SA medical tomorrow - what should we expect and how long is it likely to take?

[moosemama]

That's it in a nutshell really.

Dh is fretting about how long its going to take and whether or not he needs to book the morning off work, or he can just take an hour out.

We are seeing the other local community paed to the one he usually sees at a medical centre, rather than the hospital - if that makes any difference?

I am assuming it will all be very basic, weight height, scan through the red book and a few questions about his digestive and chest problems?

Forgot to say - thanks in advance.

As far as I remember it is just to discuss any physical/medical dificulties that might impact on your childs education, so they can put it in a report to go for consideration for the statement. DS (ASD) doesn't have any health problems except eczema - so our didn't take very long at all.
I guess the time it takes will depend on how many health issues your DC has and how these might impact on schooling - plus whether they are running on time!!!!!!!!

Thanks bigbluebus.

Did that include OT-type issues such as hypotonia and gross and fine motor stuff or were they only interested in purely 'medical' difficulties?

While I'm here, I've thought of another question re all this SA stuff. Does everyone see an EP or Psych as part of SA or might they go on previous EP reports if they're from an LA EP anyway?

Ds1 worked for 12 weeks of last year with the EP our LA usually uses for SA. As I understand it she is the most respected and highly regarded EP in the area. Do you think they're likely to just ask her for a report/info or is it standard practice for him to be seen again?

Just trying to gauge how many appointments he might get. Their deadline for a decision is the end of March and we've only had the medical/paed appointment through so far. I know no-one's been in to observe him in school, because he always tells me 'OFSTED' have been in his class that day if anyone comes into observe.

I was thinking we'd possibly/probably get the following appointments:

Paed/medical
OT?
EP/psych
School observation

.. but I feel like I've forgotten something?

He's doing so well at the moment, that I'm thinking they are going to either turn us down or at best we'll get a note in lieu. Frustrating, because we are just starting to hit the point where the teachers are struggling to support him as much as they were at the beginning of the year (my point to the LA being that it was lovely but unsustainable) and he has also got over his 'honeymoon period' for this school year and has started building anxieties and being more difficult for his teacher to handle. She is fab mind you, really cares, tries really hard wiht him and still does a great job, its just that the cracks are beginning to show pretty much how I predicted they would, in terms of the amount of her time and attention he needs to support him, iykwim.

Seems ironic that after all he's been through, now they are actually going to look into it and ask him his views etc, he's likely to tell them that he loves school, especially when I know that its down to this particular teaching team and unlikely to be a continuing theme.

I think in our area the medical is done by the community paed team. If your DS has signiaficant problems with motor skills and hypotonia I would have thought they would ask for a separate OT and/or Physio report.
DS didn't have any motor skills issues (although an Autism Outreach worker who saw him in a PE lesson 4 yrs after he was dx thought he had an awkward gait and was hand flapping) He was re-referred to CAMHS before transition to 2ndy school and was assessed by their clinical OT. He had 1 1/2 hr assessment which was a complete waste of time as DS passed everything with flying colours and the OT said the 'unusual gait' would have to be assessed by a physio. That never happened as IMO DS hasn't got an unusual gait (he was probably just mucking about in PE - ditto with the hand flapping - as noone else has ever mentioned it and I have never seen him do it).
Re the EP - I know i didn't have to take DS to a separate appt - he was observed in school. In fact in the 9 yrs since we applied for and got DS's
statement I have yet to meet/speak to the EP!!!

Thank you again.

Just tried to call our named LA officer and found out she only works on Thursdays and Fridays. No mention of that in either of the letters where it says we can call her any time with questions.

Most of the SA request was to do with Social/Communication, organisational and pastoral stuff - what our Inclusion Team call an ASD statement. However there are also issues around handwriting and being seated for extended periods of time that have been noted in every professional report he's had so far - EP x 2, OT, Inclusion Leader. He was assessed by the OT as literally on the cut off for dyspraxia and therefore the cut-off for support. I have since heard that that's fairly typical around here and as she was leaving that week, the OT did say that they can't see many children as they are horrendously understaffed, so only take the worst cases.

I'm hoping he doesn't have too many appointments and they go a lot on his existing reports, as they were all drawn up within the last 12 months. We seem to be drowning in medical appointments round here at the moment between him and I! Its a right pain because I don't drive and to get anywhere from here is at least two buses.

Just popping back to say, had the appointment this morning and it went really well - I think.

Paed said she totally supports our request for a statement and agrees that what we are asking for is appropriate to his needs. So came away feeling quite positive really.

It was actually quite funny in some ways. I was worried that he was going to come across too nt, as he's been doing so well recently, but needn't have worried. He sat there with his massive Star Wars Visual Dictionary on his knee, reading away, then answered her questions without looking in her direction and finally asked her to explain herself because he didn't understand what the words she was using meant!

Anyway, one more step over and done with - onwards and upwards I suppose.

Thanks again for all your help yesterday.