Portage Worker visiting tomorrow on behalf of LEA EP

[dev9aug]

I need advice please. We have a first visit by a Portage Worker visiting on behalf of the LEA EP tomorrow. Can anybody please tell me what happens on these visits?

Also we have a home based ABA program for DS2.7 atm. Do we tell her about it or wait to see what's on offer from them.
We have also had private assessments done by a paediatrician (Daphne Keen) and an EP. Do we offer copies of their reports or again wait to see what they are offering in terms of assessment?
I have been told that tomorrows assessment will decide whether the EP needs to get involved further for the purposes of a SA. I know I can apply for SA myself but haven't got round to it yet, it is next on my to do list.

Just for info. The general attitude towards ABA in our borough is quite mixed. Have spoken to PP and others in the area and nobody has been offered ABA in their statements no matter how hard they try as the councils provision for ASD is considered "adequate".

TIA

How did you get on dev?

Hi coff Well she came and the first question she asked my wife was that I hear that you are doing ABA and in the next breath she said as you are already doing an intensive program, there is not much more they can offer. So she will see us in three months.

DW asked her about the SA and she mentioned that we will deal with that once he is in a nursery , better get applying for that statement myself I guess.

Mention you have a "behavior management expert" coming into help you, don't call her an aba tutor so you don't set any alarm bells ringing before you are ready. All you need to say is that she helps you work out what motivates your child to learn and gives you some strategies and techniques to use to help your child aquire new skills.

In my locale ABA is the one word that may never be spoken, for fear of scaring the evil LEA officials in their ivory tower. However various members of the autism advisory service and the salt team and the EBD team sneak off every now and then quietly to an ABA training course ; )

PECS is ABA for a start, and that's used all over now in the mainstream.

I can't see anyone winning ABA proper in my lea as the lengths the lea would go to in order to prevent it would shock you but there are a very few schools in the borough that will let you send in your own tutors or agree to their own TA's receiving training etc. A bit cloak and dagger but if it gets the job done who cares?

See what they have to offer you first, no point in looking for a fight where you may be able to diplomatically negiotiate for what you want just yet. This is the stage where your key focus is to listen very carefully.

I would start the SA rolling yes as it takes so long. When is your DS due to start?

I couldnt offer you advice last night as I have never met a portage worker and nor do I use ABA at present. But I do know that its a tough one to get ANY LAs to agree to from what I have read on this board.

If they agree to assess then it is usual for an EP to visit the child for a start and I would guess that the Portage worker just might be called in again for a report of her own. Also a peadiatrician report is required. You can always put in a report from your "behaviour management expert" to support it without mentioning the dreaded ABA words as bochead said :)

They probably sent her to show that they offered you some input but you 'chose' ABA instead. In my area I was told that portage is only ever offered to children before age 3 anyway because once they are at nursery they are deemed to be having input.

Boc the cat is out of the bag I am afraid, we have a lovely Paed with whom we had discussed options some time ago, ABA was one of them so it's on the paperwork somewhere, probably where the Portage worker got that info from..
To be honest, I am not so worried as I guess they would have found out anyway. I was willing to listen what was on offer, but her words were, "you sound like you are in control and doing everything I could have suggested, so there is nothing more we could offer". I wasn't here at the time so I cannot tell if she meant that in a positive or negative light. But it did not sound very inclusive to me if I am honest.

Coff he is 2.7 so due to start nursery in September and reception next year so we have time on our side (I think for reception anyway). I thought today's visit was a precursor to visit by an EP, but not so. It was just to offer us some strategies such as Hanen, Pecs etc, which we are already doing. There is a follow up visit booked in three months.

I have spoken to PP, so will apply for SA ASAP, but the focus is to get the ABA program properly off the ground at the moment.

Is it just my experience or once you are in the system as such, the whole world and it's dog gets copied in on everything?

That's interesting Cansu. I hadn't thought of that.

I have her email address and was going to email her and request the things which would have been offered to us had we not been doing ABA. I have been reading about some of the horror stories with regards to SA here and wanted to make sure we utilise everything what is on offer from them or at least get that in writing that they are not offering us anything. This was to make sure that when the time comes, they cannot blame us for going on our own path and ignoring them.

our portage was stopped when we began our home ABA programme, because the two approaches (learning thorugh play, in both cases) wee 'incompatible'

agre that it might lead to a 'we offered lots but you were determined to do things your way' stance.

what LA are you in?

silverfrog that was exactly what she mentioned about the two approaches being incompatible.

We are under Reading Borough Council.