I am giving up because ...DS has no SEN.

[genieinabottle]

I have had a meeting at school, teacher was supposed to be telling me more about DS's needs and more so what they are doing to help him.
I got there and SENco was also present, and as i was alone this time they went on at me hard.
DS has no additional needs. In fact other children in the classroom who have no DX nor identified needs are doing less well than him.
DS can talk, understand, interact, play with his peers just fine. He has very good imagination when playing games with others, he has no sensory issues, he is very bright,... i won't carry on you get the idea.

Each time i said something i was being contradicted by them. I said black they said white.
I asked what about all the evidence in all the professionals 'reports and his dx report, well the answer was yes he has a dx of asd but they don't see he has extra needs at school.

They have not written up a new IEP as he simply is doing so well in all areas.
EP who is going shortly after half-term will be going in to observe to see if she does see any needs and then advise re:IEP.
EP who hasn't seen DS since last november has said to senco on the phone that despite his dx of autism and speech and lang.disorder his needs are very mild anyway.
I'm sure nothing will come out from her going in to see him after half-term.

I don't know what to do anynmore. My hands are tied, DS has a two dx that serve no purpose.
I cannot handle the stress anymore. Just phoned DH up and told him about the meeting, he had a go at me for not standing my ground, he said they are lying and blamed me for being fobbed off by them.

I'm giving up.

Apparently they haven't identified any SEN, so they are waiting to see what EP says and what she suggests re: IEP situation.

But i'm not to see EP after she observes DS, and if IEP is written then i'll get a copy at parents' evening they said.

I know it is all rubbish they are feeding me and i'm at wits end now.

No no no. You must insist that you get to see the EP. The SEN CoP is very clear that parents should be involved.

"My first thought about what to do next is - have your local Specialist School Inclusion/Autism Inclusion Team been in to observe him at all? Do you know if the school has even bothered to contact them? Ours hadn't. "
Moosemama, it's crazy the lengths they seem to go to to avoid providing provision.

School have declined. They said they don't need autism outreach involved when i metioned that the asd assessment team had said they should be closely involved.

I don't understand why the EP won't see or at least speak to you after the observation. Our EP is going to call me after her observation and then ring me with weekly updates. I received a letter from her today that clearly states that ds's parents and central to the process and will be included and accessed for support on a regular basis.

As others have said, I think its time to go in there mob-handed and face them down. Definitely contact Parent Partnership and take your DH. Perhaps print out the points that Lougle quoted and have a copy of the SEN Code of Practice in the front of your folder when you open it up. (I have noticed certain 'professionals' visibly wriggle in their seats when they see mine - I can't quote it, but sometimes its enough of a shot across the boughs for them to see you are aware and on the ball with it iyswim.)

Thanks Lougle, i will write a note in the contact book and stating that i want to be present when the IEP targets are discussed and set.

Right, if they are flatly refusing to involve AIT, then you don't need the school to do the referral. Your GP, or 'any other professional involved with your child' can do it for you. In my case it was just a single A4 form, which I backed up with a short background document. The GP was appalled at the school, signed and stamped it on the spot and wrote a rude comment on it about how crap the school are to boot!

You could try what I did in fact, which was get the form signed and stamped by the GP but then let the school know that you have all the necessary paperwork in place and are willing to have him referred yourself should they, for any reason, "feel they are unable to do so". It took 24 hours after that letter went to the school for them to inform me that the AIT lady would be observing ds within the week!

They have absolutely no excuse for not making the AIT aware of your ds as a pupil in their school - in fact, they told me that its the school's duty to inform them of any children who have, or are awaiting assessment, for a dx of ASD. The sole purpose of their organisation is to help children with ASD cope better in school - how can they do that if the schools don't inform them of pupils on their roles who fit their criteria.

Have you checked your LEA or LA website for the AIT details? You may be able to download a non-school referral form straight off their site.

No, i haven't checked it out yet. I will , thanks for the tip.

Oh forgot, after the school deigned to speak to their AIT contact and arrange and observation, I sent a copy of my background notes to the AIT contact and one to the school to make sure she had all the relevant information and the school couldn't play ds's problems down.

Genie, i had exactly the same from ds's last school. Is your ds meeting his targets?

In ds's last school he was meeting his IEP's targets because they were unrelated to his needs.

How do they know that he doesnt have any needs? they cant just say he is doing ok, they have to prove it.

Genie,

Knew they'd do this to you in the end but am still very sorry to read this has happened to you and DS.

You need to find another school; even if you did have a Statement in place for him they still would not be interested. School here are being shites and they are too clearly not bothered with meeting his needs. Infact they are denying he has an additional special needs at all!.

Genie

If you give up now they have won. DH needs to go with you to any subsequent meetings, you need an advocate yourself. I'm a tough ol thing me(!) but I would still not walk into an Annual Review without backup.

Would again urge you to go all out now to obtain that Statement doc for your DS. Schools have to take notice of such a document.

(P.S IEP is also known on here as "individual empty promise" often for good reason).

Genie, if you'd be willing to travel 4.5 miles, then I know a school who are very keen to meet the needs of children with SN. I would have sent DD1 there if I hadn't been given the special school placement. They had one child who was still waiting to go through SA because his mother had previously resisted the thought that he had SN, and they were giving him full 1:1 out of their own budget, because they knew he needed it.

Let me know, and I'll tell you the name

I so wish i had listened to everyone that were saying get a statement in place...and gone ahead with it last year while he was at nursery and at the unit, when at least they were on our side back then.

Thanks for the all the info and support in your replies. I really appreciate it.

S'okay we all do what we think is best at the time. However, its never too late to apply for a Statement and it is not too late now.

Take Lougle up on her offer!.

I hope you find a better and more accommodating school for your DS soon.

Genie I know we have similar DCs and similar issues with school. We have the Inclusion service involved with DD and they spend time with her in school weekly. Her Inclusion teacher came for a home visit last week and raised all the issues I have with DDs learning. We came to the conclusion that DD needs to change schools. I was advised to ring Autism outreach directly and the boss at Inclusion is going in to kick ass too!

SALT starts this week. :) The TA has finally recognised DDs reading ability is far above her peers and started her on a programme but there is still a severe lack of understanding/support in school so we are aiming to move closer to a school with a unit...to get her in before (or incase we dont get) a SA.

Its very frustrating as school say all the right things and do nothing...the visual timetable was given to them by inclusion two weeks ago but still isnt up!

Good luck...i hope we both get somewhere soon! [hsmile]

Genie, don't feel silly - it is very hard to resist the lines that the professionals give. They sell you the story of inclusion, and don't admit that unless it is in black and white, in a legal document, it means absolutely nothing

Genie, you can ask ASD Advisory teacher to go into school yourself. Their telephone number will be on your Borough's website. But school will just tell them 'no problems' so you would probably be wasting your time.

Why dont you write to school with a list of your ds's needs (as in reports) and ask them what they are going to do to meet these needs.

I gave up on ds's last school as they too insisted he didnt have any needs, despite reports and recommendations. The best thing i ever did was remove him from that school.

Every outside agency that went into school, they would tell them there was no problems and they didnt see any signs of ASD. You would be surprised just how much notice other professionals take of what school says and how much damage an ill informed opinion can cause.

I applied for a SA while ds was at his old school and the school were very obstructive.

Genie The past isn't going to make a difference to you and your ds, it is the future that holds all the answers and the secrets. Focus on that.

We're all quite miserable on here for our realisation that our children have been failed in the past. ALL of us. But the prognosis for our children is tied up in the future.

Claw, i feel disgusted and i am quickly losing faith in the SEN education system atm.
What does it take for school to be supporting our dc...

'Claw, i feel disgusted and i am quickly losing faith in the SEN education system atm.
What does it take for school to be supporting our dc...'

I know the answer to that. Completely LOST faith and the anger and drive that comes with that

Genie, it takes understanding, something which no amount of reports or recommendations can put right. Unfortunately as i was told by ASD Outreach who did go into ds's school "all she can do is make recommendations, she cant make school follow them" and why would they follow anything, if they cant see the problem in the first place.

I then applied for a SA, which really got the school's back up and they went all out to be as obstructive as they possibly could.

Ds's old school have tried to make me sound like a loon, like there wasnt anything 'wrong' with ds and i was making it all up. Dangerous people are the ill informed.

Dont despair, get angry and put that anger to good use, fighting for your ds, he cant do it. You have evidence on your side.

Thanks.

What you have written about no amount of reports and recommendations can put right if school are unwilling to follow them.

I totally agree. Even if autism outreach gets involved what will it change if school do not agree and don't see any isues or difficulties with DS.

I have to call PP again at 11.

Genie, i got PP involved and what they suggested was making a list of all of ds's needs and then a meeting with school to discuss how they were going to meet those needs.

I was lucky enough that school carried on in exactly the same way when PP was there and CAMHS. HT was giving me dirty looks and referring to me as 'she' and shouting over the top of everything i tried to say. PP asked that HT not attend another meeting, which HT would not agree to!

Ds didnt go back to that school from that day. I wasted far too much time and energy on that school. I removed him, found ASD understanding school and he is so much happier and so am i.

Anyhow good luck with PP and school and remember they cant just SAY that he is doing ok, they have to prove it. To follow recommendations, he needs an IEP with strategies, how progress is monitored and how it is decided if it has been a success and targets.

I have phoned PP. The person i spoke to listened to all my concerns, asked me relevant questions, will contact the school, and the EP and has offered to sit with us the scheduled meeting next month. YAY!!!
He has even asked me if we have considered an SA request.

He said he'll be in touch again at the end of the week.

I'm guessing school will not be happy to hear that i've contacted them.

Thats good that you are feeling like someone is listening to you at last.

Fingers crossed for you :)