Ds has just started reception in a resource base for statements children with complex needs within a ms infants school.
He has settled well after a few hiccups, but I am finding the communication with the school a little difficult. For example, ds is non verbal. Over the summer holidays he started to say yes and no, very unclearly but very definite! After the first morning at school, they reported he had said 'please', and I do think he has been making an 'eeee' sound for please. I then saw a report written by the advisory teacher that said that school had reported him saying 'more', 'bye, and 'naughty George!' (As in George pig). Now believe me I would love nothing more than for him to say Naughty George out of the blue, but he didn't say it and school have said that he didn't say it, but there it is written in a report. There was a concern when we looked at the resource base that they didn't seem keen on using Makaton. In fact I kept being told about a girl who had no speech when she started, who refused to use Makaton, but they worked with her and she started speaking. This was always said in such a fashion as to suggest that if only we would, stop using Makaton, ds would suddenly start speaking. Ds's SALT at the time was concerned about this and ensured that it was written into ds's statement that Makaton would be used at all times, staff would be kept up to date with training, and an AAC device introduced with training for staff. By the third day of school a comment was made about how, 'maybe ds won't need the signing, we told you his speech would come'.
This week ds has started lunches, he has always been very fussy, only eating a list of about 7 foods, he struggles with textures and smells, and we have an appointment with the dietician at the end of the month. I signed ds up for free school meals in the hope that he would at least try some of the new foods, in a different environment and surrounded by his peers. Yesterday at pick up, I was told he had eaten shepherds pie, carrots, and a whole banana. Up until yesterday ds wouldn't even tolerate a piece of banana on his plate, had never eaten carrot and wouldn't touch something in sauce - so hallelujah....except on asking ds, he signed 'no' to 'did you eat banana?' And the same to carrot. And, I must admit I would be amazed if he could even cope with banana as with his low tone, he struggles with claggy textures. Today I was told he ate lunch, which was pasta (which he has never eaten) and meatballs (which he has, without sauce). He then spent the rest of the afternoon crying and crying and signing biscuit, and I have a feeling that if he did eat the pasta, it must have been only a tiny amount.
I really need to know what he has eaten, for the dietician (who wants a food diary), and also because if he isn't eating at lunchtime he is going to be bloody starving, especially when he starts doing a full day.
This is incredibly long I know, but I really worry that school are so desperate to be uber positive about how well he is doing (and he is doing brilliantly) that they are being over enthusiastic with the truth, which is going to be detrimental in sorting out the best support for him.
Any suggestions for how to talk to them about it would be great. Setting it all out like this has already helped to be honest!