there are far too many recommendations that need to be made and ds's problems far too complex for her and ds needs to be assessed by the various other teams and for them to make recommendations.

Ds has already been assessed by SALT, OT etc before we moved to a different borough, although recommendations were vague.

Feel like im back to square again. She says that SALT etc will make specific recommendations etc.

I have given up on these recommendations by professionals, it is useless as school is intend on doing their own thing anyway (which is nothing), they know better than the experts ...

Sorry not helping just feeling sad and angry with school atm.

Oh Genie, i can sympathise totally. Ds's old school were exactly like that, knew better than the experts.

At his old school, they would call in experts, then report that ds didnt actually have any difficulties. They implied that he didnt have any problems in school, so it must be a home problem. I wasted 2 years at that school and my own sanity and parenting skills were put under the spotlight numerous times with their 'blame the parents' approach. Hence why all recommendations are very vague no doubt.

Ds's new school is 100% better than the last and although they are not perfect and dont always know how to deal with his behaviour, they can see what i see.

I applied for a statement at the old school, without the backing of the school, so whatever was written into the statement they wouldnt have applied either. Some people just dont want to understand. Have you consider a different school, a statement?

Could be hopeful Claw, but I am very wary at that phrase 'far too complex'. In our case that just means being passed round and round ... try not to let them do that to you.

Feeling sad and angry here too.

Have you had a CAF - I realise lots of people have posted that they are no good, but our first one was interesting. Think we were lucky we had a very good person who cut through everything and wanted some concrete decisions. In our case the most telling thing was that people found it extremely hard to come up with anything concrete but that did help us clarify in our minds the direction we need to go in. Bit rambly but hope that makes sense!

I'm actually starting to feel getting the dx was a piece of cake in comparison to the school provision issues.

We are having a meeting with senco tomorrow morning and i will query why are they not doing anything that was recommended and also agreed at transition meeting.
No doubt she will say it is because DS is doing ok...

Our salt recommendations are very specific but school still isn't implementing anything
It is a nightmare isn't it!
I wish i could have some clever answers but i'm a newbie to the system.
Good luck anyway.

Hi genie

Good luck with your meeting tomorrow, do let us know how it goes.

The only way you will get school to take any real notice now is for your DS to have a Statement. Even then they may not but you will have this document behind you and it is legally binding. SALT etc won't happen unless its put into a statement because on SA plus there is no funding for it.

Words are cheap, they have told you what you've wanted to hear. None of what you have had to date is legally binding and therefore it has fallen down.

Attila, do you have that on Copy & paste somewhere?

Amper, ds has gone from having 'no difficulties' at the old school, to having severe complex difficulties at his new school in a matter of weeks!

The new school have been very good and have given ds as much help as they can without a statement and their IEP's are smart. ASD Outreach, told me that ds's school always follow her recommendations.

But they seem not to take much notice of reports from previous borough and want them done again in their borough, by their people. Which i suppose makes sense, so that they can get more advice etc from their own people if necessary.

Just feel like ive wasted 4 years.

Makes sense LA suggested a CAF instead of statement, so have refused it, on the grounds that ds has had plenty of assessments and there is plenty of evidence that he needs a statement. Once i receive LA decision (on 5th Oct) and ds has a statement in place then i would be happy to consider a CAF.

Genie, if they tell you he doesnt need these recommendations because he is doing ok, ask what are they basing that on. Is he meeting targets set, unless he is, he is not doing ok.

Being Ok, is all about making progress. They cant just say he is doing ok, they have to have evidence.

For example how can he met SALT targets, if SALT recommendations are not being followed.

Good luck to you too