What do I put in parents bit of applying for statement

[Flocci]

We are getting together everyone's reports to kick this off and obviously we need to write our bit of the statement, but i have no help or advice of how to go about this and what angle to take - should it be a description of dd's problems, a list of our concerns, specific details of what it is we actually want IYSWIM I just don't know what approach to take.

Also, how far should I go - I can't help feeling we should ask for the absolute max as if we don't ask then we won't get. I don't see how she can;t cope without 100% 1 - 2 - 1 including at playtime, but is that just crazy wishful thinking?

Last question - dd starts school in September 08 and with CP is totally not going to be walking by then. Maybe she will be up on her feet a bit with her walker hopefully but mostly will still be getting about by crawling - is this likely to be ok in school or will they just say either she is on her feet or in a wheelchair - i would argue that it sould actually be bad for her physical development to be stuck in a chair all day as she needs to be moving, but is that totally unrealistic?

Have they given you any structure to this? Cos for ours it was a big form with lots of questions to answer.

No nothing, just go and write a report - there don't seem to be any official forms here, and everyone just does their own thing.

Hi, I've just filled in our section for the statement for our DS who also has CP. I asked for 1:1 support for the whole day including playtime, in fact I emphasised play time as I feel the social interaction is very important and it's really hard if he can't walk to join in. I asked for a specially trained person and I also asked for any equipment, eg seating, and regular physio, OT and SALT sessions. Like you I thought put it all in and hope for the best! My son will start Sept 09 and might just be walking (hopeful emotiocon!) but I think it is important that children move under their own steam so would argue that she should be able to crawl if necessary. We also had questions to answer so I didn't start with a blank sheet but I would put what you want and back it up with why you need it, i.e. what probs your DD will have without it. Sorry for the long post. HTH

Can't remember off the top of my head, but I think they asked:

• what was your child like as a baby
• how were they diagnosed/medical history?
• what are they like at home?
• what are their strengths?
• what are their weaknesses?
• what help do you think they need at school?
• what are your worries for your child?
• what would help you and your family?

The problem I found at this stage is it isn't worth employing private specialists to submit evidence ... yet. Cos you don't know what they will and won't provide so you kind of save that stuff till SENDIST. However, without some assessment, how do you know what they need and so what to ask for? And if you don't ask for it, will it be held against you forever?

Re: the wheelchair - you need her to get physio assessment or OT assessment (I still struggle where one of those stops and the other picks up and it doesn't help that DD1's consultants disagree about it!) and get that plugged into her IEP. But it does depend on the setting and whether they can fit her being on the floor into the environment and activities: if not you may be stuck with a choice between putting her in a more specialist setting than you would otherwise want (iyswim) or going with what school can realistically support and having to do some intensive therapy sessions at home to "make up".

Although it is best to get the statement right first time as it's easiest to contest before it's finalised, at a young age they are reviewed every 6 months and things change so much that you can always pull out new medical reports and ask for an amendment at a future date. So, although obviously you want to do the best job you can right now, you're not burning bridges iyswim.

Thanks ladies - at least i have some ideas for me to get started with now.

EARLYSUPPORT*

Writingletters-AdvicefromEarlySupport
To request a statutory assessment, send a letter like the one below to your local authority:

Dear Sir/Madam
I am writing to ask you to assess the special educational needs of my
daughter/son (give your child?s name and date of birth) under Section
323 of the Education Act 1996. I am making this request as is my right
under Section 329 of the Act.
I think my child may need more help than the school/pre-school can
provide. (If your child attends pre-school or school and has been
receiving help, say what this is and why you think it isn?t enough.)
I have written my views on my child?s difficulties in the enclosed report.
(Use the Parents? checklist opposite to put together a short report about
your child.)
The following people are involved with my child and I would like you to
get advice from them. If you decide not to seek advice, please let me
know, so that I can get advice and submit it myself. (List the people
involved with your child.)
I am also sending you copies of other reports which may help you make
your decision. (Send copies of any reports you have from teachers,
doctors, etc.)

Yours sincerely

Providinginformationaboutyourchild

The local authority will need to know certain things about your child before it decides whether or not to issue a statement. Use the Parents? checklist below to help you give your views. Remember to describe your child?s strengths, as well as their difficulties. Say what they enjoy and what kind of help has worked so far.

If you have been using an Early Support Family file you will already have a lot of this information together in one place.

Parents?checklist_

Many parents find it helpful to think about the following areas and questions as they put together information about their child:
? your child?s birth and first months of life and the problems you noticed
? the help or advice that was given early on
? your child?s health ? eating, sleeping, illnesses
? physical skills ? walking, crawling, throwing, pointing, using toys
? communication ? speech, sounds, hearing, gestures, eye contact
? personal skills ? washing, using a spoon and cup
? behaviour ? showing feelings such as affection, exuberance, aggression, frustration, anxiety
? relationships ? behaviour with brothers and sisters, friends and adults
? social skills ? sharing, playing with or alongside other children
? your child?s views ? if your child is very young or has very complex needs, you may need to show this by describing, for example, their moods and behaviour, how they play, their reactions to everyday routines, new experiences and when help is given
? any incident or experience that illustrates the nature of your child?s difficulties particularly well
? whether your child?s difficulties are getting worse.

If your child is attending a school, playgroup or nursery, include the following information:
? whether your child is already getting help ? their Individual Education Plan (IEP) gives details of the help they are receiving
? how your child is getting on ? check their IEP targets against their progress
? what help you think your child needs.

This is in a booklet on the early Support Web Site nd i thought it might help a few people. It is a great site with loads of really practical information developed in partership with parents. Spread the news it is a good site to look at for information and it is all free!

WOW - thanks for this. I love MN.