Classroom assistant for Asperger's?

[somepup]

My DS was diagnosed with Asperger's earlier this year. He is six. It's taken a while to get out heads round it and every day we learn more and his behaviour make sense which it didn't before. He is quite mild but his three main problems seem to be sensory overload, handwriting and 'stubbornness'.

There are 32 kids in his class and his current treatment is one hour a week out the classroom working on fine motor skills.

I know he would do much better in a small group, he's very bright but is in the bottom third of the class. Would a classroom assistant help? If so, how can we get one?

One of the Aspies in my class uses a laptop to help with extended pieces of writing. Sensory overload may need classroom re-organisation, looking at where he's working, what's in his eyeline, what he finds stressful. Some children wear earphones to block out noise.
Stubbornness, may link to teaching strategies and being specific about the task, breaking it into small steps.
Getting in class support would need to be written into his IEP, which would need the support, agreement and funding of the school.
Are you going for a statement?

I assume we'll need a statement to get him a classroom assistant. What are the pros and cons of doing this?