when did you know your dc had to go to specialist school?

[drlove8]

how old? . am wondering as dd4 is at mainstream nursery now, but have doubts as to whether its the best place for her.... and i have no idea how she'll be at primary.how do you decide anyway? Do the medics recomend specialist school, or is it usually the parents decision? obviously as dd4 is "different" she'll be an easy target for bullies, she's already had comments from a 4 yr old at nursery,(he's just a baby though so let it go, but a wee bt of educating its ok to be different wouldnt go amiss )just want whats best for dd4......

My ds2 went to MS nursery 5 days a week, played by himself, didn't have any friends at all and couldn't speak. In Spetember last year he started at an autism specific school wehre there are 5 kids and 3 teachers, plus numerous specialists coming in and out most of the week. he sees his SALT practically every day. His language is coming on fantastically, he can speak in sentences. Not understood by people who don't know him, but family can understand him fine. He also has two friends, who are roughly the same as him language and behaviour wise.

It broke my heart the fact he needed to go to a SN school, but I am so glad I swallowed my pride and sent him there. He would not have come this far had he gone to a MS school.

As it happens, he goes to MS for two afternoons a week, where he has no friends, and plays by himself yet again. He does have a place at MS for reception, but this is because we were told to apply for it as he still needs to be statemented. DS2 sees MS as going to a park to play with boys and girls. He doesn't see it as a place to learn. He simply can't cope with large groups of people and needs the stricter routine of his SN school.

another thing I love about sn school...
everyone knows dd, not because she is disabled and stands out, but because she is one of the more out going pupils,

my ds wil be going to sn schoolinfact I feel so strong that I would hehim if he does not get place rather than send himto ms , for him sn it is the best option.

Think its case of horses for courses not one size fits all.
But Riven I am glad your dd thrives in ms i agee not all sn schools are good same as not all ms schools are

What is this obsession with children needing to obtain GCSE?s?

There are many, many children, who due to their disabilities will never be able to obtain any GCSE?s. This would be the case regardless of whether they were in a mainstream or special school. It has nothing to do with whether society has segregated them, they just don?t have the ability to learn to a level that would allow them to obtain GCSE?s.

It is possible to acknowledge that disabled children have different needs and abilities, and that not all of those needs can be met within a mainstream setting, without being ?disablist?.

I attended a special school. And although I might not have chosen to board, I think that I gained independence there that I certainly would never have obtained in mainstream. As for going to university, once a child s old enough to attend university, they will hopefully have obtained the independence from special school so they will be able to attend a mainstream university, if their abilities allow that.

But I think that it?s important to acknowledge that not all children have the same abilities. And that for many children, education in a mainstream setting will never be an option. And that acceptance by able-bodied children will never be an option, in terms of real friendships at least. Why shouldn?t children be able to learn in an environment where they are just another child rather than the one chld that stands out? Why should these children who do not have the same abilities be forced to conform to an able-bodied norm?

Very well put Wannabe.

I think inclusion works for some but definetley not for all. DD is in MS with a SEN base attcached. It works well for her,(Education wise she doesn't need one IYKWIM). DD needs somewhere where everyone loves her and she gets this at the MS school.
But I definetley will not be sending her to a MS secondary school. Children are mean, even though bullying would go straight over her head. She will enjoy sensory rooms and secondary MS schools in our area do not have this. They will not play funky music just because it makes her smile. Attach mirrors to the roof so when lying on her standing frame she can look at herself. She gets all the therapists coming into the school. There are 150 children in the school and 5 in the base, DD has a 1 to 1 and there are another 3 teachers in the room.

The closest Special needs school is 45 minutes drive away, DD school is 5 minutes walk. It works for us. She would get as good a setting in a SN school but MS works for DD.

So I will be sending her to a Special needs school when she starts secondary. They can not close them as so many children need them.

WE had to trial ds3 for a year in ms before LEA would discuss alternativesw.As ever we were right and indeed we visited the unit he's going to today, but LEA wouldn'tlisten.

I feel certain he will thrive there

DS1 otoh is in MS and likely toremain there with support (though a fewmirmurs about how he willcope at complevel)- its entirely what suits your child best.

non verbal children in nappies going to mainstream in other areas

That was ds3 exactly; he's dry (with support) now and minimally verbal.

No MS unit with normalsize classes will work for ds3 as he switches off with too many people; different kids need different input- even within MS you'd hope to choose the schoolto suit your child besta fter all. It'sjust intensified with SN.it's not about disablism but enabling the environment that maximises a child best development, that's why my 2 sn kids have different systems in place. 1-1 as needed at SM was direcctly ahrming ds3 as he gets attached and then 1-1's move on and he gets stressed again.

At 11 he will have no option (12 kids gets picked for the severe school, from three counties and a city, and 10 for the next one: there are farmore kifds who need it- ithink LEA said 12 forevery palce, ds3 won't have a chance). At that point I expect it allto colapse magnificenlty, as I think it will for ds1 as well who just will not cope with the moving about school, social interactions etcexpected of im at that level. DS1 will be given a chance but no idea what I will dowith ds3.

Oh (sorry again)- ds3 should still the chance to do GCSE's whichever (prob just inmaths and IT but he excells in those- we soud rename him Mr Stereotype ). KS1 chidlren in the SNU (or learning resource centre as it is being renamed) go into MS as and when they can with a TA: ds3 will go for maths but nt IT as he will get obsessed and they won;t get any coooperation. At KS2 all childrn merge at certain point in the week with TA support.

DS1 gets pulled for certain lessons in a smaller class setting. Witha s pecialist teacher and that small group in a year he has gone froma reading age of 4-5 (he's 9) to one of 9.8- ahead of age. That farking amazing!

'and what do you do if they want to go to uni? There's aren't any 'special' ones? '

The proviosi n at our Uni was better tan a school tbh

Firstly one of the benefits of a Sn unit forr many is class size- the tutor groups at Uni reflected that closely anyway. Then there's a narrow curricul;um sokids like ds1 though bright with very specific interests could access that. The chap with no jhands had a scribe, the asd kid on my course had a PC and a quiet corner with sessions with his tutor alone. It somehow worked.

however, separating every school into classes of 10 with secure outdoor areas and specificenvironment (eg ds wont ever ;learn in a room with a PC in as he gets fixated) isn't feasible. There aremany things that can be adapted for- access, braille, signing, all should and imo must be dome: and sometimes they won't be enough.

Thought i'd post these links about a fabulous chap with cerebral palsy who went to the special school ds is going to in August.

He started off in special schools but by his 3rd year at secondary decided he wanted to transfer to mainstream, a decision which he credits to the start he got in ICT at his special school.

He has written plays, worked in theatre and is now an actor and public speaker, even having a cameo appearance in River city... a scottish soap for those who dont know

www.softley.co.uk/

This is his old website...
www.softley.co.uk/rampahead/bio.html

Here he gives his views on special school vs mainstream..
www.softley.co.uk/rampahead/views.html

Peachy is right: provisions may be better at Universities (surprisingly) than at schools, because there is possibly more money, and a lot of accountability. Also, please note that there are universities like Open University and Birkbeck College (University of London) which do NOT require formal qualifications. The Open University works through long-distance learning anyway, which would take the stress out of having to be in a classroom, and students have on-line forums, electronic feedback, and summer schools if they want to attend them.
Part of my job is university admission for 'non-traditional' students - I'd say on the whole the presence of SN is seen as evidence that the perspective student is motivated and enjoys a challenge, so as a plus rather than a minus.

not all nt children who go to mainstream go to uni either though?

I certainly don't see how going to specialist school equals unable to go to uni.

Several of my friends went to uni and obtained very good degrees. They all attended specialist school as well...

Can someone correct me and tell me what is the correct term for a special needs school?

yep intresting reading but even he saw differanc between the students that had a pysical disablity no matter how severe and those that have a LD

my friend is a support worker for uni students with special needs - there seems to be an enormous amount of flexibility of support on offer, i.e. whether someone needs a note taker due to a physical problem or moral support with attending lectures because of mental health issues, once the uni agrees to fund a certain no. of hours, the students with SN seem to be able to decide what they need.

my little boy got gdd is getting early ent to a sn school hopefully he will start in sept he wont be 3 till dec