Aspergers diagnosed yesterday for DD1 (11 yo)

[boddtm]

So, this week has been interesting...
After a long wait, we've been given an Aspergers diagnosis (High functioning) for our 11 yr old daughter.
Today I had to go and appeal for her school place. I mentioned the diagnosis but I felt I hadn't had long enough to process whether I'd said all the right things and all that.
A couple of questions I have for parents of children going/gone through the same thing are:
I was asked at the appeal whether DD would be "statemented" I said I didnt think so as she has no educational issues other than her need for social support.
I don't really understand Statements, and was wondering if this was a choice I can make later down the line. Also, if i'd said yes, would that have given us more of a chance of getting into said school?
I don't want to make the choice on whether I request a statement for DD but I do want to know if I said the wrong thing.
Also, someone asked me were we going to claim DLA. I don't know whether we'd be entitled or not. DD is up most/all nights throughout the night but other than that I don't feel that she needs anything more than a little close supervision, which I give to all of my kids. Any thoughts?
Any advice welcome right now. We're all new to this, and i'm unsure of what I'm doing
Thanks

firstly is it a special school or mainstream school place?
if its special school then you will need a statement. if its mainstream then a statement will only get issues if she needs extra support during school hours. some children get extra support on 'school action' and sometimes this is enough and they don't need a statement. statemented children do have some priority over school placed but ONLY if the school can meet the childs needs. my ds has been refused school places despite having a statement because the schools cant meet his needs. however the statement process is a long one, months rather then weeks and LA are now expecting a lot of intervention before agreeing to assess for a statement.
if you check out the IPSEA website it tells you about the process and the different categories that come before a statement such as school action and school action plus.
do her current school feel that she needs a statement?

as for DLA you might as well apply for it. the rules are that you are entitled to it if your child needs more help and supervision than a typical child of their age. if your up in the night with an 11 year old then i would say that is not typical for a normal 11 year old and therefore you would meet the criteria. its not a means tested benefit either.
when filling in the forms you need to think about dd on her worst days and base it on that. they will ask for frequency of events and supervision needed anyway.
there are lots of charities that can help you fill in DLA forms and i would recommend asking them for help as DLA will refuse to pay up if they can. its all about how you word things.

Thanks for your post.
It's a mainstream school we are applying to, so I think, given the information that you put in this post, it would probably not be the best idea to get her statemented. They have a high level of pastoral care at the school, which is exactly the reason why I think DD would flourish there.
With regards the DLA, it's not that finances are an issue with us, and we could cope without, but I feel that if she needs any special items etc, then maybe it would be worth applying for DLA to cover. I will certainly look up the things you have mentioned, I really appreciate your help. I feel like I'm standing at the edge of the forest right now with no way of getting through it. I'm sure this will improve, but at the moment I feel we've been given a diagnosis but not much help about what happens next.
Thanks for taking the time to reply

that happens in most places you get the diagnosis with no follow up, its not fair at all.

the statementing process is long and stressful one and they are getting more difficult to obtain but it will be easier if you get the backing of the school. the whole process takes 3-5 months but you have to had exhausted all other support provided by the school before they will consider a statement.

Hi boddtm and welcome to the board, I have a Dd who is 11 and has a dx of Asd although she presents like aspergers.

Have you read anything about girls on the spectrum? Tony Attwood is a good place to start, if you google Girls with Asd or Aspergers you always got lots of his articles.

My Dd3 is currently being formally assessed and hopefully she will get a statement at the end of it, this is because her anxiety levels are very high and school find it difficult to spot it and help her. She isnt able to tell anyone when she is anxious and relies on us to read the signs. This means she has to hold in her worries until she gets home.

Girls can be very adept at hiding their symptoms at school but this can impact on their mental health, especially during puberty when their hormones are going barmy too.

Not saying your Dd will have any of these issues but they are things to keep an eye out for. You have found the best place for support so keep coming on here if you need advice or just to rant, there are lots of people with loads of experience.

Good luck