Advice for first meeting with school regarding ASD diagnosis please

[tacal]

Hello,

Thank you so much to everyone who has given me advice about my ds. He received a dx of HFA yesterday and I dont think I would have got this far without all the helpful people on this board.

If anyone has any advice about dealing with my ds's primary school I would be very grateful. DS is 4.8 and started primary school this month (Scotland). I have a meeting arranged with the school on Thursday morning but to be honest I am not sure what I want to say to them. I want to make sure they understand how to communicate with ds and I also worry that ds is behind with speech, fine and gross motor skills. How will this affect him at school. He also has sensory issues and will struggle to stay seated.

What should I expect from the school?

Very like my boy of 4 years and 10 months, who starts primary in September.

Are you speaking to them regarding starting the Statement process? Presumably it's the SENCo you're meeting with and if so, they should advise you of what they need but basically all written reports from the Paediatrician and any other professional who has assessed him.

Because my eldest of 6 years with ASD and has a Statement, I am already familiar with the SENCo and have spoken with him about No.2 - his needs, my fears and issues he will need particular help with. It helps that he attended the nursery at the school, so an IEP is already in place and they know him.

The SENCo should be your direct contact at the school who is there to support him and you, along the way. They are your vital resource to ensuring his needs are met plus they will be responsible for getting outside LA help in, such as SALT and OT.

Hi Sophj, thank you for your reply. I dont know anything about statements, I will have to look into this. How do I know if my boy needs one and what do I do if he does? Yes it is the Senco I am seeing. I will tell her my fears and the difficulties I think ds will have but I am not sure what I should be expecting from the school. If he does not have a statement then I guess there is not much extra help he can get. I am a bit worried about it all.

I should say that I think he will be getting an action plan, that may be the same as your IEP. Do I wait and see how the action plan goes before thinking about a statement? He will definitley need help because is way behind in alot of the basics.

Sorry tacal, forgot you were in Scotland. However, there must be an equivalent but if not, they will certainly have something within the school which provides extra support. Don't worry, it is the SENCo's role to provide you with as much help as possible to ensure he is safe and able to learn, whilst in their care. I agree with PolterGoose, you need to have something prepared, which lists all your concerns and make sure all your answers are met and stick to your guns. Good luck x

thank you polter and sophj, I feel really upset about all this at the moment because the SENCo does not appear interested thats why I have asked to see her tomorrow. To be honest I am already thinking I have put him in the wrong school and I am thinking of moving him. I will see how it goes.

I am lucky that ds attended summer school which was run by educational psychology and slt. They have already passed on information about ds to the school. What he is good at, things that cause him difficulties and things that help him. The school have read the report but dont seem very interested in discussing it with me. Maybe they have been waiting on the diagnosis but I dont see why.

Thank you for your advice. I will go to the meeting prepared and if I have doubts about the SENco will maybe start looking at other schools.

xx