EHCP assessment in nursery

[SparkleTwilight]

My DS is 3.9 and has ASD and we have just received a letter saying that our LA will carry out an EHC needs assessment for him. I'm very happy because our first application was rejected a few months ago due to lack of evidence from the nursery (they reapplied quickly with evidence that was better evaluated).

I have a few questions -

1. It is now the last week of term nursery, how will they carry out an assessment? Will this mean that it may take longer than 20 weeks overall due to the summer holidays?

1. I feel that my son isn't getting the best support at his nursery setting and he still has a whole year of nursery before starting reception in September 2019. I was considering moving him to another local nursery who are known to have better SEN support, especially for autism. Would it be a bad idea to move him now? Should I wait until the EHCP process is complete? It should be finalised by November.

1. What do I need to do myself? Will they contact me? I have been given a sheet about my son's views and aspirations but no clear direction of what to do. I feel a bit lost in this whole process, it's very overwhelming.

Just for clarification, my son is considered non-verbal but has some limited vocabulary, such as numbers, letters, songs. He can answer "what is this?" type questions when pointing at things but can't communicate his wants and needs verbally. He has sensory difficulties which do disrupt his attention and learning, he jumps a lot and can't sit still. He has very limited understanding of spoken language and only understands basic, familiar instructions/phrases.

Thanks

Congratulations on getting the assessment. If you have contact details on the letter then I would get in touch ASAP and tell them your DS’s nursery is closing or get the nursery to do so. Hopefully they can move things around to squeeze him in. I don’t think the process is allowed to take longer than 20 weeks.

In our case the Educational Psychologist contacted the nursery directly to book the appointment and met with us before his observation.

Obviously your son is too young to fill out the form. We filled out ours based on what we believed to be important to both our ds and us, focussing on transition and settling into school.

Good luck. Getting the assessment is the biggest hurdle I understand.

Do you have supporting reports from SALT, OT, specialist teacher etc.?

Lots of info here:
www.ipsea.org.uk/ehc-needs-assessments

The assessment may take longer than 20 weeks overall. Have a look here www.senexpertsolicitors.co.uk/site/news/local-authoritys-duty-to-consult-over-the-summer-break. Still worth contacting your caseworker though to see if it can be arranged before the break, but legally they don't need to.

I think you can move nursery/preschool during the process, but I think the LA then have to consult with the new setting as part of the process which can add further delays. You would also need to make sure that they would support the application.

Also, have a look on the SENDIASS website in your area for a guide to writing the parents submission or give them a call they should be able to help.