Awaiting NIL or assessment

[Skylar123]

My LA have agreed staturtory assessment and have asked for my formal advice. They are obtaining reports from ed phys, medical officer and school. I have no other evidence to supply as yet. We are awaiting OT report. What advice are they waiting for?
Also I have a private ed physc booked in , originally on the basis that SA would be refused but now I guess on the basis that we will get a NIL.
Will they tell me when their ed physc will be seeing Ds?
Is there anything I need to be getting sorted now?
Or heard many stories about my LA so I am very surprised that SA has been agreed.

Sorry thread title is wrong meant statement not assessment.

Am I right in thinking I can use ed physc for either NIL or crappy statement ? I'm a bit lost.

I just sent in all I had. Check that you have two ed psyc reports within a six month period. I do hope you get a statement and don't end up where I am.

Sorry - check you can get two assessments i mean

They have 10 weeks from agreeing SA to gather all the reports together. Then they have two weeks to either issue a NIL or a draft statement which you will receive alongside all reports.

Sending in an Ed Psych is standard practice as their opinion carries a lot of weight and so they will use the 10 weeks to make an appointment(s) to see your DS and then give them time to write the report. They should tell you when they are observing your DS and also give you the opportunity to be present if you should choose (not always appropriate of your DS acts differently when you are there). I know there is some rule about not being assessed by an ed psych more than once in a certain time but someone with more experience than me will give you a definitive answer.

Basically it's a waiting game which is crap - I marked the ten week deadline on my calendar so I had something to count down to.

Thanks. 2boys do you mean 2 assessments as one LA and one indi.

LA have said 12 weeks to get decision NIL or proposed statement so that looks to be correct procedure.

I won't be using my indi ed pysch until I appealing nil / draft statement - have I got this right?

If LA ed pysch is going to see Ds over the next few months then timings should be ok with regards to indi ed pysch coming in to assess for tribunal of nil or proposed statement.

I can appeal a NIl can't i?

Oh sorry that's jj aswell forget to add that bit

Also my Ds has his nhs assessment ASD next week , if he doesn't get dx that matches private dx can this effect his chances of getting statement. I have a feeling nhs will hold off dx'ing for now, just a feeling, paed is very heavily on not labelling kids and also concerned as Ds is apparently not showing traits at school, of course he is but not obvious severe traits as he keeps himself together at school but for some reason paed doesn't believe that can be possible. I see signs of Ds autism when I wait at the class room door to collect him everyday.

Part of the evidence that the LA collect is Parental Advice. My LA send a form with suggested headings (that I would suggest that you ignore) that then becomes Appendix A of the statement.

The questions are fun

Is there anything you want to say about the early years that you feel is important?

Plenty.

When did you first feel things were not right? What happened?

I can't remember feeling that things were right. Sod all.

What advice or help did you receive and from whom?

Have you tried carrot batons? It could have been any one of the professionals I have met over the years.

Brilliant keepon so true

I haven't got a form from LA - I did write a lengthy submission when applying for SA. Nothing about early years, etc.

Should I ask for a form?

I found some nursery observations where they state that Ds needs to work on his social interaction and circle of friends, etc , I'm so cross that none of this was ever followed up over the years despite me telling year 1 senco I was worries about Ds , it's all so blindingly obvs now .he spent his playtimes alone and noone noticed until last year, flippen school!!! Sorry went off the topic then.

Skylar, I wouldn't bother asking for a form if you've already given your views. Let's face it, they aren't going to pay much attention to them anyway, sadly.

True!

skylar yes you can appeal a NIL. regarding the EP assessments, a child can only be assessed by an EP using standardised tests once in 6 months. chances are by the time you are appealing a Nil or content of statement this 6 months will have passed from the LA EP assessment as part of SA. do not tell the LA you have indi EP booked as the EP assessment as part of SA might not include standardised tests (ours didnt), this then gives you the upper hand at tribunal as you will have recent EP statndardised test results and the LA wont. as once your EP has assessed they will not have time to do so due to the 6 month rule. their evidence will prob be based on an EP observation which isn't as strong as the standardised test results. hope that makes sense.

Thanks Armani that makes perfect sense

just be very careful that once you have lodged the appeal with sendist that the LA EP does not assess your dc before your indi EP goes in. they are unlikely to if they dont know that you are going to have an indie assessment but just to be sure make sure you write to the school and tell them that you require to be informed prior to any assessments involving your dc and that they require your permission before any assessment takes place. ask for confirmation of this in writing from the school.

Best of luck Skylar!

We are in a very similar position to you by the sounds of things- letter to say SA was going ahead came through on Monday and the LA EP has already booked in an afternoon to visit my little boy at his preschool.

Fingers crossed for them both x

Thanks good luck to you too!
I haven't heard re EP visit yet
However I did get my form for parental advice from LA this morning so even though they will prob ignore it it's worth writing my report, I have until end of April

Thanks Armani I will
Write to school this week just so it's done

End of April for me too, 30th! I'm not sure what else I will have to say in our report that didn't go in the request letter as we threw absolutely everything at it! Will repeat it all and hope for the best.

Yes me to and I will add some early years stuff for good measure.

Here's hoping we get a proposed statement and not a NIL.

One less tribunal to worry about.

I'm still in shock the assessment was not refused

Good luck