Application for a SA - is this enough

[debs40]

If I make an application for a SA, I understand I don't have to put alot of detail down but I'm wondering if these points are enough:

1. SCD confirmed - SALT
2. DCD confirmed - OT
3. Profound sensory problems confirmed (although no OT report as she's still assessing) particularly proprioception (he cannot sit up staright and lolls and flop all the time) and smells/tastes (he vomits!) and he constantly chews everything in class. He also hates wet on him (e.g. rain results in screaming) and his routines and avoidance to manage sensory probelms are getting worse
4. High IQ but middling grades confirmed - the report from last year and this year showed some progress but it lists all his learning attributes e.g. ability to focus etc and they have all slipped from 'usually' to 'rarely' or 'sometimes'
5. DS has lashed out twice when he was moved to a different class with a different group
6. School cannot include DS on trips and suggest he stays at home in case he gets distressed or he ends up not being involved in activities because of sensory problems
7. Getting to school is difficult (lots of routines/sensory problems) as is communicating some problems to staff although he will ask questions about work - he was outside the classroom bent over hiding yesterday on the first day back but when the former class TA (who did the Early Bird Plus course) came over he was ok. Unfortunately they have now moved her out of the class - on the week she finished the course. His teachers have no ASD training
8. He is getting in to trouble in the playground because he can't control the play - e.g. he can't play football (coordination problems) so he stops the other boys. He has been told off for this. They have stopped 'gun games' which he loves and I have asked them to provide alternatives. His teacher told me today that he was getting 'too violent' with them??? They'd not mentioned this before
9. He can eat two hot school meals - the rest of the time he was coming home because he couldn't stand to be in the hall with a packed lunch and the smells. He is going back but only with a packet of crisps. School would not allow him to eat outside the hall.

10. He has been on SA+ since October. SA+ is clearly going to have to go on for a very long time to have any effect! No specialist SALT - difficulties quite subtle and no social skills training - no staff for it 11. Teacher confirms problems with inferences etc for reading 12. DS has problems with writing and needs some assistance although his writing is ok it is not really progressing

What do you think??? Answers on a postcard!

Hi Debs

I think you have a good case and always have done. It is clear to me that SA plus is not as effective here as it should be.

Have a look at this re writing the initial letter:-

www.ipsea.org.uk/What-you-need-to-know/Common-problems.aspx#RequestingAssessment

BTW if you obtain the Statement ensure that SALT provision is in Part 2 as well as 3. Parts 2 and 3 are the most important parts of this whole document so these need to be on the money. Two more important words for you re provision; it must be qualified and quantified. If it is neither then reject and prepare to go to SENDIST.

SOS:SEN and or IPSEA would be able to offer you advice too re this whole minefield.

Good luck, keep us posted as to developments.

Nice to hear from you Attila - thanks. Hope all is well with you.

Remember that the school will eventually get to read what you write so be careful with your wording if you feel like doing so ;)

The SENCO at my school advised me to make the request for statutory assessment fairly detailed. He said in his experience the more detailed requests usually resulted in assessment being approved. This may just be in our borough, but thought it worth mentioning.

In the end our request ran to about four pages.

I made headings of what I thought my DS's special educational needs were, and then gave a brief description with reference to professional opinion. I then made a list of what the school were already doing to support my DS, with brief comments about what was working, what wasn't, what we needed more of.

I used phrases like 'longstanding/severe/ complex needs' and 'requiring long term one-to-one support' wherever I could.

I included an appendices with names and contact details for all professionals involved.

When they had received the letter and informed me of when the complex needs panel would be, I made photocopies of the reports I'd got so far, annotated them with my own notes (pointing out what i disagreed with or if more recent info had come to light etc) and delivered these by hand to the LEA in support of our request.

What are the school saying? Are they supportive? Our SENCO wrote a letter of support for the request, which was helpful.

Thanks. The problem I have is that we don't have all the reports at the moment. We are still waiting for the OT report as assessments are still ongoing (and have been for 5 months). We have no Ed Psych report and he has no diagnosis.

This has put me off making an application previously but it has also been suggested by wise posters on the boards that not having dx/reports should not delay the application as the LA can contact these people or we can get our own diagnostic assessment in the time while we wait to take this to appeal.

It will undoubtedly be turned down initially as the policy here seems to be to do that so I'm lookign at the evidence I need for Tribunal working on the basis I need to establish only that he needs an assessment.

Do you think I should wait for the reprots?

Don't let it put you off. I am only one step ahead of you (have made the request for assessment and the LEA are going ahead with it). I live in an area with a notoriously tough LEA, so it is possible.

We only had fairly old reports from CAMHS, a Paed and a SALT, none of which really reflected DS's problems accurately. What I did was pick out key sentences in the reports I did have that I thought demonstrated DS's problems. I also made notes on where I thought the reports were inaccurate/out of date and backed it up with other evidence e.g. 'Paed reported no gross motor problems in April 2009, however, since then the school SENCo has identified a number of issues with DS's motor skills and has referred to an OT'.

I listed the reports that were outstanding, with reasons/quotes from the professionals that had made the referrals. if you have a supportive GP, they could also write a letter for you supporting your request.

I agree that not having reports SHOULD NOT be grounds for turning down a request for assessment (although it often seems that it is). However, they are at least assessing my son - he has no DX and has never seen an Ed Psych either.

If you choose to wait for the reports (and it is a difficult call), start chasing them up now. Ask to be put 'on call' for cancellation appointments. Complain if you think you have grounds to be bumped up the list. Get your GP or the school to chase up referrals, too. Put EVERYTHING you do in writing (so write and/or email all professionals involved urging them to see your child as a matter of urgency).

Good luck.

Thanks. That is really helpful!!

Good grief, that's more than I ever put.

Good luck.

My LEA are hardcore@AW. They basically turn down requests as routine and expect you to appeal. The SENCo at DS's school told us we didn't have a hope in hell of getting an assessment with the IPSEA model letter (as fabulous as IPSEA are!) and that we needed to kmake a case so strong they wouldn't be able to turn it down - so that's what we did.

We virtually had to write the sort of supporting statement you would write for the assessment in order to get the assessment. Barmy.

I don't know that your case has to be strong, but your communication of expectation and determination has to be strong at this stage.