Hi there,
Can anyone who’s further along in the EHC process guide me as to what to expect? How do I fill in the needs assessment and what should I write? My son, 10, is autistic and dyspraxic. He has a SEN plan at school but school have consistently refused to help me with EHCP as don’t think he will get one. I think at secondary school from September he is going to really struggle.
He is well behaved and positive and can do very well academically. The ed psych assessed him as 98th-99th percentile for literacy and numeracy. But he has many challenges. Which of these are relevant to EHC needs form I don’t know. Can anyone advise please? I’m dyspraxia and ADHD myself. I’m struggling to work out what of these to put on the form:
Relating to other kids - he talks like a little professor about his special interests only. Has just one close friend. Other kids ignore him, say he’s weird or bully him.
Can’t participate in unstructured social time. Walks around alone in playground talking to himself. At school breakfast club gets bullied, can’t join in, tries to sit in school office alone. I’ve been asked by headteacher to pull him out of the club and find other morning childcare.
Can’t throw, catch, jump, roll etc. Cant do PE with his class. Gets to join a small group activity instead. Before school got the small group provision, he sat alone at the side instead of joining in PE. Did manage a bit of swimming in lowest group after weekly private swim lessons from age 2.
Can’t work out when to go to toilet until the wee is starting to come out. Needs toileting timetable at home and school. Wets bed a little most mornings. Gets middle rate DLA for this.
Can’t follow instructions in class. Needs a TA to help him get started on schoolwork and repeat the instructions. Handwriting is unreadable.
Can’t collect his stuff for home without an adult helping. Every day will go to an on-site after school activity like drama or choir without his bag/bottle/headphones/jumper unless helped. Been working on this since y5. Really can’t see him managing to change classrooms all day at big school or remember what to put in/take from his locker. See him wandering around a big site with the wrong stuff, being late for lessons and getting constant detentions for misplaced stuff, losing his blazer.
Can’t walk steadily, falls over randomly in the street. Can’t cross roads safely. Couldn’t get a bus to school. Would be like sending a 7-8 year old on the bus. His allocated school is 2 miles away. Gets lower rate DLA for mobility.
He’s been well supported in his nurturing one form entry primary. Do I wait until secondary starts and his challenges become more acute and observable? Or start now?
The Senco at his assigned secondary told me they have 13 kids with EHCP out of 1200. The school didn’t support the majority of them, she admitted. Most done by parents. So like with the primary I can’t expect help here.
Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.
SN children
EHCP needs assessment
Ehcpnewbie · 24/03/2024 08:26
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Toomanyminifigs · 24/03/2024 11:27
You absolutely must apply for an EHCP needs assessment now, given your list of concerns for secondary.
I'm not saying this is your school but some schools will be playing the 'countdown clock' now, knowing your DS is in Yr6. In a few months time, he won't be their 'problem' any more.
I was told by my DS's school SENCO he would never get an EHCP (like your DS, mine is seen as academically able). I applied myself and he did. Like you, I was massively worried about secondary. At primary he was just about able to survive due to huge scaffolding the school did.
If you have to appeal the refusal to assess and the refusal to issue, you will probably be looking at a year or more but at least you will have got the ball rolling.
Alongside of this though, you need to be pushing the Senco of his allocated secondary to be detailing what kind of support they will be putting in place from September.
Support at school should be needs-driven anyway.
There's some info here:
https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Pages/Category/how-should-your-nursery-school-or-college-help
Does the school have a space where DS could go at break/lunchtimes?
Are they offering additional transition days for him? Would your DS benefit from a transition book? (My DS's LSA did one for him so he could look at it over the summer holiday.)
Can he have an exit pass if he find the lessons overwhelming? What adaptions do they make for DC with autism?
On a practical note, what are doing about transport to secondary? Have you applied for transport? (If your DS has SEN then the distance rule doesn't apply, despite what some LA's say.)
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