Son progressing at school - no statement?

[devilinside]

Year 1 DS is being assessed for hfa or aspergers. I suspect it will be the former as his speech is fairly delayed.

Head teacher told me last week that it won't be necessary to get a statement as he is progressing academically. Although, I can see that he is, it seems to be very slowly, particularly in literacy. He's still is unable to write, even his name (letters the wrong way round - and there's only three of them!). Recently, he has gone from tracing letters to copying them.

Reading also behind, although maths is above average.

He's getting extra support in class plus additional 'emotional literacy' sessions. No behavior problems (except for running away in the school playground). He's a placid, laid back chap.

Head teacher told you a lot of old bull I am sorry to say and also in less than 2 years time your son will be in Juniors with a different set of rules and unwritten stuff to try and conform to.

Statements are not just for academic needs; they can also be used to address social/communication needs. Also the support he is receiving currently could all too easily be withdrawn without him having a statement in place. SA plus for instance can be too limited in scope and is not legally binding.

I would still be applying for a statement to the LEA and you can make the application yourself. You do not need anyone's permission to do this. Look at IPSEA's website and use their model letters.

www.ipsea.org.uk

Agree with Attila statements are not just for academic matters
Look up SEN Code of Practice - you can also order a free hard copy - talks about different areas of development of which academic is just one
The HT might be right that needs can be met without a statement, but that means all his needs - emotional, social, behaviour etc
And excessive passivity can be a behaviour issue - behaviour does not have to mean challenging behaviour it could be lack of motivation, obsessions and rituals, rigidities not just lashing out.
Look up P scales - there is one for social skills - ask school to provide a P scale score for social skills so you have a baseline to measure from. You might find this area is significantly delayed.

Thanks, that's very useful, I shall wait until he gets his official diagnosis, and then start putting things into place. Paed says she's certain it's ASD, but he needs one more assessment.