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Oh dear, just went to new reception parents evening....

31 replies

Agnesdipesto · 15/06/2011 21:11

Was presented with a form for DS (ASD functioning level of a 2 year old) to complete telling them what he likes and dislikes and what he thinks he is good at...shown a learning journal we can share for all his highlights and proud moments Hmm. Headteacher (with whom we have had long indepth discussion and shared DS medical reports) asking whether DS was excited about starting school, to which I replied I haven't told him as he (a) would not understand and (b) wouldn't be able to reply Sad...class teacher with list of names alongside DS's is written in brackets (autism) for any nosy parent to see (we weren't going to hide it but hey) Shock, and overheard posh Mum saying to class teacher, "I'm sorry I just do not understand why my daughter has been put in this class" (ie and not in the other class with her friends) - luckily I resisted the urge to thump her and say 'is that all you have to worry about' Envy. AArghhh, after the bubble of ABA I am going to have to toughen up for the real world aren't I?

Thank goodness he has his own ABA entourage going with him, they really are not ready for whats heading in their direction.

The only upside is that 7-8 children are moving from his nursery so will know him already and I know 4 other parents from siblings.

I need a beer smiley, cracking open a cold one now.

OP posts:
StarChartEsq · 16/06/2011 16:14

'I just want school to KNOW what they have agreed to so it doesn't fall apart later'

I know what you mean. Because ds as doing ABA before Nursery, and despite my begging for it, they never did any visits or transition planning. When ds started I had to spend so long undoing their mistakes and correcting them that it was quite hostile, even though I was right and even though they admitted it and kept apologising. It meant I had to hold back lots for fear of alienating them any more, when most of the problems need never have occured had I had a voice BEFORE he started.

Which is why I'm so keen to get a proper tranisition THIS time. Sadly it is looking unlikely. And possibly even a tribunal for placement, never mind statement content.

May I ask your advice for a sec? DS' EP recommended an Independent Placement with ABA on top Shock. Do you think this is the crux of their argument, i.e that they cannot meet his needs because they are neither independent nor ABA?

I have an excellent argument for why not independent and ABA if ever a tribunal should ask however.

BialystockandBloom · 16/06/2011 20:23

Agnes, why has a proper transition not been planned? Can you speak to your intervention officer or caseworker? In the absence of class teacher/senco, I would try and get the deputy head at least to organise some transition meetings. At the very least, as you say, they need to be fully aware of how ABA will work within the classroom. I can't understand why they would not want to prepare for this themselves.

This is a stressful time isn't it.

Agnesdipesto · 16/06/2011 22:53

B&B
I don't really know why they have been so crap except they have just been ofsted-ed (so preoccupied I guess) and as i say the two key staff are leaving and replacements only just been recruited.

Its not that they aren't on board, they have said yes to ABA and been enthusiastic but then we found out the senco and class teacher were leaving and now its the not knowing if the new staff will be as keen... It might be because he is only going very part time they think they can leave the detail until Sept, but we have to plan which tutor, schedules etc

It was the fact that they just have not grasped the very basics of what severely autistic means which upset me, and of course the whole experience of another milestone DS will miss by a mile-just that reality of how far behind DS is. Another notch in the grief process I suppose.

I didn't expect them to know alot about DS but I thought the fact he had barely any speech or understanding of language might have registered some attention. They had a boy last year who only spoke Chinese - I would think everyone in school knew they were getting a child who only spoke Chinese - so how can DS be starting school and neither the Head or present Foundation Stage lead and class teacher not have grasped that in practical terms DS might as well speak Chinese.

I did tell them last night I am taking him in for 2 extra visits before the one all the other children come, but again it will be the staff who are leaving and then on the real visit day it will be the new teacher but she is only there for that day. I am going to insist the other reception class teacher comes and sees him and / or the TAs so at least someone in school will go back to the staffroom and say 'ok Houston we have a problem'

We don't have an intervention worker - although we've had lots of i've got no intention of intervening workers! We dont speak to the SEN officer unless we have to on basis she hates us for winning ABA and she told big fat nasty lies about us at tribunal. She fabricated an entire document for the tribunal labelled 'parental issues with professionals' in big letters at the top. Although the only 'issues' we had were with the lazy ones who never turned up.

I've got the ABA on the case now, they are going to email and ask for the new teacher and sencos emails and 'introduce' themselves.

DS will be fine, he has a great team. Its just I want school to be fine with ABA and us all to be on the same page. I just didn't want them to say 'why are you doing that', I wanted them to know what DS therapy looks like.

The children are only going part time for first few weeks so we are going to ask them to do some 1:1 assessment with DS in the afternoon and ABA to do some training.

Have got my head straight now, just needed a day to wallow in the 'why do professionals (except ABA) always let you down' mire which is my life

STAR
I just do not get what they can be appealing on. I mean if your DS is not suitable for mainstream then no ASD child is, and in our area very very few get a special school place and they have other LD etc on top.
They could be appealing the 20 hours and want FT 1:1?
The law is that the LA has to do everything they can within reason to make mainstream accessible, which would include ABA.

Why independent? Is that about class size? Staff ratio?
Is there anything in the statement eg about quiet room or facilities they may not have?

They may say they cannot get through his programme in 20 hours?

OP posts:
StarChartEsq · 16/06/2011 23:24

DS will be the fourth child with a statement in the Reception. They say that the classroom is too small for all their support and that they can't effectively educate him there for that reason, plus they are concerned about the impact on the education of the other children.

At least that is what they said in their 'first' appeal letter. To our face they told us that they will get no extra money and their parents work hard to raise money for the school on outdoor equipment for all the children, not TA's for one SN child and that they are inclusive but think 3 is quite inclusive enough. They also said that if he gets 1:1 in his statement they will not provide it, and we'd have to take it up with the LA as they are legally responsible for the provision.

It's a mess. I may well be making a mistake by sending him there but you know when you have such a strong feeling that he should be there. Just attending their school fete made all my stress fade away. He went up to boys in the playground on bikes and said to them 'please can I have a turn' and they GOT OFF and let him. This was the first spontaneous initiation I have seen him do and it was accomodated. The other kids kept bumping into us with their balls, bikes whatever. ALL apologied.

It was like however miserable the governors/teachers/head is, the kids are who I want DS to be with.

StarChartEsq · 16/06/2011 23:26

'It was the fact that they just have not grasped the very basics of what severely autistic means which upset me'

Yes, but that is WHY you have an ABA team going in. BECAUSE they don't grasp it. If they did you might have had trouble winning the provision.

BialystockandBloom · 16/06/2011 23:56

Well, they will learn soon enough the level of support he needs, and hence how invaluable ABA tutors are.

I do hope the new teacher & senco are enthusiastic. I expect that as they're so new in a job they'll be pretty pleased to leave you/tutors to it and concentrate on learning the ropes of their 'normal' job (mixed blessing, I know, but at least they are unlikely to cause a scene about the unfamiliar ABA methods iyswim).

Know what you mean about intervention officer. Wtf is the point of the role? If they're gonna make cuts anywhere.......

Star why is it that it is our children who are the ones told they cannot go to the school of choice because of over-subscription/class size/too many statemented children etc etc. Funny that it's the disabled children who are competing for the additional over-subscription places, and none of us are going to win those places isn't it. So who does get these places then Hmm

We should start a Starting Reception support thread.

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