Any S&LTs out there?

[cornwallia]

We have a Tribunal hearing in a few months for DS how has an ASD.

A S&LT from local Education/NHS service who assessed DS for a statement and then saw him again earlier in the year (but who has never worked with him) is now not working at the service.

Another S&LT has taken over. She saw DS for an observation but has done no tests or worked with him.

He does not have anyone working with him on a S&LT programme at present although this is in his statement.

The LA now tell me that their new S&LT is filing a report commenting on our own S&LT report but it doesn't appear she is filing her own.

I have looked at the guidelines for RCSLT for SEND hearings and I'm not sure what she is doing is consistent with them. She has no direct experience of DS. She has never assessed or worked with him, she has past reports from another therapist. How is it appropriate for her to critique someone else's reports?

Has he receptive and expressive language deficits? I think she should be doing her own report. How long ago was the last proper assessment and what did it cover? It seems a cop out and very unprofessional to be commenting on someone else's reports when she hasn't worked with your child. All very suspicious if you ask me.

oh god, let her mess it up. It will go in your favour if she has never even met him or assessed him.

We've been chasing our S&LT, our original 'one' went on leave, the replacements (two of them) can't cope with the work load.

One of them went into school, observed our DS in play etc, didn't do any tests as far as I'm aware. Said she couldn't see anything really wrong with his speech, interaction was appropriate and facial expressions etc.

Would be happy to run through social stories if we needed, but wouldn't be writing any reports on the visit because they take too long and far too many DC to see!!!

I got the report today and she hasn't even described her own credentials or her personal assessment of his needs. She has just reasserted everything the previous S&LT has said and then produced a separate report to challenge my appeal statement with the provision suggested by out S&LT.

I have complained. I know it would go on in our favour but at this moment I am wondering what on earth I am fighting for. Who would want these people involved with their child? She hasn't a clue what she is doing and has produced a load of inappropriate and frankly potentially damaging strategies to meet pointless targets

No receptive and expressive language deficits supermum.