Result of ds's assessment

[Eulalia]

We got back yesterday after a tiring but enjoyable week. Feeling more optimistic - we haven't had a copy of the final report yet but the SALT's individual report seemed to sum him up correctly as having a semantic pragmatic language disorder and mild autistic spectrum disorder.

I know he has been showing less autistic behaviour recently and this is encouraging. However he still shows enough within the 3 main areas for the diagnosis to be made.. He is becoming more sociable though and showed concern about one of the other children in the unit. It was funny as he says "shut up, thank you" quite a lot which the staff found hilarious as on the one hand this is rude but adding on the "thank you" shows politeness. His comphrension and expression of language is around age 2.5 with some gaps. The SALT is trying to push him further along the waiting list (he is currently nearly half way through a 42 week list). He should get the SALT in blocks and won't need special assistance at nursery. They are so good with him there anyway. I also got a big, big boost to my confidence when several people said quite independently that I was doing a great job not just with coping with everything but was adapting my behaviour to help with his development.

The unit was great. He was assigned to a nurse who I thought was just looking after him but she was actually observing him all the time and doing a checklist of his abilities. He was in a nursery type setting and loved the toys and equipment, as did dd who could sit in some of the time. I saw the staff either on my own or sometimes with him and they also observed him on their own. We stayed in the little apartment in the grounds which was lovely and peaceful so there was something of a holiday atmosphere. It was great to get out of the home environment and to concentrate fully on him. There was a case conference at the end with 10 people (!) and it was very comphrensive. I can't fault any of them. His nursery teacher even came to give a report which was very helpful.

Oh and he peddled a tricycle for the first time there!! They say his skills at using scissors, threading, colouring in, numbers and recognising shapes are very good. He does NOT want to draw though and this may hold him back with learning to write eventually.

Anyway sorry this is so long, just to say thanks to you all for the support and encouragement since ds's initial diagnoisis and indeed before. Feeling quite optimistic about the future at the moment

I don't get the head teacher/SENCO's point. She says she has too many SEN kids but that some of them have been put on the register when they shouldn't be. Therefore she doesn't actually have as many SEN kids as the books say. She also gets (or will shortly get direct from Govt) extra money per SEN child????!!!

I think they do but I'm not certain. I went to a meeting quite a long time ago, maybe 2 years, where the issue of devolving funds for SEN direct to schools was discussed. I was very alarmed of course but was told that the 3% or so? of children recognised as having severe special ed needs needing over a certin number of hours support a week (5, 10?) would still get statements and not be considered part of this initiative. THat makes me think that this money is for schools providing for children possibly without a statement. Maybe someone else knows more about it. SOrry to be so vague.

It depends how much support a child is given. DS1 has full time (1.0) one to one support and a meal time assistant and playground assistant. Some of the funding for this comes from the school budget and the rest is topped up by the LEA. The amount funded by the school was to increase each year I think, but I seem to remember that shcool's would never be expected to fund more than 0.8 or something. I do know that before emoloying the LSA the school needed confirmation form the LEA that the extra funding was in place.

DS2 had an uneventful day ....excellent! Turns out yesterday it was that he threw a card across the room (he frequently tosses objects at home...it looks like stim in development!)
Teacher made the point that it isn't so much the behaviour he's doing to get told off that is the problem- but more the reaction they are getting when they try to talk to him about it. This sounds very much like at home when i CANNOT reason with him- MARYZ..... i totally understan your point on ways to 'handle' ds2 at school AUTISTICALLY - hope you don't mind me using your post within a letter that i am writing to the senco and teacher