DS just got diagnosis of Asperger's, what do I do now?

[LifeInTheSlowLane]

Need some advice please! We finally got a diagnosis of Asperger's for DS2 (7). We moved house last summer so he's been at his new school since September. It's a private school and this is our first experience of private education so I'm not really sure how to proceed now. I know that having a diagnosis doesn't mean he'll get a statement, but do I need to try to get one? Does this happen in private schools - I mean do they get any funding if he has a statement? He doesn't really need any extra help in class at the moment because he is already in a small class and there is a teacher and TA. He's still behind his classmates in terms of reading and writing ability but he's made amazing progress since September. thanks for your help!

Do you think he needs a statement? Not all kids with ASD need statements.

Is he behind in reading / writing because of his ASD? Directly or indirectly? or because of something else?

What problems are you having at home that you need help with?

What problems is he having at school that he needs help with?

All ASD kids are diff, and have diff problems.....

I don't really know how a statement works or how it will actually help him, so I'm not sure if he needs one! He's behind at school because he didn't get any help at his old school - he was in a class of 30, one teacher and no TA (most of the time) so I got the feeling he spent most of his time in his own little world. His new school is great - he reads aloud to the teacher or TA every day, the children spend a lot of time in small groups working with the TA and he has made such a lot of progress. I think he has the ability but hasn't had the encouragement before now to get it all out!

He is very well behaved at school, although he doesn't socialise with his peers. Like a lot of ASD children, he seems to hold it together at school and saves the tantrums for home . His teacher has said he is "stubborn" - he can be very fixed in his way of thinking and if it is something he's not keen on he can take a bit of encouragement at school to get the work done. He likes doing things "his way". If it's something he's interested in he will be very engaged and accomplish a lot.

Regarding home life, he can be resistant to new things, have mega tantrums if things don't go his way etc. but we are all learning how to work around his foibles gradually...

If you are happy with his rate of progress at his new school, then just keep doing everything you're already doing.

Statements are about providing the school with money so that they can support him - ie if he needs a 1:1 TA, then the statement pays for it. If school are already supporting him, he won't qualify for a statement.

My DS with ADHD was at a private school. I don't know what your school is like but ours didn't recognise SEN except dyslexia. DS had to have sessions in the dyslexia unit (even tho he wasn't actually dyslexic) and they charged us a small fortune for the "extra tuition". We didn't apply for a statement for DS because we were told we wouldn't get one (altho that was 14 years ago so things have probably changed since)

So I would say if he doesn't actually need any more help than he is currently getting just leave things as they are.

Thanks everyone. I'm happy that at the moment he doesn't need any extra help and from what I've read about trying to get a statement it sounds a nightmare so I'm thinking that if he doesn't need one (for the moment - I guess things could change) then I won't do anything about it just yet.

Will the local authority give funding to a private school if he needed extra help? That's what I'm not sure of.

Tallulah - at DS's school there is no charge for extra tuition etc in the infants and juniors, but there is in the seniors so we're ok for the moment (although he's not actually having any one to one anyway).

Private schools do not come directly within the remit of the Local Education Authority in question.

With regards to your question, "Will the local authority give funding to a private school if he needed extra help?". The short answer to that is basically no. In order to achieve that aim you would likely have to go to the SEND Tribunal and argue the case. You would have to prove that the state schools in your area would not be able to meet his needs.

A Statement is basically a legally binding document issued by the LEA to show both the child's additional needs and how the LEA will support those needs. A well written statement is worth having.

I would keep a very close eye on how things pan out within the private sector because it can all too easily fall apart very quickly.

Would you consider a state based secondary school in the longer term?.

If you go private, it's very much up to the private school in question how much it helps. Ultimately, if they don't want to help, they just won't. Mine's at private school and they've been very good really (few hiccups but we've kept talking and working at it). He went to State school where they treated him absolutely appallingly at secondary level and basically forced him out, so for us it was the right decision at the right time.

I'd have a good chat to whoever is in charge of special needs at the school and see what they can offer. Most are very happy to put something into place.

Thanks for the info Attila and Amberlight, it all feels very confusing at the moment!