Dreading SALT visit tomorrow

[TotalChaos]

DS's NHS SALT is due to visit tomorrow morning, to feedback after her home visit and 2 nursery visits, to talk about what happens next. Reason I am dreading this is because she apparently is due to "unpick" what is going on with his social communication. I am fed up to the back teeth with assessment (this is his 6th assessment appointment, as initial SALT he was allocated to wasn't experienced enough to treat DS ). I don't want a quasi-attempt to diagnose ASD, I want her to actually do some therapy. I probably am being wholly unreasonable, but my whole experience of trying to get DS help for the last 2 years has been so frustrating.

You're not being unreasonable. For a start as you know a SALT cannot on their own diagnose ASD, they can suggest it seems possible based on what they observe, but can't give a definite diagnosis. You're right about it being important for them to look at practical ways of helping your ds, though I suppose if she is able to pinpoint the reasons for your ds's language difficulties that might help determine the course of action to take. Eg my communication difficulties, both as a child and now are primarily due to my difficulty in actually getting the words out. So a forum like this enables me to get my points across far better than in real life. Whereas with my Ds1 his receptive language is very poor so we back up his communication with Makaton signing and using pictures as references.
Anyway I shall be crossing all digits for you tomorrow .

Thanks for your reply Bullet you are a gem . TBH I will be pleased if the outcome is that DS is to get monthly NHS SALT. What happens with your DS and SALT out of interest? Does he get plenty at his school? I don't recall you mentioning it much, so I'm hoping that's because you are satisfied with provision, so there's not much to mention iyswim.

You're not being at all unreasonable.

Surely ds shouldn't need 6 assessment appointments. I know when ds1 was first assessed the SALT said he might possibly need two appointments to cover everything but that generally it only took one appointment.

I would've thought that your ds would have got at least some therapy by now. I don't blame you for feeling with it all.

Good luck for the visit. If she suggests another appointment to give you feedback of tomorrow's feedback meeting then I think no-one would blame you if you felt an urge to use a heavy blunt object.

Disclaimer: This post in no way encourages violence against SALTs.

TotalChaos, Ds1 gets SALT provision at his school. I'm actually not sure of any more details (bad bad mummy ) but I do know that work is done and specific exercises are being done based on what is said by the teacher and repeated back by Ds1 (he does a lot of clapping to the syllables in words as one example). I know that he's making good progress and when he gets his IEP I check it and sometimes I've asked for things to be changed on it, but I've never actually checked for specific details.

Coppertop - reason for all these assessments is that DS was initially allocated to a SALT who wasn't used to dealing with "joint clinic cases" (i.e. kids with possible ASD/social communication difficulties) because her waiting list was shorter. After 6 months plodding on through the system, DS finally got allocated a more experienced SALT = which meant starting from scratch with further assessments.

TC - that's shocking but sadly unsurprising. Hope you get somewhere with your MP. Think I shall order the afasic guide too!

TotalChaos, I hope it goes really well tomorrow. You've really been waiting far too long for things to happen. Even if they don't have a final diagnosis, DS should still be entitled to therapy.

And Tclanger, your story is really shocking. Is there no way you can complain about the lack of help you are getting? It really seems to unfair really for you actually.

In my opinion (as a salt!) salts do far too much assessing and far too little intervention.They are great at saying where there are problems and then seem to disappear into thin air when it comes to sorting them out!

It is complete horse shit for a trust to sat that a child with SD can receive no help.Ring the Education dept. ask for a copy of the (very readable) Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and put your oiint together based on that 9which generally does the trick)

I would agree that the focus is on kids with 'fixable' problems.These are referred through community clinics and all NHS focus is on reducing these waiting lists (although 80% of kids referred to community clinics don't actually really need salt at all.)
Meanwhile kids with ongoing/long term needs go on the back burner. It is a scandal and makes my blood boil.

oiint=argument
I tihnk I need help with my own comnication skills!

oh yes" I also found out another child in M's class is having weekly SALT input because his problems are in articulation and although his needs are less complex and his understanding of language greater, it is easier to put these things right and so see more kids". Welcome to SALT as practiced in the UK. Crap isn't it. Has been going on for years. DS1 wasn't allowed SALT as a pre-schooler as 'he's not capable of anything is he?'

It's completely fucking ridiculous.
I have just read a great book called 'Wasting Police Time' based on a blog by an undercover pc lifting the lid on ludicrous target driven culture. AS i said to dh,as I read out chunks to him 'Substitute the words NHS and salt department for police force and you have my job'

I am sorely tempted t start my own blog.

All I can say is
COMPLAIN LONG AND LOUD AND HARD
GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING
CC LETTERS TO EVERYONE AND SHAME POWERS THAT BE INTO ACTING

(Assuming you have the energy that is.)

Again (second day running!) I agree totally with moondog. Our DS only got the totally fabulous SALT that he has now after much complaining to both SALT manager and cheif exec.

It is incredibly sad that these children can be so neglected by a service that is meant to help them. It's like watching months and years wasted. We were also given the line about not being to help a pre-school child anyway so the total lack of provision didn't matter!

We now get thirty minutes weekly which actually is therapy. In fact although he is only four I wait outside, (I can hear everything) as he tends to loose concentration if I'm there!

Please excuse if shocking spelling - am watching wimbledon!

Moondog - in Liverpool the gatekeeping criteria for referral to SALT are so tightly applied that DS missed a chance for referral at 2.3, so had to wait till the "magic" three years of age and then a further 8 months for an appointment (private SALT assessment at 3 that DS was severely delayed didn't make a jot of difference, even to letting me on a Hanen course). I was just at the boiling point of preparing a complaint when new SALT was allocated - if the future plan of action is anything less than monthly therapy sessions I will make a complaint.

And yes, I've read that book too! Presumably this focus on assessment is a way of backside covering, to make it look like kids on the book are being assisted?

Indeed.
And once they are 'assessed' they can of course thn wait for a very long time for some therapy or concrete intervention. They have been processed you see so everyone is happy, especially policy makers.

Trusts HATE complaints as they then have to justify their actions (which they usually can't do anyway as it is all utterly Kafkaesque nonsense).

As I said, shame them into acting and/or laugh as they tie themselves into knots trying to expalin crap arbitrary policies and decisions.

As I said, read the SEN Code of Practice.

bullet is right (thats where we are atm, salt say asd paed ignores lol).

Harold now gets weekly salt if that helps as a baseline? and his 1-1 does his exercises daily.

Harolds latest statement arrived today with 'assessment requested by parents who have been exceedingly vocal about his needs, and also the ocal Assembly Member'. I felt but then dh meant that basically said i was doing my job well.

Hope it goes well, complain like f if it doesn't, and involve anyone you can. Be the PITA they just want rid of!

TC you have my utmost sympathies, i had to write 2 letters to get DD ANY help after she had been asessed as needing it, within a week of my 2nd letter 2 SALTS came to our house and did an assessment on her, then she got the ICAN place.

With DS they refused to assess him as he was out of school (he was medically signed off) so we accused them of discrimination and he got his assessment.

like moondog says complain complain complain.

I'd be very proud Peachy. it's great that you are 'vocal' about his needs as believe me, noone else will be.
Never assume the people in charge of your child's education know what they are doing.
Get them to prove it to you,be polite but assertive and do not let anyone fob you off. EVER.

oh the school know to work with me lol, i got made sec of pta (so now have a role they need), and my mate now is governor.

have been helping a mum experiencing what we did from senco (told her sd child cant have ed psych and 'statements are for those who should be in sn schools'.... mum made official complaint 3 days before senco was interviewed for dep head0- looking foward to hearing who got that job lol

I am very cynical.
Can you tell???

they make us that waymd lol

Last year I went to a group meeting about communication that was headed by one of the school's SALT's. In it she said that there were children in the school who were non verbal and yet were very good communicators and that there were children in the school who were verbal and yet struggled with communication. It was this recognition which made me then feel very comfortable that she was going to be one of the people helping Ds1.

thanks ladies.

jenk - I was so cross when I discovered Liverpool had an ICAN nursery - as even though he might not have been suitable for a place, he lost the chance of having early intervention like that.

peachy - yes, I would take that as a great compliment - as MD says, if we don't stick up for our kids, who will.

SALT has been - it was quite upbeat but still a few things I need to think more about, and I still want private SALT involvement. (fortunately mum and stepdad are helpful in this regard!).