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Original poster

Preparing to start school in September: As usual I need your wisdom!

31 replies

coppertop · 06/03/2004 19:50

Next week I'll be going to a meeting about ds1 starting school in September. Also at the meeting will be ds1's playgroup staff, the Early Years worker, our lovely SALT, the SENCO, the primary school Head, and possibly one of the Reception class teachers. This will be an ideal opportunity for me to bring up any potential problems that ds1 may have when he starts school.

I've already taken ds1 to see the inside of the school. When we first arrived he got a little bit overwhelmed and just lay down on the floor. No tantrums or screaming or anything like that. Luckily this happened while the Reception teacher was in the same room so she's had a small idea of how he reacts when things get too much.

The teachers were surprised at how 'normal' he seemed and said how good it had been to finally get to meet him. I also had a chance to look around the Reception classroom to see if there were any potential problems. The only real problems I could see was the fact that they had a computer in the room (ds1 is almost obsessive about them and will quite happily log on to ours and then re-arrange all the settings) and that they had a Noisy Corner (Ds1 has hypersensitive hearing). Apart from those things I think he will do very well there.

So, the meeting is next week and it's been so long since I was at school ( ) that I'm finding it hard to think of all the things he might need help with. What particular problems do your ds's/dd's have in a school environment? How are they resolved or how do you WISH they were resolved? Is there anything else I should mention during the meeting? HELP!!!

OP posts:
Jimjams · 06/03/2004 20:18
  1. He may well need his own desk or table. My son has a place at "rabbit table" but also has his own desk in the classroom- that has all his PECS visual timetables etc on. Will your son be using a visual timetable?

2)He will need a chill out area- preferably a seperate room- somewhere he can go if it gets too much.

  1. It's a while away but will there be any toileting problems? Or how is he with hand dryers etc- will he need to go to the toilet himself (they can be a bit overwhelming in the class crush).

Don't worry about the computer- ds1 is always fiddling with the one in the classroom - they don't seem to mind.

dinosaur · 06/03/2004 20:36

Things DS1 has needed extra help/supervision with:

  • moving from his classroom to another part of the school (and back again)

  • using the toilet for No 2s (he's also got a complete paranoia about toilet roll and tissue so we send some wet wipes in his book bag every day)

  • make sure if he is having packed lunch that he has got a lunchbox he can open without assistance (and that he can also open any other containers inside)

  • does your DS have any particular rigidities/behaviour problems e.g. mine finds it difficult to cope with other children "breaking the rules" as he sees it so for example has bitten another child on the finger because the other child "was not arranging the dominoes properly" - warn them about anything like that

  • show him where his coat peg is and if possible work on him taking off and hanging up his own coat and putting it on

A lot of these are rather obvious I know. Do you have any idea yet whether he will get a statement of special educational needs?

KPB · 06/03/2004 21:40

My dd finds lunchtimes quite hard and it is something they are working on now - dd keeps getting up and down and had been handing out her packed lunch to friends (think she may find it a bit overwhelming). She also found assemblies quite hard due to concentration, especially in her old school. Since starting at the new school the assembly situation has improved a lot as they have really worked on it. The way dd's school worked on it was by starting her off for 5 mins, next week 10 mins etc until she could handle a full assembly. So I would def. mention assemblies, lunch and possibly playtime (Dd has some extra supervision but isn't "smothered".
Good luck - hope this helps.

KPB · 06/03/2004 21:41

I don't know how the smiley face with the wink got there, it wasn't intentional!!!! The 2nd smiley face was though!

dinosaur · 06/03/2004 21:51

One thing I forgot to mention - DS1 has a home/school book for them and us to write relevant things in - has been very helpful.

Original poster
coppertop · 06/03/2004 22:01

That's a good point about having his own desk/space. He's due to start using a visual timetable within the next few weeks so he'll need somewhere to put it. The LSA at the school said that they already have an older child with his own enclosed work area so that should be easy for them to organise. A chill-out room/area would be really useful for when he gets overwhelmed.

He's still in nappies at the moment but I'm hoping that he'll make some progress by then. If not then he may need help with that.

I was supposed to see the Early Years worker yesterday to talk properly about statementing but she was off sick so it's been re-scheduled for next week.

I hadn't even thought about how he'll cope with eating lunch. I might start introducing him to the art of lunchbox-opening (no sniggering, MrsF )

The school has a lunchtime 'club' for any children who can't cope with the playground so the LSA has said he'll be welcome there if he needs it.

I hadn't thought about his need to have other children doing things the 'right' way. Yep, they'll need to be warned about that.

The dreaded assemblies! Arrrggh! Yes, ds1 will definitely need some help with those.

OP posts:
KPB · 06/03/2004 22:14

Another good idea is to have a timetable at home and go over what is happening that particular day eg. pe, literacy, assembly etc.

Original poster
coppertop · 06/03/2004 22:17

You lovely lovely people! What would I do without Mumsnet?

OP posts:
Eulalia · 06/03/2004 22:20

I was just about to ask similar questions coppertop - we are in the same boat. I've already visited 2 schools... I actually feel a bit spoiled for choice here.

What about any special interest/obsessions - my ds has a string obsession at the moment so I will need to alert the school to that... I am thinking along the lines that your ds may use something inappropriately or take something that doesn't belong to him.

my ds was taken to assemblies at nursery but usually stood at the door and watched or just had to go back to the nursery. I can't see that they would force your ds, or maybe just try and do it gradually - I always felt they were a waste of time anyway.

Original poster
coppertop · 06/03/2004 22:27

His current obsessions are helicopters and computers. Oh that's reminded me of something else! He likes to spin things round and run round in circles if he gets agitated. I'm not sure there'd be room for him to do that in a classroom. Must put that on my list too.

I used to really hate assemblies when I was at school. I think ds1 would definitely thank me when he is older if he didn't have to sit through all of them!

OP posts:
dinosaur · 06/03/2004 22:35

Will he have to line up to come in from the playground - how do you think he will be with that? Rule-obsessed DS1 was going round pushing other children if they weren't standing in quite the right place - but he does seem to have got better about that recently.

Original poster
coppertop · 06/03/2004 22:39

When they line up to go outside at playgroup he likes to be in exactly the same place in the line each time. If someone else is in 'his' place he will just push in. I can't see that going down too well at school...

OP posts:
dinosaur · 06/03/2004 22:47

So much to think about...

IME, don't expect the Early Years worker, the SENCO, the Reception class teacher to figure out for themselves that these are areas that may cause difficulties - it all needs to be spelled out to them. This was certainly the case with DS1's school even though they do have quite a lot of experience with autistic kids.

BUT on the positive side, our DS1 has made the transition better than I ever would have thought possible, so the groundwork really does pay off.

KPB · 06/03/2004 23:14

Coppertop - Just thought I'd mention this. Not sure how your school works but I am sure that all schools are the same. In the last school dd was at she really found assembly hard. As it was the last ever assembly, that I was due to attend, I asked if it would be okay if dd missed it as I couldn't see the point of putting her through it. The Nursery teacher explained that this wasn't possible as it would be classed as "exclusion". She did do it, she was participating in the assembly and actually it was okay!

Davros · 07/03/2004 11:49

Is it possible to have his photo by his peg? The m/s nursery my son went to for a while had this for all the kids anyway. After he's settled in I would also ask to focus on, say, 3 targets at a time which can consistently be recorded in the home/school book, e.g. hangs up coat, finds place at table/desk, greets peers/teacher, lines up appropriately, says goodbye, asks for toilet - you get the picture although these are not all necessarily appropriate I'm sure you can think of other, just small, things. THese can be marked just with a + or -. Maybe not now but again once he's settled in you might need their help and support with a token system if you ever decide a specific behaviour needs one. The ohter kids can give the tokens and they can get tokens themselves for their behaviour towards him.

Davros · 07/03/2004 22:56

Just reading the latest issue of Communication from the NAS (ooh, how I spend my weekends ) There's a new book available which is "a clear, practical guide for teachers and support staff working with children with ASD in mainstream primary schools". Its called Inclusion in The Primary Classroom: Support Materials for Children with ASD. It sounds like it could be very useful for parents to read too if you need to help guide the staff at your child's school. You can probably look at it in more detail at the NAS website. Otherwise its available from their distributors at Barnardo's Despatch Services on 012168 522872, doesn't say how much.

Jimjams · 08/03/2004 09:29

coppertop my son doesn't go to assemblies. I think it mught be worth introducing them gradually-I know other children (not in ds1's school) where they have caused major problems (one got so stressed he bit his LSA)

Original poster
coppertop · 08/03/2004 10:01

Davros - I've just looked at the NAS site and the book is only £8.99. It might be worth my while to mention it at the meeting and get the school to buy it. I particularly liked the comment about teachers applying the principles etc to ALL of the children in the class rather than just the child with ASD.

In the evening part of the Open Day (if that makes sense? ) some of the parents brought their children along to the presentation by the Head. It probably only lasted about 15-20 mins but by the halfway point the children were talking, fidgeting, and even making what my mum would have called "bodily noises" () so I suppose assemblies will already be difficult for the teachers to manage. I might suggest letting ds1 sit at the outside end of the row so that he doesn't feel too overwhelmed by so many children, and so that he can leave easily if he needs to.

I think all the Reception children have their photo above their peg but I'm not sure. Ds1 can recognise his own name but there could be some confusion if another child has the same name.

OP posts:
Original poster
coppertop · 11/03/2004 19:02

Just a quick update:

The meeting went well and gave the Reception teacher a better idea of what to expect from ds1. There are plans to hold a similar meeting soon to go through the finer points but so far it looks as though ds1 may get:

  • Time in the school's sensory integration area. The school has recently started a programme for some of the older children but this could be extended to ds1 and his class;

  • An area where he can calm himself down when he feels overwhelmed;

  • Extra visits to the school between now and September so that he can get used to the routines before he starts;

  • Possibly home visits from the Head!!!!

Apparently the LEA has already been informed that ds1 will require a statement, with recommendations from the Early Years people as to what help he will need. We won't find out what the LEA will be offering until early summer so we'll have to keep our fingers crossed.

OP posts:
KPB · 11/03/2004 22:26

Coppertop, that sounds really positive - I am really pleased for you.

mrsforgetful · 12/03/2004 10:10

Obviously NOT the school my boys go to!!!!!

Well done!

dinosaur · 12/03/2004 10:31

Coppertop - just a bit puzzled about the statement bit - is the school going to request the LEA to carry out a statutory assessment of his needs? The IPSEA website is very helpful on explaining all this kind of thing - here

As you will probably know, nothing to do with getting a statement for an autistic child is straightforward...it is quite a battle

Jimjams · 12/03/2004 10:34

just to agree with dino- I'd put a request for a satutory assesment in now if I was you. IPSEA tell you how to do it. If you leave it to the LEA you may find you're not starting school until January (that's happened to 3 people I know- I put a request in myslef- and the statement still wasn't ready on time).

Original poster
coppertop · 12/03/2004 10:54

As far as I know it's the Early Years Inclusion Service who have formally requested an assessment. The request was made in February, just after ds1 got his dx. I think they wanted to leave it until then so that they could have full reports from the whole of the CDC's multi-disciplinary team. The Early Years worker is visiting us in just over a week so I'll double-check everything with her then.

I would be very surprised (and probably shocked!) if the process went smoothly. So far we've been fairly lucky but I'm still not holding my breath.

Thanks for the IPSEA link. I've got a feeling that their website might end up on my 'Favourites' list!

OP posts:
Davros · 12/03/2004 10:59

Have you got a copy of the request that was made or can you get a defininite date? Its important as you can then work out when each next stage should take place and if they are late. You may not even mind at the time if they are late but in the future, if you get into any disagreement, it is useful information to show that they haven't met their responsibilities. I nicely reminded my LEA people each time they were late. I don't think it made any difference but I had a record just in case....