Question about SEN and speech disorders

[mummydoit]

Does anyone have a child who has a SEN for a speech disorder or who attends a school with a speech and language unit? DS1 has severe phonological order and his NHS speech therapist has recommended getting him statemented and perhaps sending him to a primary school in a neighbouring town with a speech and language unit. Do they even give out SENs for speech disorders? How rigourous is the assessment? Sorry to ask so many questions. The NHS sessions he's had have been few and far between (12 in total over 18 months) so I don't feel that therapist has had a chance to really work with him. We've had a private therapist since January and he's come on really well with her but the NHS lady is still recommending SEN. Just wondered if anyone had any experience or advice.

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How old is yr son - does he already go to school?

Statementing is a long process - but if salt recommends, she obviously feels an application is worthwhile. Could you contact the unit / school yrself and go and have a look round first? Youll most likely get a feel for it and whether you could see your lad fitting in there.

All the best x

Hi mummydoit, we are (hopefully) nearing the end of the statutory assessment for DS who has a language disorder. It's taken us over 2 years and he has survived his 1st year at school without a statement and any additional help except for private speech therapy once a week at home. The way it works here is that until they get a statement they are only assessed by an nhs speech therapist every few months and don't receive any actual therapy. DS will either spend 2/3 days a week at a language unit attached to another primary school or he will receive 1:1 and weekly speech therapy within his current mainstream school. It depends on what the statementing board decide.

IMO and from what I have heard from experts, the best thing is to go to a language unit so I would certainly start the ball rolling as it can take a long time. Let me know if you need any more advice and good luck with it all.

It's also worthwhile getting your son assessed by a developmental paediatrician, an educational psychologist and a speech therapist as these are all things that the statutory assessment requires.

Thanks for your comments. DS1 is four. Starts reception in September. My dilemma is that the NHS SALT recommends statementing but the private one doesn't. The private one knows him better and knows how he is progressing so I'm more inclined to go with her opinion. However, if statementing will get more resources for him at mainstream school, it might be worth doing.

I'm reluctant to send him to the school with the language unit for two reasons. First, it's in a different town to where we live and, logistically, it would be impossible to take him there and DS2 to nursery/school in a different place. Secondly, there's a lot of uncertainty and upheaval in our family life at the moment (DH is cancer) so I want to keep change to a minimum for DS1. Moving schools in September will be a big thing and I'd rather not move him again later.

I think I will let him to a term or so in mainstream school then see what they think. If they think statementing is worthwhile, we will go down that route.

"I think I will let him to a term or so in mainstream school then see what they think. If they think statementing is worthwhile, we will go down that route".

I would think long and hard about that above decision. Can't imagine school doing this to be honest with you. Would say as well that they could well take a long time to come to any decision at all (if they ever do) re them saying, "oh he needs a statement". You need to also be aware that if school were to apply for the statement rather than your good self and the request was turned down flat they cannot appeal the decision. Therefore any request for a statement to the LEA needs to come from you.

Know all too well that statementing is a hard and drawn out process but my son has a statement partly for speech and language delay and its done him the world of good. Have also seen far too many children with all sorts of special needs struggle in school without adequate support.

If your gut tells you to go for statementing (it will provide extra support in school for your child) then start now. You need to write to the Senior Education Officer in your LEA (www.ipsea.org.uk is a great site and has model letters you can use). Certainly do not wait till he starts school - statements can take six months to set up.

I agree with AttilaTheMeerkat. We started the statementing process in September (when my DS started school) and he will only get help if he gets a statement next year when he starts in Year 1. Therefore he's had a whole year at school without any extra help. He's managed to make friends and can read & write but life would have been so much easier for him with a statement in place when he started. My DS is fine with 1:1 but he gets "lost" in a big class of 30 and finds it hard to follow the teachers instructions especially if they are new ones. I imagine this could be similar for your son mummydoit: if your private speech therapist sees him out of a nursery/classroom setting she may not be getting the full picture.

Thanks for the input. You've certainly given me another angle to consider. His nursery have been excellent about providing extra support so maybe I'll speak to them now and ask what they think. I do know that the primary school he is going to is very good about giving extra support where needed but perhaps we do need that statement immediately. Thanks again for your advice.

Mummy,just skimming this briefly,but I would really really think about turning down a place in a language unit.Short of paying for daily private therapy,it represents the most salt input your child will ever get in his life.

They are also very few and far between.

MS schools can be great but most have next to no idea how to deal with a child with complex lang. problems.

I speak as an NHS salt with a child with a lang. disorder who attends a language unit myself.

Moondog, the problem is that it's too late to get DS1 into that school for September and I really don't want him to spend a year in one school, then change again. Not with everything else that is going on in our family at the moment.

My main reason for waiting a while is that our private SALT seems very certain that he wouldn't get a statement under the age of five anyway so it seems better to let him have a term at mainstream school till he turns five and see how much he catches up. If he hasn't caught up enough, we apply for a statement then, ideally getting him extra help in his mainstream school rather than moving him, though I would also be happy with him spending part of the week at the language unit.

We have a taster session at the mainstream school this week so I will raise the subject and find out what help is available there and what their thoughts are on the timescale for statementing, the likelihood of getting one, etc.

Thanks for all the input, though, everyone. I've got a lot more to consider than I first thought.