autism and schools

[Lily86]

hi my wee boy is nearly 5 years old is due to start school in august. he is non verbal but he does have a few words which he can use he has apraxia of speech aswell so is quite unclear with the words he has his understanding is very good and he dosent have many sensory issues he currently at mainstream nursery with no 1:1 he seems to cope fine.

we had a meeting last week at school with all the proffesionals involved in his care they have suggested that i send him to mainstream school first to see how he gets on as they think he will do ok. my main concern is my sons lack of speech and his ability to keep up with the school work he still cannot write his name or does not know his alphabet he can write numbers upto a 100 and knows all about odds, evens, adding, subtracking etc as he has a fasination with numbers but anything else he does not want to do it as he has no interest in it and gets frustrated if i try to sit him down and do it.

i was wondering if anyone has a child in mainstream who were/are non verbal? i worry about him not being able to communicate with teachers/peers we use sign laungage at moment.

Does DS have an EHCP?

Do you want him to attend m/s?

The cynic in me says that DS will have to start at m/s because he does not have an ECHP. The 'profs' only intend to apply for an EHCP when if m/s fails.

Sensory issues and the need for 1:1 depend upon the environment and the expectations in that environment. Just because he can cope with nursery (low stimulus environment with a small number of attendees and a higher staff ratio and very low academic expectations) does not mean that he will be OK in all environments regardless of increasing expectation.

whats a EHCP?

Im not 100% if i want him in mainstream or special school. i can apply for special school if i want although i am not guaranteed to get him in would need backing from professionals if i was to go down that route.

if i were to send him mainstream he would be allocated a 1:1 in the classroom to help him i have already spoke to the HT about this as i was concerned that he would struggle without help.

i understand that nursery and mainstream environment are different and that my wee one might be different in a other environent i was just giving as much detail about him just now.

Education and Health Care Plan that sets out DS's needs and the support/provision needed to meet them. M/s schools are expected to meet the first 6K of support from their delegated SEN budget. This amount does not cover full-time 1:1 (including break) and the cost of other aids/interventions.

An EHCP details the support required (and which must legally be provided - i.e. not delivered at the discretion of the school) and so the LA know how much top-up funding is required. The support can then be in place for when your DS joins the school. A school can apply for emergency top-up funding if the child does not have an EHCP but this will obviously take time and in the meantime the school has to fund all the provision itself. Lots of schools try to argue for a reduced timetable - look at the IPSEA website - I believe IPSEA say this is unlawful as the LA has an obligation to provide f/t education.

You would need more than backing from (presumably) health profs to send him to ss as the vast majority of ss will only accept DC with an EHCP.

Sorry but things are usually crap

As your DS does not have an EHCP he would be entitled/have to go to his catchment m/s primary - admission would be through the LA.

As DS uses sign language to communicate the school would need to know he was coming in good time for them to recruit an appropriately skilled and experienced LSA, presuming they did not already have one already who could be reassigned to your DS. The school would not be in a position to apply for EHCP as DS would not yet have joined and they would not be able to detail his needs. Application to final takes at least 6 months.

Have you spoken to the head/senco of any schools or to the LA?

Sorry - I have just processed that DS starts school in August and so you can't be in England. Where are you? Things are likely to be different.

the reason i put non verbal is because he does not have much speech at all only has a handful of words but he struggles to say them because of the Apraxia of speech he can say a word one day but the next day it comes out different and not understandable and to someone who does not know him he will come across as non verbal.

hi we are in Edinburgh Scotland. I think it might work differently from England.