. A full multifunctional assessment for the need for a possible Statement is the only way to fully identify my child?s difficulties, assess their impact on his ability to learn and ensure that his disabilities are adequately and appropriately supported.
X has complex needs involving more than one difficulty. Senior SALT report dated states ?X is a little boy with a complex pattern of strengths and weaknesses?.
X shows uneven achievement between academics skills and social, sensory, emotional, self-care skills. Education Psychologist identifies X has the potential to be a ?gifted learner? academically. Autism Assessment Service state ?X was seen by a private Education Psychologist last year. The report shows a very able boy in all areas. However Dr X and I felt that this picture does not describe his functional abilities.
IEP?s dated October/November 2009 and February 2010 all difficulties listed as concerns in the IEP were social, emotional, sensory, self-care or behavioural difficulties, yet the help received was aimed at academic achievement and did not address his social development nor aim to proactively assist him in overcoming his behaviourial issues, that result from his diabilities.
IEP dated Feb 2010 all difficulties listed as concerns in the IEP were social, emotional, sensory, self-care or behavioural difficulties. Again the school's strategies failed to address his non-academic issues.
The school are unable to acknowledge that strategies set in response to his social, emotional, sensory, self-care or behavioural difficulties i.e. their 3 card system and visual timetable have failed and they continue to set the use of these as targets, despite the fact that X has not used these strategies since October 2009; something school confirmed to me during a meeting in February 2009. (BIT contradictory but I see where you're coming from)
School is simply unable to understand x's complex needs, and as a result, they are unable to identify or quantify what help should be given.
- The school has had to provide much more help for X than they would normally provide at School Action Plus. I have been told by school that any further support would reuqire additional resources from the LA.
X already requires a high level of support in the class room for him to be able to maintain focus. Class Teacher states ?in class he needs frequent support to complete his work. He is slow with writing in generally due to hyper-mobility in his joints. He appears to lack motivation and needs frequent reminders to keep him on task and motivated?.
SENCO wrote to me 14/11/09 stating 1:1 help and support was not available for social, emotional, sensory, self care, or behavioural difficulties due to lack of resources.
SENCO has since received recommendations from outside agencies. Education Psychologist states in her report dated 29/12/09 ?X needs a high level of 1:1 support in order to achieve his full potential and to avoid his current emotional and behavioural difficulties getting in the way of effective learning?. SALT report dated 21/9/09 makes 1:1 social skills recommendations. Bibic and Education Psychologists have also made social skills recommendations. Bibic and OT have made sensory recommendations and recommended equipment none of the above can be implemented due to lack of resources.
- The school has given my considerable support but despite having been on School Action Plus for over a year, his progress has been slow and has fallen far short of expectations.
As a consequence of inadequate support X has regressed and has begun engaging in self-injurious behaviour, which required medical intervention in December 2009 and again in February 2010.
Without adequate help and support at lunchtime, X finds it difficult to eat due to sensory dysfunction and phobia and will only eat a fraction of his lunch and as result his weight dropped shortly after starting school from 91st centile (3/4/09) to 75th (25/6/09) to in between 50th-75th (25/9/09) and a referral to a feeding clinic has been made.
Without adequate help and support for his social skills and sensory needs, X is struggling socially at playtime which often results in above average incidents of him being hit or hurt by other children or ?feeling? that he has been hit or hurt by others. X continues to report incidents to me and has commented recently that ?the world is a horrible place and he wishes he wasn?t in it? and ?I wish I could go to bed and never wake up? . He is obviously still finding school very confusing
Without adequate help and support for his soiling problem. SALT target 21/9/09 ?X will be able to tell a member of staff when he soils himself? has not been met and no progress has been made. X is still unable to tell a member of staff or use his card and returns home with soiled trousers.
Just some initialthoughts - I started doing it in bold but it was too difficult.
I'd remove any praise of school. I also removed the bit about having had too much adult support - doesn't jell with this appeal for more.
You need to phrase it so that it's his disabilities and inadequate suypport that are causing the problems. I would avoid stating that his behaviour is bad - and emphasis the lack of support causes the behaviourial issues.
When the solictot did our SENDIST submission it started with a background:
X is a n year old boy who has a dx of x. He is attending x school. His difficulties bceam,e apparent at X age and he has recieved X support. the actuial bits you quoted will be in the documents you enclose so you just need to refernce their page in the bundle you're submitting.
Other than that the sequence needs a bit of ordering so it flows - difficulty - what school have done - why that's inadequate - why assessment is needed. penalty for not doing assessment - further detrioration and full difficulties remain unidentified and unsupported.
Best wishes