Emergency statement review?

[claw2]

I had a meeting with school yesterday and they have said that it is totally unacceptable that ds is self harming, not eating in school and has extremely low self esteem and that he cannot continue like this.

They would like to facilitate counselling and OT input. Ds's statement was issued in July 2013 and AR is in April. School are saying ds cannot wait this long.

Ds attends indi school and counselling and OT input are not included in the price, it will cost extra.

School have said they will get back to me as to how they are planning to do this.

Is an emergency review of ds's statement, the only way?

I would get School to write to SEN Officer presenting counselling / OT as educational need. I would not involve CAMHS at all (the School could cc their letter to CAMHS). The LA will go to CAMHS and ask for an opinion if it wants. Given CAMHS are so wishy washy I can't see you or school asking for their view would help. School could possibly address it from perspective of their counsellor being on site and able to address issues that crop up at school that interfere with learning / how it works for other children. Its less 'different' than having to go to a hospital. Then LA has to agree or refuse in writing. I don't really see why CAMHS would object if LA is paying. LA will probably try and get CAMHS to do it as it will save LA money that way but if CAMHS have any sense they will back the School and try and get LA to pay through school fees.

Claw ds has not successfully returned to school. His body might be there but that is all.

Inclusion isn't simply about the space you occupy ffs.

Agnes, you are right anyone asking CAMHS views would get a wishy washy reply. They suggest, but don't commit. I would rather just leave them out of this, however it would be helpful if they would repeat that in house therapy would be best for ds, as they did at the meeting.

I agree Star, success would be maintaining a placement, without being overly anxious, being able to eat and not self harming. At least school are agreeing or better still suggesting for this for themselves.

It's just so frigging SLOW Claw.

It's like you're trying to get to the Isle of Wight by boat and where you could have set off from Southampton you were forced to go via India, and though you're now on the right course you're still so far away.

Sorry for stupid analogy. I'm just so frustrated on your behalf, and also relieved too that you're not alone any more. I have no idea how you cope with the anger you must feel for those involved until now.

On the bright side he has only been in this school since September and they are seeing, they are understanding and have a good grasp on it. SLOW was 2 previous school, still not seeing, still not understanding for 4 years!

I think his distress is becoming more outward in some ways and he is able to tell this school, YES I do scratch deliberately, YES it is because of school, YES I do it to make myself feel better etc

Sometimes the methods I try to teach to ds come in handy for me! little worry, shrug it off, big worry find a solution!

The way I like to understand it (maybe I am giving Gove a little too much credit) is that all behaviour is communication. A behavioural difficulties are usually a result of people trying to communicate that their needs are not being met. (No blame here I have BESD twins) this might be a learning need, dyslexia ect or a communication need; difficulties in processing language or expressing language, ASD , or any of the other thousand an one difficulties. Or it could be a mental health difficulty as result of trauma, neglect or earl life experiences, or as in schizophrenia, bi pola, ADHD ect as a result of an imbalance in the brain. The way I look at it, children don't have a behaviour problem, they have a difficulty in communicating their needs successfully. And I do believe that there are hundreds of children in the uk who are labelled ADHD or BESD and given medication when I fact they have underlying mental health issues which would be best treated as such- who says you can't be schizophrenic or depressed before the age of 16? Given the histories of some young people I have met with so called 'behavioral problems' I believe their behaviour is completely understandable and dare say a normal reaction to the condition they have or their experiences at the time. But I have digressed...

But isn't that the problem? If you have a disability or a neurological difference like an ASC and you can't cope with your environment, you will undoubtedly express this through behaviour.

The stock answer is then to locate the problem in YOU for not being able to cope. So you get referred to CAMHS or recommended for therapy or medication when actually there is nothing constitutionally mentally wrong with you. You have simply been made mentally unwell by your environment.

So you could spend ages in therapy or taking drugs to help YOU cope with an environment you may be shouldn't be in in the first place.

Sometimes behaviour is a NORMAL reaction to an ABNORMAL situation and pathologising it as a disorder doesn't help the person who is trying to free themselves from the damaging environment.

Who says everyone should be able to cope with the very peculiar and unrepeated life experience that is school? Maybe something very different needs to be done.

Thanks IE that is extremely helpful post and I agree (in fact I have scribbled it down as you have explained it so well)

Ds hasn't been able to cope in the school environment since he started 4 years ago. Im not exactly clear as to whether he could cope, given appropriate support in school, as he has never had the opportunity to attend with support.

I was hoping that a combination of receiving the right support in school, along with some counselling in school to help him and school cope ie give them both strategies to use, might produce a better outcome.

At the moment school are still getting it 'wrong', in as much as the support provided for him isn't targeting his difficulties because of the crap statement. They are trying to get it 'right', which is a first.

CAMHS are right in some respects by declining therapy and viewing it as an educational need ie out of school his anxiety and self harm reduces greatly, in school it increases.

Oh well school have gone quiet now. Last email from class teacher was 8 days ago stating that he would speak to HT next day and find out how we facilitate counselling and OT and how to secure funding. He also added that ds's issues will simply not go away and cannot be ignored. We should work together to make this happen etc.

I did reply stating that I see we have 2 options and that I looked forward to receiving advice on a way forward.

1. Ask LA now, if they refuse then ask for emergency review.

1. Ask for emergency review.

Would you chase this up or give them more time?

TBH Claw, It isn't that the situation isn't urgent. It is. But I wouldn't add to the Christmas stress of the teachers.

Instead (if it won't send the wrong message to ds that will be hard to undo) I would seek permission for an early end of term for him and suggest that you meet with the school early in the new year to clarify the position and the way forward.

Thanks Star, it is difficult to decide, on one hand I have ds, who isn't getting any better, he is getting worse, then on the other the risk of me being over bearing and putting off the very people who are trying to help.

I agree best left for now, only a week left at school anyhow. To be honest, although unusual in the ASD context of liking routine etc, when lessons are disputed with Christmas plays and doing fun stuff, is when ds tends to enjoy school more and be a little less stressed. He enjoys it more, as it means he gets out of lessons, which he says he finds particularly difficult. Kind of like the lessor of two evils.

My ds is the same. Routine causes him to play up because the predictability of everything means he seeks stimulation and novelty and he is also let of the hook from having to actually work.

Its weird isn't it! I think for ds there is also the added lower expectations of him with fun stuff, he can say he doesn't want to do something or not join in without causing too much of a fuss and no one pressures him to do it.

Also out of school lessons, such as swimming or even homework, which he found particularly hard and distressing have stopped now.