If your child attends Special School/SEN Base

[Lougle]

How much do you know about any SALT/OT/PHYSIO/SEN provision they get?

TIA [SMILE]

lots as I get feed back from phisio and the others
I also know how often as it is on her timetabl;e

One visit a term from NHS SALT - nothing else . ds is in a special school.

DD1 has been at SS since September.

I had to ask to see her IEP, and have only got 'targets'.

No info about SALT.

No info about OT, except that she does excercises on a Wed. and is using 'Rainbow Road' (but only because I asked specifically)

No idea if physio ever sees her.

Not a huge amount, tbh.

as you know, I htink dd1's school is absolutely fab, but I don't really get that much feedback on what the OT/SALT have said, right after they come in.

I do get it in the daily reports, as is obvious when the focus has shifted onto a new skill/exercise/etc. and I am always able to ask any questions at all, and have a meeting with school at drop of a hat etc.

but I don't get reports form SALT/OT, nor do I get a debrief per session (although prob would if I asked)

sounds like our school ... enough wooly stuff to start a yarn factory

oh, just seen your second post.

hmm.

well, we have termly IEP meetings - have the end of term review/setting next terms IEp next week, atually. we are meeting in the evening as dh can't make it in daytime at all.

so, I don't get the individual info form OT/SALT etc, but can clearly see where it is in the IEP, which is pages and pages long - a target for each P scale breakdown, across the whole curriculum.

dd3 is in a base. SALT is a set package so I know what she gets there, physio and OT always let me know when they go in (not very often) and I also have a copy of their programs they have set for the school. I know how much the school are supposed to do but I have serious doubts that they bother much with her programmes.

Her targets are:

'use new vocabulary to recall an event straight after it happens'

'roll playdough to make sausage shapes'

'copy straight and wavy lines'

'recognise her name amongst other words beginning with M'

'recognise letters in her name'

'count and match numbers with items from 1-10'

But no success criteria, timescale, review date, etc.

For Ds1 : None .
Absolutely none .

For Ds2: A little bit more.

The words fecking useless spring to mind when it comes to their SALT. Ds1 was discharged from the meagre one to one he was getting two years ago, because apparently all help could be given in class. Ds2 I think gets some individual help, but nothing is ever said about it.

Lougle, when I worked in a (residential) SS, I had to update my keyboy's parents weekly in writing and on the phone. Have a chat with DD's Keyworker and ask for more regulare feedback - you are entitled to it. Pretty sure it works the same way with DNiece's day school too...

I do get feedback, but it is all 'DD did some lovely painting.'

'baked some lovely cakes' is a regular in our 'feedback'

Sounds like the keyworker's a bit stuck lol. Can you specify exactly what you want to know about? If you did one for the weekend to show him/her, maybe that would lead the way a bit - it would help me in that situation :)

I know all schools are v different, but IME with one particular special school I often only got comments like a lovely day or enjoyed swimming. IEP's were also very vague. In fact when we went to tribunal, it became clear that they had very little paperwork and very little evidence of progress for my ds. They were incredibly nice but just didn't seem to think that they needed or could evidence his progress. I think they felt that most parents just wanted to know child was happy and so they have quite low expectations.

Physio: roughly twice termly/monthly visits and program is continued by 1:1.

OT about termly

SALT is in school each week and supervises general communication program - but tbh the teachers are better at communication programs - that's their sn speciality.

Plus all three therapies and sch nurses have annual "catch-up" meet which includes me.

I know,but only because I make sure I find out-SALT,good 2 -3 times per week-physio was awful,even though it's in his statement.He hadn't been assessed for a year-BIG FUSS (and like buses 2 turned up)OT again was lacking so he's due to have another assessment- I have to pin school down so I can go in to see these people too,so I know what's going on.Proper info is not forthcoming,though .I too get vague reports.I expect proper info in the home/school book and will ring up or go into school if I really have to find out something.I get reports from SALT and now ds has a physio programme in place.

hmm more forytunate than most ds in speech unit and gets salt at leats twice week plus teacher and trianed lsa and 7 dc in class

Physio and ot he gets at leats every half term as he has statement with it .Plus his teacher incorparates it into every day .

I get copies of programmes and once term i make sure i see the ot and physio

Not much at all, but then I don't have a great belief in therapies for DS. I would prefer his speech was stimulated by having verbal children in his class, opportunities for social interaction, and his mobility was stimulated by fun play at breaktime. Not sure much of any of that happens.

Special schools tend to farm therapies out to TA's. It bothers me but it is the least of my worries

Nothing is quantified in his statement

donkeyderby see, I can't fault the school in lots of ways:

-All play times are 'teaching time' so the teachers get specific toys out and model play skills and play with the children.

-Lunch time is 'teaching time' so the teachers sit with the children and encourage table manners, etc.

-They use 'total communication' so the SALT goes in a delivers a communication group which models techniques to the staff, and the staff then use those techniques until the next communication group.

BUT

She is one of the most verbal children in her Year R/1 class (she is year R, and only 4 of the 10 children are verbal, I am told).

She was in MS preschool, so I am used to meeting with each professional involved with her after they have seen her. I am finding it hard to adjust to sending her in on a minibus and letting them get on with it.

I get feedback on 'nice things she has done' or 'accidents she has had' (although these are far too frequent for my liking, and I am sure that I am only actually being told about the ones which cause DD an injury). Unless I ask I don't get feedback on the programmes, strategies, etc.

I went to our first teacher/parent consultation, and whilst lovely to hear that she is settling, I had to specifically ask whether she had an IEP, and I was told 'she has targets'. The targets are simply that. Not SMART, no review date.

I suppose I am just worried that if I step back after fighting so hard, it will all go wrong. Yet, at the same time, I know the Special School is just what she needs

goingroundthebend4 she is in a class of 10 with 1 Qualified Teacher and 3 LSAs.

Lougle, how amenable do you think the school would be to adapting, for eg, your dd's home/school book to include proper information?

If you think it would help at all, I would be happy to scan a couple of pages of dd1's book and send to you? I get 2 sides of A4 home each day, covering all aspects of her learning. I also write 2 sides of A4 back to them each dy, covering the evening/morning and also some agreed targets we are working on at home.

do yuo think her "targets" are such because the school doesn't know what/how to write SMART ones? or how to tie in with curriculum? or so that they can hide behind the woolliness?

I have given up th eexpectation of speaking to each and every profesional dd1 sees, but in return I have gained a huge insight into how she spends her day, what she has worked on each day, what living skills she has worked on, her communication aims and attempts, etc. I get reports on how she has eaten (always well dd1 does love her food! - but broken down into what she chose for snack/lunch etc)

I don't see professionalls' reports on dd1, but I'm not sure they are writing any. the school has (private) OT and SALT come in for visits half termly, and ABA consultant down every 6 weeks. they all oversee and provide the next links in d1's learning chain, no reports necessary, iyswim?

I'd love to see it, please Silverfrog

Wow,Silverfrog,2 sides of A4 !! I write loads,but they've changed the books,so there's a small space to write in for a specific day-I still write(I may be writing on 'saturday' when it's still Tuesday-) It does make you feel they don't really want to know

Oh the day to day stuff that's 2 lines some days nothing and that I find hard as like you ds3 was in ms

Once week there's a typed up report and anything reverkent to ds is highlighted but it's very basic stuff ie in English we looked at this story then on ds case it's scribbled colored the picture others might wrote etc

no Iep though so I shall be asking next week at ds review about that.Only get feedback via therapisits report because I insisted otherwise won't have a clue

Lougle, email me on silverfrog13 @ gmail dot com, and I'll get a couple of bits sent over to you