What next? Ds, 8, still falling behind at school. Severe attention/concetnration problems. What can I expect from the school apart from alot of hot air?

[bunny3]

Have gp appt tomorrow and a meeting at school on tuesday to try and get more help for ds. School convinced he has ASD but despite 2 referrals no diagnosis has been made. He does have appalling concentration/attention and doesnt follow instructions. His teacher now says there is no way he will cope in Y5. I dont want his to be held back a year but unless things improve the school might suggest this. What sort of help can I expect? (he has some 1:1 and barely functions in a classroom without it). Paed says there is no way he will get a statemt as his problems arent severe enough.

Sorry bit garbled, trying to multitask!

Could he be dyspraxic?

Is it a state school? Who has he been referred to so far?

How can school think his problems mean he can barely function, yet paed says not severe enough?

has he been seen by an educational psychologist recently? as they should be able to guide school as to the support he needs.

Ok, back again! Dcs all in bed.

bTM, he has hypermobility and has been referred to an OT for this, there were no other signs of dyspraxia when he was assessed by the paed. He is highly disorganised and cannot concentrate (although has excelllent concentration when he is doing something absorbing at home). The school have said he needs constant 1:1 but they cannot provide it without a statement. The paediatrician didnt see him in a school setting, perhaps she would have made a different diagnosis if she had, I dont know.

TC, the EP has seen him 3X and has made many recommendations to the school. None of her recommendations have made much difference to the way ds performs and she has now asked the school if they have any ideas, the school has, in turn, asked me for ideas. I dont have any . I dont know where to turn, surely someone can help my lovely ds.

I am hoping the gp might be able to suggest a referral to someone else. not a paed but maybe a psychologist or psychiatrist?

sorry the ed psych route has been so unproductive. I realise you're unimpressed by the paed you have seen so far, but I don't see that a child psychologist or psychiatrist would be more appropriate,as I understand they deal with emotional/behavioural problems.btw are there any concerns about his hearing and or language? as either of those, particularly any problems with comprehension of language can affect concentration and following instructions...

TC, he has been seen by a SALT 2x and both times they commented how good his language was. He has recently had a hearing test and his ears are fine, He wears glasses so has regular eye tests to check he has appropriately corrected vision. He is a really bright boy but he just cannot focus for instance a typical homework (perhaps 20 mions worth) will take him an hour to complete and that hs with me by his side constantly refocussing him. He asks where his socks are every morning despite the fact that they have been in the same drawer for 6 years! I can appreciate why he can be difficlut to teach as I have problems with him at home.

mions = minutes! doh!

so you've covered all the obvious bases then, sorry if I sounded patronising.

no, not patronising at all just helpful.

I really do feel I have explored all the obvious avenues and I am really concerned now that school will want to keep ds back a year which will be devastating for him.