Small victory - LA now accept DS1's private ASD diagnosis!

[KOKOagainandagain]

The LA issued a final SpLD only statement and largely ignored DK's report bar a few words and completely ignored MS's SALT report including DISCO diagnosis.

Tribunal is in May and since DS1's case has gone to the legal team things have got rather intense. The LA were disagreeing with ss but were also questioning DS1's diagnosis and wanted another comm paed assessment - initially with the comm paed who thought it was a 'shame' that DS1 had an ASD diagnosis and said that she disagreed. Luckily since leaving the school which was in the neighbouring county he is no longer her patient so her views are irrelevent.

DS1 had a meeting last week with a fantastic community paed in the county where we live.

The LA issued a final SpLD only statement and largely ignored DK's report bar a few words and completely ignored MS's SALT report including DISCO diagnosis.

Yesterday the LA's lawyer spoke to the comm paed - "In essence her view was that the diagnostic assessment by Dr Keen was very thorough and that a further assessment would not provide the Authority (the Tribunal or yourself) with any additional information. In light of that expert view the Local Authority will not be pursuing a further paediatric assessment."

One less disagreement to face at tribunal. And it also drops tons of poo on their argument that parts 2 and 3 accurately describe and make provision for all his needs.

Is it all or nothing - can they concede parts 2 and 3 but oppose part 4?

Yeay!

'In light of that expert view'

You know that this isn't a concession at all and that the tribunal will certainly have taken your private ds doncha?

It's all just bollocks to waste time and to keep chipping away at you emotionally.

But - congratulations anyway, particularly with sticking with this depressing journey.

Of course I was confident that tribunal would accept the private dx but it did worry me that we had nothing from the NHS, not just for tribunal but to be in the system (even if its crap) and thought we would still be forced to go down the official diagnosis route - even MS had warned that we might need a second opinion to ADOS from the Lorna Wing centre. But comm paed does not need any further assessment either and the diagnosis is now unequivocal.

This issue would have been a distraction at tribunal. The less disagreement we have to deal with at tribunal the better - the ideal being a nice straightforward fight as to whether LA named school can meet needs.

There is nothing I can do to speed things up and I have accepted that DS1 will spend nearly the whole of year 7 unable to attend school. There going to go to tribunal anyway.

In the meantine, both sides can waste time - it is now 3 weeks since the solicitors requested consent to assessments and they have achieved jack shit at the same time as I have presented myself (and created a paper trail) as non-obstructive and ultra-reasonable. I think I have found my evil streak but I promise to only use it for good

I am sure it is not their intention but I don't find their incompetence depletes me emotionally, if anything it does the opposite. I much prefer incompetent bastards to competent ones - they are genuinely scarey!

they're not there

" I think I have found my evil streak but I promise to only use it for good"

Hahahahah the biggest oxymorons are the most insanely wonderful

Congratulations.

One small step for KoKo, one massive step for SN-Kind.