Following my thread a few days ago, I'm writing to the sen dept with points arising from the Ed Psych report of ds. Would be v grateful for any views/comments please! Thanks very much.
To caseworker
I am writing to you regarding the recent report submitted by the Educational Psychologist appointed by xx Council, in relation to ds Statutory Assessment.
Mr xx kindly forwarded me his report. Unfortunately there were some inaccuracies in this report which I would like to clarify, as below. I ask that you would forward this letter to the SEN panel for information when considering ds assessment.
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dswas diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in September 2010, not November.
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The report states (Parent/Carer views): ?Views ascertained from Ms xx (both formally and informally) would suggest that ds has benefitted from the learning opportunities he has enjoyed while at The xxxNursery and that he has made significant progress since his inception into a more formal educational setting. The family acknowledge the willingness from the nursery to engage but are of the opinion that ds?s progress is significantly influenced by the privately funded support that have implemented across both the home and nursery settings, citing the intensiveness of this programme as the feature most accountable for this progress.?
This is not accurate. I stated explicitly, both informally to Mr xx and formally within my own parental submission, that it is clear that ds did not benefit from the learning opportunities at nursery until he was supported by a professional employed as part of the intervention programme we have employed privately. He attended the xxx nursery for well over a year (August 2009-October 2010) with no 1:1 support, and during this time made little or no progress in the areas of social interaction, communication, play skills, or pre-academic skills.
His interaction with his peers, in particular, did not noticeably improve despite the efforts and strategies employed by the nursery with the support of the Early Years Intervention Officer. This is particularly important, as this is an area in which he is especially impaired.
- The report states (Strengths/Needs section) that ds: ?has responded well to many of the targeted intervention currently being implemented, positively influencing his skills for:
? communication
? social interaction
? play
? behaviour.?
Any improvements in his social interactions, communication, play and behaviour made in the past few months can only be linked directly to the ABA programme employed, as it is evident that ds did not respond as hoped to the interventions so far implemented by the nursery alone.
I hope this additional information will be useful for the panel when considering ds?s special educational needs.