Have a letter from school that is packed with lies!!

[genieinabottle]

DH and i are so cross.

Paed has asked Senco to write to her with info about her observations of DS's progress at school. And of any additional needs he has.

Senco didn't bother, she has asked teacher to do it.

So here it goes.
Personal and social.
No issues, DS plays appropriately with others, initiates, respond and initiate, shares with no problems. In fact he always plays with other kids rather than alone.

Emotional.
He will only ever cry for a couple of minutes when upset.
He is confident with his speech in front of others and even the whole class.

Disposition.
He enjoys school, participates in all activities. Copes very well with transitions. He has an attitude very typical for a child of his age.
He isn't phased at all by changes in routine.
He doesn't need the PECS as he copes very well.
He has access to a personal workstation but never uses it as he prefers to be with other children.
It is noticed that he hums and makes noises to himself, but he has no sensory issues.

Academic.
Good progress in all areas. He is only sslightly below average and this is due to the fact that when he was at nursery last year he wasn't participating in activities.

Speech and language.
Enjoys communicating, speak freely to other children.

We must be the luckiest parents alive! A miracle happens each morning when DS crossed the classroom doorstep, he is cured of his autism and of of his speech and lang. delay/disorder.

Sorry, needed to vent. And need to think now what we are going to do. This is just unbelievable!

Nearly forgot have recieved IEP. Not SMART in the slightest, 2 vague targets, nothing specific, simply rubbish!!

Did Paed also ask Ed Psych to observer?

I think Paeds are actually used to school's seeing no issues. And if the EP report differs from the SENCO report they'll know who to believe....

If Paed didn't ask EP to observer, then panic.

Genie

Am sorry to read of continuing troubles re school.

As I have said to you before now this school will continue to give you all the complete runaround. This school he attends is just not up to scratch and they are in denial of his needs. The report you've been given along with the Individual Empty Promise (another name for IEP on here) are further proof of that.

Any news re EP involvement?.

I would now be looking at other schools and applying for the Statement asap (realise I have said all of this before but it bears repeating).

Hope you checked that the teacher had got the right child. Wouldn't be the first to cut and paste a name to a report either (apologies to the conscientious teachers). I've had a SALT report for another child and a school report where they forgot to change all the names the whole way through.
I also can't understand why the SENco didn't bother - it's their job, and they were asked to do it. The teacher is surely less well trained to recognise some traits.

Thanks for replies.

Yes, EP has gone in last week for observations. Only 30 minutes she was there, i'm not holding my breath.
She was useless the last time she saw DS last year and i don't expect anything different now.

We have a meeting next week with EP, Senco and HT, to discuss her observations.
She has only booked 30 minutes for our meeting!!

Indigo, paed ha asked for senco's letter to see what is the school's understanding of DS's needs and what support he is getting as we told paed that we were concerned that school were not seen his problems and not following any of the recommendations made by the various professionals who are involdved with DS.
This letter isn't to be used for the purpose of getting a dx for DS, he already has one. He was fully assessed by the autism team from Camhs before the summer and given an official dx.

I'm going to go through that letter, with everything that is written point by point and with every comment and statement that i disagree with , i will write my own opinions and examples. Then sent it to paed, and give a copy of it to EP and Senco at our meeting next week.

I suspect school is going to use the teacher 's letter to 'prove' that DS doesn't need to be on action + and doesn't warrant statement either.

Think the teacher must know the one Dd3 had last year who filled in the questionaire for the SAL assessment!!!
When I questioned the SENCO and said it sounded like it was 2 children she said she thought it must be a mental health issue. So my child has a mental health issue rather than her teacher telling lies!!

And they wonder why we lose it with them.

No words of advice other then my sons pre-school are exactly the same. The state there is no problem then tell me they cant follow recommendations from salt becasue he wont look at them. The head has all but told various professionas that she knows best and has stated that he has no attention problems despite, 2 ed pychs, 2 paeds, 2 salts, 2 ot's and the paed audiologist all stated he has significant attention problems.
If it makes you feel any better the paed did say to me that pre-schools never see it as it is a prodominantly free play environment. She also said it will be abundantly clear when he starts school and is expected to sit and attend to a task.
Doesn't help me now though. The head catagorically told me there is no way the LEA will agree to a SA as there is nothing wrong. I took great delight in telling her that they were conducting a SA although she has said they wont fill in their form as he has no problems? You wouldn't think it would be allowed would you?

It is all wrong. Our children have to be failing miserably before they open their eyes and loosen their purses strings.

DS is now in reception and school are blaming the nursery for the fact that DS is 'slightly' behind his peers in the curriculum. They have written that his delays are due to the fact that he wasn't willing to participate in activities at nursery.

Then they write that he participates fully in all activities at school in a way that is typical for children of his age.
And on his rubbish IEP, the 1st target is participation in adult-led activities as he doesn't cooperates and will only do activities with the aid of a puppet toy that the school are using and not for the teacher.
that sounds very 'typical' for a 5 y old doesn't it!?

The whole letter teacher has written is wrong wrong wrong!
The whole lot has been embellished and doesn't truly reflect DS's abilities and difficulties.

sorry still venting and still fuming... let's hope i can calm down during the night.

Can you ask your paed who dx and others to a Multi disciplinary meeting with the school to explain to school what your ds's problems are and how he will need supporting?

Wasuup, have prepared a letter to sent to paed to tell her we disagree with the letter submitted by teacher and to make her aware that we are concerned that school are not identifying his needs and not meeting them. So could end it by asking if she could offer/arrange a multi-disciplinary meeting.

Thanks that's a brill idea.

get yourself a copy of the Special Needs Code of Practice from the Dept of Education or whatever it is called now and read it front to back. Several times.
You are absolutely right. The Ed psych is not objective. He/she works for the LEA and will have an eye on the purse-strings (always denied to me but so very obvious).
Engage the further support of CAMHs - find out if they can attend the meeting that you have to attend. School/LEA have a duty to be proactive and not only react when your son is failing.
Challenge the teacher's knowledge/experience of ASDs - in our case, they knew nothing, and I mean, nothing and I include the SENCo in that statement.

Like you, my son must have left his autism at home the moment he stepped over the school threshold

^^sorry, took me so long to type the above that have cross posted. (Had to take out all the swear words I used about my son's teachers and the gobshite SENCo!!!

My LEA has an ASD team which offers training and support to the school. They have been really brilliant.

Why don't you ring up PP and find out if your LEA has an ASD team - then if they do you need the ASD to come and observe little genie and hopefully they will take it from there....

They are far far better than the Ed Psych cause they are actually specialists in ASD.

Has the teacher put in any specific examples of behaviour - or can evidence any of what has been written?
If he is confident speaking in front of class - examples. Copes well with transitions - examples.
Could be the usual that if a child isn't disruptive in class or playground then they must be doing fine. If the behaviours that she is saying are within her expectations, then surely she should be able to find several examples over a period to illustrate why she is of that opinion. If not, how did she formulate this opinion

Auntevil, Nope no evidence was brought forward, no specific examples are ever given.

However today i went to see DS getting his certificate and sticker at school assembly today.
He did very well and behaved nicely. Didn't seem too phased in appreaance by it all and even answered correctly 5 when the deputy head was giving him his b/day card along with the other b/days this week.
Very proud of him.

But he didn't look for me at all, despite me re-explaining to him 5 mins before about the assembly and seeing him in the hall.
He was very passive. But i could hear him make constant vocal noises/grunts from 2 rows away.
When i spoke to him afterwards he didn't have a clue about the meaning of his certificate and the celebration assembly.
So as expected really. Feeling a mixed bag this morning.

Indigo, we have an asd inclusion team here but the school have said they do not need their support and advice as they are managing DS very well.

I always think that the biggest problem is for those with DCs that make minimum disruption in class, but feel trapped ready to explode inside. It's the subtle differences that can show the bigger picture. What do they say is the reason behind the vocal noises and grunts? Does this go on when the teacher is trying to talk or at other times when quiet is requested (would have though that assembly would have been one of those?!)
My DS1 is a different character in school too - so can sympathise. TA saw him at a bus stop after school 1 day and saw him in true mode and was quite shocked. I told her that this is what school leaves me with everyday.

genie You need an independent professional. Can you contact ICAN and see if they will take you on? The have some funding for people who might need it if you can't pay.

They do a 2 day assessment IN A SCHOOL and I understand that their reports are extremely powerful (SLT and EP together).

I know what it is like. I have been there. Lots of people have been there. It won't make you feel any better but don't feel it is just you. If anything this can give you strength because it isn't personal, it is a system.

Autism Outreach costs money (often the schools have to pay after an initial visit). LA's like to tell teachers they are doing a fantastic job because if they say anything else the schools will turn to them for money.
Teachers like to believe it. They are proud they don't have to admit they are struggling. They like to blame the parents 'poor love, just can't accept her child isn't the sharpest tool/that she has poor parenting skills etc.

It's all a shambles but it isn't personal.

Stark - Autism Outreach doesn't cost in all boroughs. It's really worth ringing PP and finding out if the ASD team is free or costs in your borough.

Because if it is free then you need to insist and insist and insist that they contact them.

If it costs you still need to insist - but at least you'll know one reason why they refuse....

Indigo It isn't free anywhere. It has to be paid for somehow. Often the majority of the service is expected to be bought out of the delegated budget to schools.

Where the service is free at point of access, usually the schools are limited to a 'share' of the services time, and so whilst it isn't paid for, it is still a scarce resource.

I don't think there are many, if any LA's who have unlimited access to autism outreach but perhaps there are some.

Star Of course everything is a limited resource, but it still does not necessarily follow that this is why the school won't get the ASD team in.

I think it's very important to find out why they won't ask them in - so that you can use this info to persuade them to.

It is perfectly possible that the school don't want to get the asd team in for any of the following reasons

• they cost money
• they haven't got any more hours left
• they don't want to admit they can't cope
• they don't want to implment the strategies that the ASD team will recommend.
• they don't know how to.
• they don't want their school to be 'examined' by the ASD team
• they don't want to be told what to do.

I'm fairly sure my old school wouldn't get the SpLD team in for DD because they didn't want to be told what to do.

I still think Parent Partnership might help you to work out why they get the ASD team in.