First IEP this week, advice needed

[mum0fthree]

DS 7 is in Y2, he is being assessed for ASD. He is currently working at levels 3 for Maths and Reading so is well ahead. However he is only working at level 1 for writing. He cannot spell at all, for example he could read the word longitudinal but can't spell long.

His teacher assures me that this is completely normal, whilst I appreciate that writing is a harder skill to develop I think is there is such a massive discrepancy in levels this is a clear indication that he needs help in this area.

Also would an IEP cover the social side of school? Every break and lunchtime he wonders around the playground alone. He sometimes is upset that he has no friends but generally he uses this time to clear his mind. i know he need this time to prepare for the hustle and bustle of the classroom but ideally at least once a week I think they should be supporting him on the playground to play with other children, Thoughts??
Thanks for any replies.

mumofthree

Ah the Individual Empty Promise aka IEP. Sorry to sound negative but these can look good on paper but not address the issues properly when it comes to school.

Think teacher you refer to in the second para is talking nonsense. What level of additional support need is your DS on currently; is your DS on School Action Plus for instance?. Do they not already realise that your son is spending many lunchtimes on his own. What';s going to happen to him when he gets in Juniors; there the pressure will be further upped.

I wonder whether you have considered applying for a Statement as Statements also cover social/communication difficulties as well as acedemic needs. Additional support at lunchtime is possible to have with a Statement in place.

An IEP can cover social skills problems as well as academic ones. If it's written SMARTly and the school actually follow it. Some organised game once a week or so would be perfectly reasonable to ask for. With the writing, is it the spelling that he has particular trouble with, or organising his thoughts to get them in writing, (or both?) The organising is fairly common for DC on the spectrum, and the spelling over reading problem is a common variant of dyslexia. If your DS is on school action or school action plus he should be getting an IEP already. Others such as Indigo have more knowledge of what could be done specifically to help with the spelling problem, but you should get these issues as targets on his IEP, definitely.

As Attila suggests, have you considered a Statement of SEN? I don't know how much your DS struggles so couldn't say if he's likely to get one but they are valuable tools that cannot be dismissed by cash strapped schools, as they become a legal requirement.

I would say both spelling and organising his thoughts are the problem, homework such as book reports are very hard for him and he will try and give one word answers. Although he is able to verbalises in my opinion profound and unusual things for a

He also struggles because he is a perfectionist and very self criticial. When I am helping him do homework if I notice he has answered incorrectly it is very hard to show him were he is going wrong as he becomes distraught and want to give up or destroy the work.

I will ask about a statement at the meeting.

I am aware that some parents struggle to get school onside because they don't notice the problems in school or they hold it in till they get home. DS is not like this school have been aware of problems since nursery but it was only when they brought outside help in to support him with his social skills (being bullied) and they picked up on possible ASD.