Is this discrimination? So fed up with school..........

[tipsycat]

I have a DS aged 7 with a diagnosis of ASD and a statement giving 25 hrs support in school. It's a tiny mainstream school, with only 2 classes, infants and juniors.

My DS started in the juniors in Sept, and everything seems to have gone wrong since then. His Support assistant moved into the new classroom with him, but his new teacher is insisting on trying to make DS more independant, so he is spending less time with her and lots of time involved in group work. The teacher has set him a target "to listen more when on the carpet" and has started clicking her fingers at him and telling him to "wake up". His support assistant is no longer allowed to sit with him to keep him focused, she has to stay at the back of the room. The teacher thinks he has to learn to listen, but listening has always been one of DS main problems. He has a very short attention span and needs constant prompting to keep him on task. I feel she is discriminating against him by drawing attention to his needs and not allowing his support assistant to sit with him.

Please let me know what you think, is she wrong to do this, or am I being overconcerned? Thank you.

It's good she is trying to make him more independent with more group work and maybe pulling back the Support assistant a bit...but...if listening and staying focused is one of his main problems they surely this is where the support assistant comes in. I agree with you, she does seem to be drawing negative attention to his needs. I don't see why the assistant can't sit by him, she doesn't need to do anything unless absolutely necessary. I don't think 'wake-up' is a very nice term either, surely she could get his attention a bit more politely if she really won't let the assistant prompt him. The target of listening more on the carpet is ok, she just seems to be quite heavy handed about it.

I would certainly address these matters with the school as you are your son's best and only advocate.

Presumably as well this TA is not allowed to sit with your DS at this teacher's behest. She sounds like a person with no understanding whatsoever of ASD at all; the behaviours of saying "Wake up" and clicking fingers are the actions of someone who clearly needs more training.

Did his Statement specify one to one support in the wording?. If it did then he is certainly not getting what the Statement specifies.

I think this teacher is making things far worse by her actions; does this school have a SENCO (it should do). I would have a word with both this person and also IPSEA. Their phone line is often busy but hopefully you'll be able to speak to them. SOS;SEN is another good organisation to call.

www.ipsea.org.uk. Think they also have an e-mail facility.

Longer term as well you may want to look for another school.

Tipsycat, as someone with Asperger syndrome, I would say that this is close to discrimination, yes, though probably out of ignorance rather than prejudice. The discrimination laws say that reasonable allowance has to be made for a disability, and that service providers including schools etc are not supposed to humiliate a person with a disability. ?Wake up? makes it sound like he?s being lazy. We?re not being lazy most of the time ? we are either ?shutting down? because it?s so overloading, or we?re focusing on something else with our eyes because we need to listen. And most of us cannot listen and look at the same time.

For me, group work (even as an adult) is overwhelming. The noise is deafening, the people jostle (which hurts), I cannot switch attention between people, if I make eye contact it?s like looking into a strobe light (just try concentrating whilst doing that ? have a go and you?ll see what it?s like for us).

His supporter needs to be with him.
The teacher needs to stop clicking and telling him to wake up ? it?s not appropriate.
He is clearly finding that sort of activity very stressful and having to put 100% of his efforts into coping. He needs help to take some of that stress off. Sitting at the back so he has a chance to get out of the noise/bustle of group work is going to be vital.

Well worth a talk with IPSEA as Attila says, but also with the SENCO and head too if the teacher won't see reason.

Thank you for responses. I've already spoken to the Head (who's also the SENCO) about other issues to do with this teacher, and got no-where. The Head thinks that the teacher is doing a great job!

There has been a complete change in attitude from the school between the infant class and the juniors. In the infants, my DS support assistant was allowed to work alongside him and adapt the curriculum according to his learning style. The junior teacher wants to control everything herself, and insists that my DS has to join in everything, even if its way too advanced for him. I've had to fight for him to be allowed an hour per day to work 1 to 1 with his support assistant on his IEP targets and speech therapy programme.

His statement is vague, i think we'll need to get it updated because it doesn't specify how his support should be applied.

I have a great relationship with the support assistant, and she is brilliant with my DS. But, the teacher and her have clashed because she doesn't agree with the teacher, and we have now been banned from talking to each other! If I have any queries, I must talk to the teacher. They are obviously unhappy that the support assistant told me about her concerns and rather than address the issues, school thought they would ban us from talking to each other apart from via the home / school diary.

The whole situation is getting me down, and I think I have no alternative but to look at other schools.

My DS is also 7, in the juniors and has a statement of similar hours. If he had a teacher who did this, I'd go through the roof.

Becoming more independent is fair and should be part of a written IEP agreed with the SENCO, but that SENCO should never agree with the "techniques" of finger clicking and wake up calls as a technique to reach that target.

Call a meeting with the SENCO initially as they should be very interested to hear that the teacher is obstructing the LEA funded LSA from doing their job.

X posted...

Is his statement subject to annual review?

A lot of things you've just said are ringing alarm bells very loudly, such as the statement not specifying how support should be applied, having to fight for 1 to 1 time and being "banned" from talking to the LSA Any chance you could get her number? Know it sounds intrusive but she may be relieved at the chance. Or just write a letter addressed directly to her, care of the school, with "private and confidential" marked on the envelope.

I think what I would do is to put the concerns you've expressed in writing to the school, copied to both the board of governors and LEA with a covering letter explaining the situation as a matter of urgency as it's affecting his education now, and continue to keep as much as you can in writing.

Very for you, DS and LSA!

Hi tipsycat,

Re your comment:-

"I have a great relationship with the support assistant, and she is brilliant with my DS. But, the teacher and her have clashed because she doesn't agree with the teacher, and we have now been banned from talking to each other! If I have any queries, I must talk to the teacher. They are obviously unhappy that the support assistant told me about her concerns and rather than address the issues, school thought they would ban us from talking to each other apart from via the home / school diary."

Oh sod that for a game of soldiers (excuse my language). Who do they think they are and how dare they suggest this; the TA and you are both adults and you should certainly communicate with each other!. I would use the phone for communication, last time I checked this was a free country.

SENCO and Head Teacher as a combined role rarely works at all well in my experience.

When's DS's annual review; I would call for an earlier date. Vague and woolly statement wording is next to useless; you may be able to get it strengthened after much resistance from the LEA.

You may get some more advice from organisations like IPSEA and SOS;SEN but this school's attitude stinks. Attitudes like this as well are often deeply engrained; I would look for another school.

She sounds totally clueless.

" we have now been banned from talking to each other!"

Ds1's school tried to do this when he was at mainstream, it is absolutely intolerable. I insisted that I needed help to manage ds1 back to the car with ds2 so the TA supplied it (we cooked this up between ourselves as she was so livid at being banned from talking to me).

It is a very poor sign. I think you need to go in guns blazing really with the head. Talk to your statementing officer about getting the help quantified. But if nothing works move school- I think you could be banging your head against a large brick wall.

Agree with everyone here! I have a similar statement for my son with Aspergers, and would go absolutely APESHIT if this was happening to him. They think I'm scary now - they have no idea! I am LIVID on your behalf and on behalf of your son. Meetings are required right now, tell them this is discrimation, that they are in breach of his statement and you don't want to have to go to the governors, LEA, Ofsted...
As for 'banning' you from talking to another adult, they can fuck right off. Oooh! I am annoyed!

Also, yes, start looking for another school, one where they have a fricking CLUE. I would actually move house rather than put up with this, but a statement should make it easier to get your son into another school

Thank you all for your support, it helps to know that others can see things from my perspective.

I have the Support Assistants phone number and do still talk to her outside of school, but have to be very careful as she's been threatened with disciplinary action if she continues to talk to me. I'm in a very difficult position as I know what's going on in the classroom, but can't use any of the information the Support Assistant has given me, as they'll know that she's told me!!

I've got an appt to visit another school tomorrow, but feel terrible about uprooting DS and splitting him from his friends.

what grounds could they possibly have for a disciplinary?

I think they see her role as a member of the teaching staff, and as such, she should take the party line? She only has a short term contract, and school have already told her that if my DS moves from the school, she'll be out of a job. I'm hoping that she'll be able to move schools with DS, as his statement will pay for a support assistant wherever he goes, and it would make a move much less traumatic for him.

Do you have Parent Partnership where you are? They will be able to come with you to meetings at school and advise you on what next steps you can take if you get nowhere with the Head.

Have you mentioned this to any of the 'prfoessionals' involved with your DS? Like his paediatrician, or is there a specialist autism teacher that visits the school to give advice on his management in class? Here we have a service called Autism Outreach (an LEA funded unit) who advise schools on appropriate handling and would be able to give your viewpoint backing.

It sounds like you need some of the 'professionls' involved with DS to come into school (statement review meeting?) to reinforce your point. Contact them yourself and tell them your concerns and they will be more likely to come in to school. it's working for me at the moment, albeit in a different situation where my DS is being excluded (there is a thread on this board if you want to just have a quick look).

Keep fighting for what is best for DS - Atilla is right you are his best advocate.

Disciplinary action

Getting the paediatrician involved is a great idea. Would also suggest the educational psychologist and the speech and language therapist - who I'm sure would also be very interested in how their hard work is being ignored carried in their absence.

Statementing etc. is never exactly an easy ride but this thread really makes me realise how truly blessed we are not to have to contend with people like this ourselves!