Special school vs mainstream?

[Gottalovecosta]

We're in the process of getting a statement for our 5 year old son, who is being assessed for ASD/ADHD and already has a diagnosis of dyspraxia.
Special school has been mentioned, and we went and had a look around and I really liked it. EP has not agreed, saying she likes to keep children mainstream and that the school does not meet his needs, as it is for children with emotional/social problems. He seemed to fit to me, and the head, behavioural psychologist agreed too. He is currently in reception in mainstream, but has yet to manage a full day, with our support he attends 9-12 daily and has 1:1 while he is there, and rarely spends a full morning in the classroom.
He has aggressive tendancies, he hits other children/staff due to frustration/anger/sensory stimuli. He is happier in the library with his TA.
EP mentioned trying another mainstream school, but I don't want to move him somewhere then potentially move him to SS at a later date. She has already said he will require SS for secondary school. I just don't want to keep moving him and in my eyes he is not coping in mainstream, despite being there for nursery and reception.

I was just wondering about other peoples experiences regarding ms/ss?

Honestly, if your instinct is telling you SS then you are almost certainly right. Stick to your guns.

Lots of us cling to the hope of mainstream for as long as possible (encouraged by the LA) and often our children fall out of the system further behind and with more emotional problems than they would had they be placed in specialised provision earlier.

I hasten to add that mainstream CAN work PROVIDED the support is outstanding and school/LA accommodating. However this is a rare find and a almost a battle to the death to get.

Well as I assume the EP is employed by the LA and probably adhering to the party line of gatekeeping SS places and making children repeatedly fail in cheap m/s provision before being made to pay more; i would take the EP opinion with a pinch of self interest

I suspect many of the children in school even without an AS dx will have some traits.

Have you seen this?:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/special_needs_support_sessions/1479112-Mumsnet-KIDS-support-session-on-special-needs-and-education-THIS-THURSDAY-9pm

I left my ds in ms for too long . He is now in a unit and is making so much progress and looks forward to going to school etc.

However, have to say that compared to the other children in the unit, he takes things such as sports day, church services etc in his stride so at least SOME good came out of it.

I would go with your instinct. Also agree with you - why move him to another ms and then to ss.

Agree with everyone else, go with your gut instincts, it is not an irrevocable decision, you may at some stage in the future decide to go for a dual placement with ms or a phased transition into ms. However, early intervention is really important and ss's generally have more expertise. Speaking from someone who is not sold on the merits of under-resourced and ill thought out inclusion.

"EP has not agreed, saying she likes to keep children mainstream"

It is not the EP's job to have a blanket preference about any of your DS's educational options! It's his/her job to assess the strengths and challenges your DS faces in relation to his educational progress, or potential for progress, and to advise you what steps would need to be taken to fulfil it.

Sometimes the recommendations are such that only a SS can meet them (ie. DS should be taught in very small groups with staff who are skilled and experienced with children with his needs - how can you guarantee that in a MS school where the TA may be a former dinner lady who fancied a bit of a change, or a parent helper who decided she'd like to be paid for her time? [disclaimer: it is more common than you think). It is sometime the case that the recommendations point towards a mainstream environment (ie. DS needs to be exposed to a rich range of verbal interaction in order to allow him to develop a wider vocabulary - a Special School is likely to have a mix of children who are verbal (but not age appropriately), semi-verbal (can have limited conversation on a specific subject) or non-verbal (either minimal words or speech sounds)).

The fact is, that an Educational Psychologist is there to assess and recommend strategies to enhance your DS's strengths and ameliorate the challenges he faces.

YOU decide whether SS is a good step.

agree with everyone else - you are the parent and you know him best.
Is this an independent SS?
I never imagined that my ds1 would be a SS pupil, but now I consider that the last few years of his mainstream education were a total waste of time - the SS are now having to undo all the damage caused by his being in mainstream before they can move on with him.

Interesting thread. I've considered SS at various points in time for my DS, each time his dad has been dead set against SS (TBH I would make the decision anyway though). I think when he moves to secondary I will definitely have to take a good look through all the options.

As others have said, the EP's blanket personal opinion should have no bearing on your decision - I think the fact that you have looked round, liked it, and feel the school would be a good fit for your DS sounds positive.

Thank you for all the opinions, they've been really helpful. I've written a letter with our opinion for the statementing process, stating we feel the environment of the SS would suit his needs better and listed why. Guess it's a waiting game now to hear their decision! I feel so much better for having talked it through with DH and getting opinions on here. He is struggling so much and I just want him to be as happy as possible at school x

Is there an in-between option such as a MS with a provision or unit attached? This is what my son will attend next september - i'm hoping it will be the best of both worlds though only time will tell!

No, latedeveloper, unfortunatly there is no such provision nearby, it's ms or ss :-/

In that case then I'd go ss all the way. A friend's boy who is v v bright and vv lovely but has adhd has really struggled at MS. Unfortunately they haven't supported him very well and his behaviour has really struggled. The problem is the ms want to fix him - so they punish him for adhd induced behaviour in the hope he'll stop that behviour rather than working round the condition.

His mum was first told to look at a PRU which was for children with emotional and behavioural problems but not suitable for her son who actually is very academic when focussed. She is now been given the option of a private school with specialises in ADHD and it looks promising.