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Statement Advice Please

5 replies

Sunshinemumof2 · 21/04/2012 14:28

Hi all,i'm new to this and just looking for some advice off some off you with more experience. DS will be 4 in June and is being assessed for autism,we are hoping to have his diagnosis within a month or two.
He has 15 hours one to one support at nursery and his nursery teacher has been a great help and full of information,she has said as soon as he gets a diagnosis we can apply for a statement so i presumed we couldnt until then.
We had a visit from a family fund worker yesterday who advised us to tell nursery we want to apply for a statement straight away as DS will need full time one to one when he starts reception in Sept and he might not get that without a statement and we need to apply now to get it in time for September,she said as the ed pysch has seen him twice already she only needs to see him once again to apply for it.
Obviously i want whats best for my son and i'm now wondering if the school are putting it off as the family fund worker said they're prob reluctant to do it now as its nearing the end of school year and its all to do with the funding.
Any advice off anyone else who's been in a similar situation would be much appreciated:)

OP posts:
AttilaTheMeerkat · 21/04/2012 14:52

Hi sunshine,

re your comment:-
"We had a visit from a family fund worker yesterday who advised us to tell nursery we want to apply for a statement straight away as DS will need full time one to one when he starts reception in Sept and he might not get that without a statement and we need to apply now to get it in time for September,she said as the ed pysch has seen him twice already she only needs to see him once again to apply for it".

A statement can take a minimum of six months to set up so a September start date for a statement is not now likely. He certainly would not get anywhere near full time 1 to 1 without a statement being in place. You also do not need a firm dx in order to apply for the statement now. Would make the application asap, get it in the post next week and give the LEA six weeks to reply. You need to write to the Chief Education Officer at your LEA.

Cannot understand why EP would need to see your son a third time, one observation is usually all that is required. Also EP cannot make any medical diagnosis.

You as parents can apply to the LEA yourselves, you do not need nursery to do it. Also the family fund worker should be aware that such places can sit on these apps for ages, if you do it you know its been done then!. IPSEA's website is good re model letters to the LEA and you can adapt these www.ipsea.org.uk.

Funding is not your problem. Do not concern yourself with such.

moosemama · 21/04/2012 15:05

You don't need a diagnosis to get at statement, you just need to prove your ds's needs and if the nursery are saying he needs full time 1:1, he will definitely need a statement.

Attila's advice is excellent, as always. Unfortunately you won't get a statement in place before September now, but I would highly recommend getting the ball rolling if the school is dragging their feet. Personally, I found it much easier to apply myself, as it meant all the communication came through me, so I always knew what was happening. I know it can seem a bit daunting, but it's actually a very simple process, if I can do it, anyone can. Smile

Has your ds only seen the EP? If so, I would advise going to the GP and asking for a referral for assessment. Again, as Attila said, EPs cannot diagnose on their own, it's need to be a Paediatrician or multi-disciplinary assessment team. In our case, ds was referred to the Community Paediatrician in the first instance and then referred on to the multi-disciplinary team.

As he is unlikely to get his statement through in time for a September start, I would recommend arranging an appointment with the school's SENCO to discuss his needs and make sure he has appropriate support in place in the interim.

Sunshinemumof2 · 21/04/2012 17:52

Thankyou both for your advice. D's has been seeing
SALT since he was 2 and the development paediatrician
Since last year, she'll diagnose him as long as
The others all agree,said there will be a panel meeting
Between them all so we're just waiting now. Will speak
to school first thing Monday morning will get it started asap!

OP posts:
Sunshinemumof2 · 21/04/2012 17:53

Apologies,not too great at posting from my phone lol!

OP posts:
moosemama · 21/04/2012 17:59

Ah - then with all that professional input you are well placed to get going on your request for Statutory Assessment with a view to issuing a Statement.

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