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Speech and Lang unit for non verbal asd child

3 replies

2boysnamedR · 01/12/2015 15:07

Looking for schools for my toddler. He's in a nursery in a school for severe and complex learning difficulties. I'm looking at ss but it's been suggested he might be ok in speech unit. Obviously there's mainstream in the afternoon. Can't see this working out. A lot of people I know end up going there a few terms then moving into a indi ss

Has anyone got wise words of how units work with non verbal kids?

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2boysnamedR · 01/12/2015 17:23

Hmmm - he's complex ( story of my bloody life! Neither of the boys have straight forward needs).

Been told he's too social for classic autism and I agree. But he is autistic no doubt about that. He has a mutation on a gene linked to language and asd. He's almost certainly dyspraxic but I am still waiting on OT to see him.

He has zero desire to please anyone but himself, he is not good at anything adult led and has a very short attention span ( 20 seconds on adverage). He can tolerate peers but has no interest in them. He seems to be cognitively able to use pecs and makaton and can. He just chooses not to if he can. He seems to understand things but without to will to please he doesn't respond.

I'm worried about him heading into MS from the unit. That would be a disaster. The SS in county all seem good ( big county) but they are pushed for space. But everyone agrees he can't go into MS. I was told he wouldn't even last a day in ms so he is complex.

I can't face another appeal. That's my primary concern. I don't have that in me again. Three appeals later his older brothers statement is still a mess. I'm in the middle of the la investigating the older boys school now.

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uggerthebugger · 01/12/2015 16:35

Do you think there's more to his SEN than specific language delay or disorder?

If so, then the only reason I'd consider the unit would be if the local ss options were dire.

My DC were in a unit for many years. It worked well up to about Y4 or so, but that was because the specialist unit staff were well plugged into mainstream, the whole school made a decent effort to include the kids from the unit, and the unit kids got the most experienced, clued-up and capable class teachers when they were in mainstream lessons.

If any one of those three things had been missing, it would have been a clusterfuck of epic proportions.