Great SEN phrases of all time

[MareeyaDolores]

I want a nice list of those statements that rattle around my head, and hopefully someone else will post a reminder of the hall-of-fame quotes I've forgotten. Will add the author and date if I know (and please correct me if need be, or if two people have hatched the same great idea)

#1
Don't waste valuable time assuming competent folk have it all under control. They probably don't.

'If you didn't like the statement, then you should have just said so. You had your opportunity to raise these things'

Said by the Autism Advisory Bitch right after we had lost our tribunal.

Speech delay? Get him to chew carrot sticks...

First said by a SALT to someone else on the board, but also said to me last week about DS3.

Is there a book that tells NHS SALTS this or did we see the sane one?!

Ahhh, you got truly carroted!

'If she's not harming anyone then let her do her own thing' Inclusion Co-ordinator when she was wouldn't join circle time in MS preschool

roll on a few months

'Oh she's not going to be happy for a few days, because if we are doing circle time, she will be expected to join in' Teacher at special school when I told her she wasn't used to having to join circle time.

'sometimes parents just have to be realistic about what their child can achieve'

teacher in Annual Review, said with a compassionate head tilt when I said that I would like DS1 to have less aromatherapy and more, you know, actual learning, what with it being a school and all.

'...therefore you are either incompetent, or lying. Which one?'

Me, on an email to Head of Children's Services at Devon County. She didn't reply.

ROFL drowning. You're my new hero, surpassed only by Leonie who scribbled over the EP report that she was talking complete bollocks and lies before submitting it for Statutory Assessment.

Yes, but Leonie didn't actually mean to send that!

That a DX won't actually change your DC. It won't make him/her autistic, or have CP or whatever. And they will still be your lovely child. - Me!

A slap in the face still hurts, even if you expect it. (About long fought for DX) - Starlight.

A DX is a signpost not a label. - Is that Starlight as well?

Loving this thread, and don't we just all know the "compassionate head tilt" drowning refers to!

think my LA will rue the day they said to me in a meeting 'its all about the evidence and we need evidence that hes needs have changed before the statement/placement could be amended'

i then followed their advice and gave them all the evidence they needed - they provided none and ended up at tribuanl with them still probably no evidence whatsoever - probly why a 20K placement we wanted in the beginning became a 70K placement post tribunal - think they will forever regret advising me about the 'evidence'

the 'evidence' will now hang them out to dry as i begin the complaints process and provide all of the 'evidence' in written evidence - gonna be hard for them to wriggle out of anything

also the advice by the outreach woman who concluded that she could see not a single sign of anxiety by my sone in a written report - the following day he was seen by the NHS OT who worte a damning report of how highly anxious he was, a damning report from the head who was in the same class observation as the outreach woman and the head saw him with his hands over his ears and rocking, the daming reports from independent OT, SALT and EP who all commented on his anxiety, every teacher from his new school who within seconds of meeting him are shocked by his high level of anxiety and yet the outreach woman saw nothing - i think i need to highlight the quote - 'are you incompentent or lying?' as part of my complaint

the sen officer who repeatedly told me she never looks at a cost of a placement - its all about meeting the childs needs and yet dragged us through tribunal and the basis was 'its all about the cost'

the HV who saw my son at aged 4 after concerns from nursery and sat on my sofa and said 'hes fine - he just doesnt like change' er no shit sherlock - he was dx with asd 6 months later after we moved away.

the special needs SALT with my other son who put in a report he was not autistic and that led to us having his needs ignored and no dx - moved again and withing days new school raised concerns and he too was dx 6 months later - now he has more dx and at his tribinal it was said by a highly repsected EP 'he was the most complex child she hasd ever met in her 40 year career'

'sometimes parents just have to be realistic about what their child can achieve'

teacher in Annual Review, said with a compassionate head tilt when I said that I would like DS1 to have less aromatherapy and more, you know, actual learning, what with it being a school and all.

Ah Drowning. The smugness and patronising attitudes of people who are not doing what they are being paid to do is so irritating. Far better to just be honest and admit you haven't got all the answers but will try your best and start with the basics eh?

Oh yeah.
The NQT year 3 teacher who told me that I needed to accept that the bottom sets were where ds1 (severely dyslexic) belonged.
Despite EVERY single teacher he had ever had telling me his ability far outstripped his performance.
She went on maternity leave soon after.
She is back tomorrow.
She's on my list.
Cannot wait to see her smug stupid face when she sees the progress ds has made...since not being in her class :)

'i don't think he (ds1) has any place in child guidance (CAMHS) and will be saying so at the team meeting on Thursday' -SALT

Funnily enough despite his excellent speech and language the consultant psyche disagreed and he's likely to get a dx of ASD, ADHD, spd and hypermobility. Just because his language ability is good doesn't negate the fact that at 6 he still runs into traffic amongst many other issues!

"Look, I'm very busy and stressed because I've just been on holiday" said by LEA idiot who had sent out another child's statement to everyone on the contact list. Oh ok, never mind about confidentiality then.

"In my professional opinion there is nothing wrong with your son, he's just plain lazy"
Said to me by a teacher in year 2, even though DS1 couldn't read or write. Come year 3, he gets put into a nurture group, refered to cahms and gets an aspergers diagnosis.

'a happy child who loves adult attention'

First assessment by Social Services when asking for support.

2months later diagnosed with brain malformation. Less than 18 months later, special school.

Told that dd wasn't entitled to a child in need assessment by a disability social worker as she attends an ASD specific youth club so can't possibly have any care needs!

Told by social services that won't be involved in transition as she functions at a level above the definition of disability under the children's act 1989!

In a TAC meeting, you are the only person in the room who's SOLE agenda is your child

"Even statemented children can't have speech therapy".

'You're lucky to have a statement at all, from what it says this provision can be provided by the school without one'

Said Herts Parent Partnership when encouraging us not to appeal.

And yes 'Funding is no longer attached to statements'

Absolutely no relevance to anything I have every requested and never did expect to be given any cash, but seems to be a standard line spouted at all meetings in the run up to SA.

"The last thing we want you to think is that we don't want him here ... "

Three guesses what the next word in this sentence is.

'Funding is no longer attached to statements'

We get that one alot starlight