Please help. Asking for SALT and ABA to be added to statement.

[Pouncer1]

Just had our annual review and we raised our concern that DD is being seen by SALT about once a term. DD comprehension is very poor and struggles with basic which I feel is holding her back in many ways and situations. We are now going to ask to change the statement and hope that DD can have daily visits from a SALT. We also raised that we would like her to be taught through ABA.

Should I ask the both or just SALT to start off with? Any help or suggestions of what I should write in the letter.

Hello, have you looked at the AFASIC website as it is very useful.
I think it very unlikely that you would get daily visits from an NHS SALT but asking for them to visit say once a month or every six weeks to monitor their program may be more realistic. You could however ask that speech and language be worked on everyday by a suitably qualified and trained TA/LSA.
Will the NHS SALT support your request or are you able to get a private SALT to do an assessment and report of exactly what is needed? The statement must be specified and quantified and SALT must be in section 3 (don't let the LA try and fob you off by putting it in section 6).

As regards asking for ABA, are you already running a program? Do you have evidence that it is working and is better than what your DC currently receives at school? If you are running an ABA program do you work on speech and language stuff and how is that going? It is often the case that what the NHS can offer isn't worth fighting for and what you can do through ABA is better.

Daily visits from an s/lt??
'taught through ABA'?

We need a lot more background info before we can advise you!

Thank you both for your replies.

DD is 7 and is in mainstream with full time level 2 LSA. We have a program from the ST which LSA is meant to follow and we follow at home, I try and do it daily but probably about 5 days a week. We haven't done any ABA but I am looking into starting it soon and also looking at ways to be able to fund it long term.

Would a private ST report give us a better chance? I haven't yet spoken to our ST as she wasn't able to turn up for the annual review.

Will have a look at the website suggested...thanks.

Be prepared for a massive amount of learning (you), and information gathering, as well as lots of stressful meetings and discussions.
Get acquainted with the facts first.
That will take months.
Just a friendly warning.

Pouncer1, I love your optimism.

Firstly, daily SALT - for what purpose? How do you think a SALT will be able to help your DD on a daily basis? It is very unlikely that you will get daily SALT access unless you go to a specialist school such as an ICAN school.

Why do you want ABA in the statement? If you haven't even started it, what evidence will you produce to justify it?

I would encourage you, and anyone, to go down the ABA route, but be aware that you are going to have to fund it. We have been funding a full programme for over a year so far and had no funding yet...

My best tip ever on getting in ABA in mainstream is get the LSA some training in it via a decent ABA consultant or supervisor. If he/she has a good brain, it can make all the difference. A pal of mine has seen phenomenal changes in her boy, because she lucked out on the school assigning her a very switched on LSA, then the LA agreeing to finance ABA training for her, which she lapped up hungrily. Good luck though, as you may as others have said have a fight on your hands. This pal used the services of a legal advocate. With a very few honourable exceptions, i found the SALTs way less helpful than all of the above.

I'm obviously too optimistic.

SALT for the purpose to help her comprehension, still very poor and they are professionals who can do it much better than me. I am obviously asking too much but I have to try otherwise my DD will get nothing...and that's what it's like at the moment!

There is a good speech unit about 30 miles from here which we would happily take her daily but they don't seem to be all that good with ASD children and that worries me.

We have recently managed to get weekly Music therapy into her statement if that's any helps anyone.

ABA funding will be here next month...have friends running a mountain marathon. Very kind people, they offered when we spoke a couple of months ago when we were considering ABA. Others are also raising money by doing various things and a certain bank is matching all raised for us.

Any tips then? Or shall I just close the book and not bother, I really feel like doing that as I am constantly fighting for something...as all us parents are!

It's not that you should throw in the towel. It's more that you have to assess what your goal is and work backwards.

DD1 had 1:1 SALT before starting school. It was no good to her at all. I thought that just having more SALT was what she needed. Then she started special school and they use a model of fortnightly sessions run by the SALT with teaching staff in attendance, where she models techniques and gives pointers for variation with each child. The staff then continue for a fortnight. Then she comes back and does another session. DD1 has improved massively.

Thanks again for your replies.💕

I really don't know whether to ask for one at a time or both...might be greedy asking for both and more chance of them saying no immediately?! 😬

Maybe start ABA at home first and use the evidence from there too...if it works!

DD will be having a new LSA soon and she seems ready to learn anything knew and wanting to better herself.

Ignore numbers meant to be icons..but didn't work!

💕
😬

double brackets

Salt was entirely useless for my autistic boy , I would go for ABA. You have done really well to get all the funding, now you should fight to get him more than the mediocre education you describe at present. It is hard, but not impossible

Thank you louge ((😍))

Grrrr. 😍

I am going to have a think about things first and then get my thinking cap on!! DD does well but worried she may never reach her potential if we stay as we are. When she is at home or with me she's perfect but when I see her with her class friends I feel she stands out so much, but this is my problem not hers!

You have got friends and a bank providing your ABA funding for you? I have to say that is truly amazing! You are very lucky indeed! We are extremely close to bankrupt after a year of ABA.

Oh gosh dude that's so sad. It's so unfair that parents are put in this position to help their DC.

Yes, very lucky indeed...and I never asked! They offered and I refused then thought about it for a couple of days and thought how stupid proud I had been and refusing their help!