Does a child with HFA or Asperger's get an EHCP?

[YesAnastasia]

Because it's fucking exhausting!!

DS has a disability and complex needs. He isn't getting the education he needs (and is lawfully entitled to) so he needs a document to state those needs.

It's turned into a ridiculous circus with fiery hoops to jump through & challenges of stamina before a child with an easily ignored disability gets some fucking attention!

of course they do - mine is in a specialist school.

The should they depends purely on presentation and needs. The do they is often down to how much of the arsehole the LA has assumed.

Not automatically but, yes, they can do if their HFA affects significantly their ability to learn and access the curriculum. Mine are bright but both have one. Minds you its still exhausting with an EHCP and a placement in a specialist school!

Their diagnosis shouldn't be the determining factor. It's whether their educational needs can be met within the normal resources of a school. Which in practice means normal school funding + £6k. So if they need resources, or additional teaching support, or interventions, or ELSA, etc., that total £6001 or more per year, or they require resources that are not normally available to a mainstream school, or they need a placement in a Special School or a non-maintained (independent) school, then they should be given an EHCP.

Mine does, and she goes to a specialist school. She wasn't able to access mainstream at all once she got to secondary.
I'm
Not saying it was easy to get one, but I wish I hadn't listened to all the people (online and in RL) who told me not to bother applying because she'd never get one.
Once I started the process (and I put it off for ages because I didn't have the stomach for a fight) it was exactly that - a process. Time consuming and longwinded and often frustrating but still a process. It really helped my own mental health to stop thinking of it as a 'battle'.

We had to fight because Dd3 is deemed academically able and she worked very hard at being invisible at school!

But we did get her a statement which is now being converted to an EHCP.

HOW did you guys do it? Specifically.

I need to know what to say to get my boy support, help & understanding. It's making us all ill and he can not cope. His needs are being ignored and downplayed because he isn't disruptive (Oh the years he was disruptive/violent/too much, please come back) and directs his meltdowns towards himself now.

I'm so lost and angry and scared.

That sounds hard. How old is your DS? Is he attending school? Is he seeing any professionals e.g. Camhs or Autism Outreach?
We applied ourselves. Looked up who was the right person in the LA to send a request for assessment to and sent off the standard letter from the IPSEA website. There is a lot of great information there.
I know this isn't the way it's supposed to happen, but our LA then asked us to submit all the evidence we had before they would agree to assess.
So I sent all the reports from Camhs, paed, school that we had and they did agree to asesss. If they don't, you can appeal a refusal to assess. So you have to take the first step to apply to get the ball rollng if the school won't take action.

Get yourself some advice and support - Parent Partnership, independent advisor, or a charity like Sossen or IPSEA so that you feel less isolated and scared.

Yes, parental request here too.

It depends on your LA how easy or difficult your journey will be but give it a go it sounds like you have nothing to lose.

Good luck 💐

DS is 7 & is in mainstream.

I'm finding the problem is when people say 'need'. I can't get anyone to actually say what he NEEDS! School won't do anything until they're explicitly told to and no one will do that.

The unqualified SENCO has assessed his 'needs' and doesn't seem to thing they're all that great (unless she & the head DO think he has needs but are unable/aren't willing to meet them but who TF does that?)

Ed Psych is weak (and clearly inexperienced) and is just saying what the school want him to say.

The only people who have made recommendations (and are concerned) are the psychiatrist and the paediatrician and they're being quite obviously ignored. No one asks for their advice (because THEY'RE acting in the best interest of the child you see, not the best interest of the LA or the school and their pot of money) and when they give it, it isn't in a format (report etc) that school take seriously.

I'm in serious danger of flipping my lid at school, I get so angry that they would do this to a vulnerable child.

I have made a parent referral and so far he has been refused an assessment. I have sent in further evidence (inc that of the paed & psych) along with a massive letter from me outlining everything that DS finds difficult, why and what (IMO) could be done to help him.

You can also appeal the refusal to assess. It seems (from anecdotal evidence, this wasn't my experience) that some LAs say no to all requests to assess the first time round. Appealing means they are forced to say why, and because legally the bar for assessment is set quite low it's hard for them to wriggle out of.

What stage are you at? I take it you are on SEN Support and it's not working? Have you applied for an EHC assessment yet?

If you haven't already, get the professionals you are with to write you supporting letters. That is step 1. Get them to say the sort of things your DS needs now and then get them to write that your DS needs fully managed transition to secondary school - it choice of secondary school based on need rather than distance.

Then take the letters and all your previous reports and put them together in a letter to apply for an EHC assessment. Use the IPSEA template from their website and add in a list of the professionals who are currently looking after your son; the list you are waiting to hear from and the list of people you have sought advice from who haven't met your son. Highlight (if possible) where your son is delayed compared to his peers - add in lots of information and evidence. Then conclude by highlighting the evidence that he "may" have SEN (ASD diagnosis) and that he "may" benefit from a plan (the supporting letters)......

Our school said no, we wouldn't get anywhere. They don't understand/see the problems and have made things massively worse for us! I assumed it would be a huge fight, but I put down the facts and applied myself. I did an IPSEA course and spoke to lots of other parents to see what they had done. I put in loads of detail and lots of evidence. We were accepted for assessment. The school is in shock - apparently they've had refusals for children where they are spending >> £6k (we get about £4k apparently).

I am beginning to see that the schools may still be operating on the old system of statements. They don't see that the Health part of the EHCP might have an effect for autists; especially the high functioning autists. There are lots of kids who function quite well but later crack up and cost CAMHS a lot of money. CAMHS (depsite being a bit rubbish initially) were the ones who were most motivated to write us supporting letters as it is them who pick up the big bill when the school doesn't support the children at a young age.

It doesn't have to be a fight. Get organised. Get support and put in your own application. The school can't see beyond their own setting - I didn't understand that before now. Good luck

If you have been refused an assessment within the last 2 months, you should appeal.

Lots of LA's use refusal to assess as a way to filter people out who dont realise that they stand an excellent chance of winning appeals.

Good luck

Thanks everyone.

I wish I'd read your advice before all this crap tartan I would have felt a little more in control.

It's the health side of things (CAMHS & Paediatrician) that are more supportive.

I know you probably get this a lot tartan but would you mind if I PM you at some point. You have the attitude I desperately need to have!!

AND I can't believe the system is based on who pushes the hardest. Sometimes we don't have that push in us, when we're already living a difficult life to start with. Disgusting. Makes me really angry at EVERYONE & EVERYTHING!!!

See there's that attitude again.

Yes do pm me - no I don't get it a lot! I'm a novice compared to others here and we are currently only in the assessment stage (with all fingers crossed) hoping we can buck the trend that Aspies are not expected to get much help...

www.ipsea.org.uk/what-you-need-to-know/ehc-needs-assessments/asking-for-an-ehc-needs-assessment

This might be helpful.

I will say I have found that schools who refuse to follow recommendations or common sense because they know best, will probably not even follow recommendations in EHCP.

I will say I have found that schools who refuse to follow recommendations or common sense because they know best, will probably not even follow recommendations in EHCP

Absolutely!

But wouldn't that be unlawful? I love to sue.

We're at the assessment stage now too, it's been agreed.

Unlawful yes definitely!

But it's impossible to work in partership with a school, who you have to constantly remind of the law, complain about, threaten with JR to ensure they are doing what they are legally required to do.

Some know it all schools, don't change, they didn't understand the need to do such things before an EHCP and they don't understand the need after an EHCP.

I'm hoping our school simply didn't know what was required but once it's on the paperwork that they will do it. They seem to require a huge amount of proof of need to put provision in place. I can't decide whether it's due to small budgets or because they don't understand ASD - or both!

Ds's last school were good at putting help in place in the form of isolated therapies ie go sit in a room with a therapist once a week. However as they just didn't understand why ds would need that therapy in the first place, they never called on the therapist for ideas. They knew best, which defeated the point of the therapy!

The best schools are ones who listen to parents and try and want to understand.

One of the most important issues is progress. Is there evidence of a lack of progress, or progress that is only being made due to support over and above what the school is doing? Progress is not just academic, it relates to things like social communication, anxiety, behaviour etc.