There must be a way out of this mess but at the moment I can't see it.

[NoHaudinMaWheest]

Dd has had mobility problems for about a year now. She has been thoroughly investigated and no physical cause found. Largely because nothing physical can be identified rather than because there are any obvious factors it is considered a psychosomatic condition and she has at last be referred to a psychotherapist at CAMHS. Even if this does help it will be a long process.

She uses a self-propelled wheelchair and as her school has a support base for physically disabled students, the whole school is very accessible so she has managed independently.

Since last week the problems have spread to her hands and arms. She is unable to move her right arm at all and has limited use of her left hand. Her legs are also worse so she now cannot stand even on crutches and her bum shuffling which she uses to get around at home is much more difficult.

She requires help with washing dressing and eating and is unable to write. She also can't get into her bed and is sleeping on the sofa.

The biggest immediate problem is that she can't self-propel and so can't go to school as she can't get around. School say they have no staff to push her. LA says it is not their problem as she doesn't have a statement. IPSEA say it is very much their problem and that there are emergency provisions which allow support to be put in place while waiting for a statement.

Quite apart from not wanting to go through the whole statementing thing again, I am wondering how long emergency provision will take. She isn't ill and desperately wants to be back in school.

As I have health problems myself and a Ds with considerable support needs, I am wondering how much longer I can keep going with the amount of physical help I am giving her but don't know if any help with that will be forthcoming.

I have been contacting every professional she is or has been involved with and other agencies but they always say they will get back but never do. I am currently waiting for 10 different people to contact me. (OK a couple are for ds.)

Any experience or advice welcome as are honks and hand holding.

Great to hear there's some forward motion and your dd can go into school NoHaudin.

I am also really impressed at how quick you are at dealing with this stuff. I've been sleeping all morning.

No Moose don't feel ashamed of sleeping. I slept for hours yesterday so that I would have the energy to get on to things this morning.
Saw your G&C post. I hope ds is ok. It is such a horrible feeling when you just can't go to them.

Thanks NoHaudin, I usually rest for the whole weekend to get me through the week, but with things as they are with dh etc, felt the need to have some family time and get out of the house. It lifted my mood, but broke my body.

Wow - I felt tired just reading everything you achieved this morning!

Well done, is your dd excited she can go back to school? When are they putting the plan into action? and for you.

Yay- top of the psychotherapy list. Big achievement in itself

Amazed that you've got so much else done so amazingly fast as well.

1. back to school (albeit not properly yet)
2. GP appointment sorted, & what to say is all planned
3. EWO contacted & re-taught her job
4. IPSEA advice obtained about letter grenades if need be
5. Existence of AT discovered
6. AT phoned, persuaded to take interest, and is now on team NoHoudin
7. last but not least, SA request done & sent off

Amazing what you can do with the geese behind you!

And I am determined that this feckless LA isn't going to mess dd around for 2 years like they did to ds.

Well dd went back to school yesterday. She sat in the library, she did the maths work she had been sent home, she read her book, someone took her to lunch, otherwise she was ignored. At lunchtime the assistant head in charge of SEN came to see her and arranged for a TA to take her to science. I suspect that the AH's intervention was because we had one of those automatic 'your child has been registered absent' calls which went through to dh because I was in an appointment for myself. Dh sent a fairly snotty email back saying she was in school sitting in the library because that is all the school can organise. AT then sent an apology email back. Dh can be a bit of a loose cannon when dealing with 'the carrots' but sometimes he has his uses.
I had trying to get more details of the practicalities of the library plan from the SENCO on Monday but she cut me off. If today goes the same way I will be having words.

Advisory teacher has organised a multi agency meeting for next Monday and seems determined to get something workable in place so I am fairly hopeful.

Got parental view forms from LA yesterday which says if they agree to assess it will be for a ECHP so off to investigate if that is right/possible.

DD is entitled to education, which means being taught by teachers, not sitting in a library doing things she could be doing at home. They should as a minimum be doing things like timetabling her lessons in accessible rooms, and they should provide a teacher to work with her if that isn't possible. Get a lawyer onto it if this isn't sorted very soon.

After two days in the library, school has now organized a rota of TAs to take her to classes.

I don't understand why they couldn't have done that a week and a half ago. She has also been told to be prepared for the TAs to forget and if they do to ask the teacher to ring the SENCO .

This all very frustrating, NoHaudin. I hope you're keeping records, too, so that when the LA say school are dealing with it from their own resources you can tell them they're not.

NoHaudin Give your hubby a choccie biccy from me .

Yup we all try to be nice to the carrots, but every now and then it doesn't hurt to say it like it is. As a single parent I often envy the couples that can pull off a united front on the good cop, bad cop act with muppets.

Think how easy they would have found it to ignore her if she was hidden away at home, would have been weeks or months before they organised anything! Well done tho, I know it's frustrating but getting something sorted in a week and a half is a miracle in sen world. Does make you wonder if they would have remembered her in a fire drill if she was marked absent!

Yay HubbieHoudin

I have just discovered that the psychologist can come to Monday's meeting which is a pity as she knows dd quite well now and is far from being a caring carrot. She has spoken to the SENCO on the phone but I am not convinced this will be enough.

SENCO had given me a time for the meeting which is half an hour later than the advisory teacher had said. I assumed this was to accommodate the psychologist who had already told me she could do earlier or later but obviously not from today's message. I now suspect that SENCO is planning a meeting with the profs first. I am tempted to innocently turn up earlier and see how she handles it.
What do you think?

Sorry psychologist can't come.

Yes definitely turn up earlier - you were given that time! If it's questioned just say anyone with any sense would pick the earlier time when faced with 2!