RANT ALERT!!!!
Suddenly out of the blue we have been given two appointments. One with a specialist ASD SALT and the other with an OT and Physio.
SALT was last Thursday and OT and Physio today.
How silly of me to think that finally the local PCT are doing something to address the lack of provision for dxing children with ASD in our area. I had heard on the grapevine that staff had been recruited from out of county for "x" number of days to clear the back log....about time to, I thought.
SALT appointment was excellent and basically she agreed with the private CP's report that J can not be dx with Aspergers due to language delay and yet HFA can not apply because of low conceptual ability....given that J already has a dx of SPD she thought the dx of Autism was the correct dx.
SALT will write to local com pead to say that J no longer needs to remain on local NHS list for dx assessment, as the one we have is far more comprehensive and she is sending us lots of info to help us on our way until J starts back to school in Sept. Three sessions per week of SALT to help with social communication skills will be carried out at school along with two sessions to help with SPD.
OT and Physio appointment today was not so good The therapists had taken time to read all the BIBIC reports. Both are going on a SID 5 day course and both very interested in how the SID programme devised by BIBIC was helping J with his co-ordination and proprioception difficulties.We both thought that finally we were being listened to.
OT was lovely....she supplied us with some "friendly cuttlery" to try and help J to eat with utensils and not his fingers. She gave us some anti slip pads to use when he is eating and is getting some info together about different seats that support "wriggly" children better.
Physio on the other hand hadnt got a bloody clue
J was irritable...it was hot...he couldnt understand what was being asked of him...he was in unfamiliar surroundings and very restless.
The Physio tried to get J to sit and write...J wiggled in his seat...Physio was getting pi55ed off...J was getting pi55ed off....AND SO WAS I.
J kept pushing his seat away from the table...Physio pushed it back...J pushed it away from the table again...Physio shouted...SIT UNDER THE TABLE......So J stood up from his chair and did excatly as asked...he sat under the table and refused to come out again.
DH explained about J taking things literally and that this is part of ASD...Physio argued that it wasnt...I sat thinking "Oh no...here we go again!!!"[banging head against brick wall emotion is needed]
Then Physio starts talking about J's possible placement in Sept....eh???? Possible??? What do you mean possible????
Silly, silly me......the LEA still havent ammended J's statement!!!!!!
Looks like all these appointments which have suddenly appeared are for a reason and that reason appears to be that J may not have a placement at the school after all, despite the numerous letters we have here confirming his placement!!!!!!
AND to top it all the nice OT therapist walked us to the car and on her way she told us "off record" that the Comm Pead will NOT accept the dx that was made by the CP, despite the ASD SALT agreeing with the CP's dxand very very confused!!!!
We arrived home too late to start making the phone calls to the LEA....but guess who will be up bright and early in the morning.
No way are we loosing the placement for J....he NEEDS it.
So fed up...so angry and just feel so sad for J. He has spent the last few months integrating back into school life...we have worried about whether the special school was the right place for him....we've shed far too many tears....spent far too much money paying solicitors to help us on on way and now we could be sitting watching it all slip away....