should i go for a statement now?

[uddy]

hi all my ds is 9yrs and is being assessed for autism. we've gone through years of problems with schools as he has been to two primary schools who insisted he just has behavioural issues.he has now started at middle school an although they are much better and agree ds has issues much beyond behavioural and agree its looking like serious autism they are finding it hard to provide him with enough care. camhs are now involved and an autism specialist is due to see ds next week a referal has gone on to salt and ot should i go for a statement now or hang on and see what help they all offer.i must say although we had a bumpy ride with the new school for a few weeks they are really trying now and its a breath of fresh air to experience a school that actually listen to parents and see them ask me for tips on how to deal with my ds.i dont want to upset the school but the dont get enough resources for my ds and the teacher an ta spend most of there time with my ds as apposed to the whole class

you should go for a statement now - the school may not say so publicly, but of course it's better for them if you have a statement as you get funding with it. The LEA will try and avoid giving out statements as they try and do everything on the cheap, but it sounds like your DS will need help, and the only way to get decent, long term help (perhaps even 1-to-1 support in class as my 6 year old ASD son has) is through the statement. If you write a letter now to the head of SEN at the LEA saying "I would like to request a statutory assessment of my DS for special educational needs, under the terms of the 1996 Education Act" then they are legally bound to turn what is now informal assessments into a proper, timed assessment process. Bear in mind though that you need to paint a very bleak picture of your DS in order to qualify for a statement, and they may refuse if they feel he's too able. But at least you will have shown you mean business and will hopefully get some help in class. Good luck!

I agree you should go for one now. It takes ages to come through and it would be much better to have it all firmly in place before the transition to High School.

thanks all its been a long road to travel. ds has had a nightmare time at school for the last 5 years ive now got the school behind me mainly because i have 2 kids already at the school and ive always pushed them hard the school do show me lots of respect to be fair. ds's teacher has a nephew with severe autism and spent hours last night working out a plan to help my ds . he has given him ta support all day but we have had to agree to a shorter time table in order to help ds settle as a result of serious issues. i have found a sample letter now on ipsea site an will start it this weekend.in order to insure he keeps support long term. on a more positive note my eldest ds teacher came to speak to me today saying she wants us to think about sending him for tests for grammer school as he is such a clever boy so makes me much happier as proves im not a bad mother who has failed my children

Of course you are not a bad mother! To me it's very clear that autism is something the child is born with, quite possibly genetic in origin (there is autism in our family for instance) and it is certainly absolutely nothing to do with parenting skills! In fact you sound like a great mum and well done for getting the ball rolling!

Also just remember that all the work that the teachers are doing is great but imagine what they could achieve with the extra funding.