Well so far so good, J has come home and has now been moved into top group for most subjects I never thought in a month of sundays this would every happen, so for all you out there going throught the statement process this just proves with the correct support what can be acheived.

Science is generally a subject that ASD kids do well in and enjoy, so your comment there does not surprise me This could prove to be a issue for him, sadly ASD kids from my experience don't really understand what their problems are, nor did we to be totally honest at the time we got the dx, I think you may need to do a bit more research on this subject to be able to get the help that is being offered. For example some of the problems we have are with bright lights, ie car head lights at night, or the light the dentist uses and firework displays, concerts etc there are so many different issues, we can't put milk on his cereal it has to be in a seperate cup to drink all issues that we have lived with on a daily basis and never took any notice of. I hope this may offer you some help

David I would suggest that you contact the DRC they should be able to point you in the right direction Home - The DRC

Bonnie it sounds like you enjoyed your holiday, you will have to email me some pictures

Well the time is nearly upon us that are little one's are heading back to school or the lions den which I sometimes think is how they see it I have to say this period for us are generally the most difficult terms now until they go back after Christmas. Does anyone else find the next few months more of a probelem?

[quoteCertain things are just begining to click(they keep asking me how is he at sports etc) when he was at primary school all his friends were into football so when the school started football training we let him go,it was heartbreaking watching him he just didn't have a clue he couldn't seem to follow what everyone else was doing at all and they would all shout at him he still isn't keen although his PE teacher did say he was very good at cross country running. ] My lad for the first year at school never did sports it was to much for him, ie the changing room no staff around to help him etc, last year they did manage to get in back into PE but put special measures in to help, he got changed before the rest of the group and if he wanted to take part in the lession he was encouraged, if not he would with his LSA go and shoot hoops with the basket ball, I have to say this was his favourite option, school were happy as he was still doing some PE activity, just goes to show if you have the right support then positive things can be acheived

Woolfie how is you son doing now? I know this topic is over a year old but here is a link that may help others reading it that are in the same situation IPSEA: exclusion, special educational needs and disability: support sheets

Jangles65 can you check that link again please? It won't work for me

Forgot to mention it would be a good idea to keep a daily diary of events, even things that happen at home, I always make a point now of writing down any contact also with the LA and school, ie, the call what was discussed and with whom the call came from, or received letter dated xxxx sounds silly I know but 6 months down the road for example will you remember? I always after any meeting I attend follow up with a letter confirming what my understanding of the meeting was and what and when if any help will be put in place, I always give them the opportunity to respond if my understanding is not the same as what they were offering or not as the case may be. From experience I have found never trust any information you are given at face value, I have been in meetings when pressure has been put on me to make decisions there and then, more often than not they are not the in the best interest of my child so I now use the line "well it all sounds very good, however I would like time to consider my options and talk to my husband/partner about this, if you would put this in writing then I can then make my decision"!!!!!! All sounds very negative I know but I think most of us here have learnt the hard way when the LA are involved

Natalie how is your aunt getting on with your cousin statement?

An IEP is an Individual Education Plan, you should know if your child has one, these are the first steps in getting support for your child, these should be delt with by school and you should have regular contact with SENCO and have a say of what school is recommending I don't think you will be able to get a statement without being on School Action Plus to be honest but I could be wrong on that comment, school action plus is the higher level IEP. I would sugget that you speak with school's SENCO and ask about putting your child on this, if you find he is and you don't know about it I would be worried"!!!

Are you keeping a daily diary and logging all correspondance between yourself and school this will help you when you write your reports because you can then say on x date and x time I received a call from xxx advising xxxx and what your response is. I did this and still do now, even down to how my son is feeling if we had a particually bad night etc, it has proved to be a really usefull tool and often we can find a pattern to what has triggered his problem

Well done Grooveycaz for starting the process running again, now you need to keep an eye on the deadlines they have to reply and make sure they follow the procedure correctly this time, did you order the SEN COP as I suggested in one of my previous posts? I would also suggest that you cc the letter to your MP, give their office a call and explain your concerns and problems and ask them to help you. My LA advised me at the start (before they had even done the assessment) that they did not issue statements for anything under 15 hours I searched the web again and found this is totally illegal they cannot issue blanket policy's each childs needs are totally different and need to be assesed correctly to meet their own requirements, Sadly I am now under the impression that most LA's think they are above the law I know of cases where they have failed to tell parents that they have the right to appeal? Maybe it would be an idea for you now to use this topic as an update of what's happening with your case, post the reply you get from the LA etc as there are so many posts in here giving you good advice hopefully this will help you get the support that you son needs.

Hi Angels just thought I would pop in and say hello to you all I hope you are all well?

Sadly this seems to be the easy answer for schools, below is a link to IPSEA exclusion support which I am sure many of you will find interesting IPSEA: exclusion, special educational needs and disability: support sheets

Most parent in partnership services are run mainly by volunteers, they have no connection with the LA unless they want to contact them for a parent and are totally neutral, our local one is anyhow I have to agree there is not always someone in the office but there is an answerphone which messages can be left, as it's school holidays at present the service is limited but you should get a call back. Like you said Bookworm some are good some are not so good :o but the links to Ace and IPSEA really is enought to get you through the system

Hi Groovycaz I have not yet read all of your topic but I will and answer it bit by bit. In the mean time here is some information I can answer without any research. I take it he is already on School Action Plus on his IEP (Individual Education Plan)? If he is then you are ok to go straight for a statement of special educational needs. Firstly I have to say you are better requesting the statement yourself rather than letting the school do it for you, here is a draft of what you need to write:- You as a parent have more power to progress this all the way, sadly it is a case of having a fight on your hands but remember you are the only one who can fight your son's corner no one else will be able to do it for you, so you need to be strong and don't beleive a word the LA will tell you!!!! remember what is good for them is not good for you (they save money you don't get a statement). As has been suggested you should contact your local parent in partnership service they can attend meetings with you and give you advice on the process. It has also been mentioned that obtaining statements are difficult, that is very true and it's even harder to get them for older children (not impossible if you are prepared to go all the way). Bookworm has advised you that statements are legally binding, although this is true it is only two sections (from memory which are legally binding) I will advise later which sections these are, not that this will make any difference to you at this stage of the process. Personally I have never heard of band D? so if you could explain more about this it may help, also can you write the reason why your LA refused your request before and what dates this was please? as there are time limits involved before you can re-apply if you did not appeal their decision. I would suggest that you have a good look around this site there are loads of downloads available which can guide you through the process of statments also other information which you may find interesting Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) Ltd. I would also suggest that you order the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice , this book is what the LA works to it explains the statement process and can be very usefull for you when you have to sumbit reports, Inside the book there are sections on the pages that are in a purple box, I was advised to quote these bits first if you have any problems as these parts are legally binding and they have to follow them. To get your copy call 0845 60 222 60. (It's a free book) I think that is enough information for now, if you can come back with the dates and reason for refusal that would be good.

I heard Max Clifford has some space on his book Fiona since he and Kerry fell out maybe you should give him a call and have him on standby

Not really, I was made to take a loan out with natwest to clear the od fee's so I am trying to find out if I am able to claim the interest back against the loan but it seems to be a bit of a grey area. I have been doing claims sucessfully for friends but after getting another large amount back for someone with out even a thank you I have decided that's it no more unless it's for me

not finished yet Banking On A Refund? I've not even heard of some of these sites

it's amazing what you find on google New tactics triumph in unfair bank charge claims : Feature : MoneyHighStreet.com Bank Charge Issue Takes A New Turn

does this mean I can buy a new outfit for the Royal Wedding?

You have to marry a prince now princess kia:-D You could put an add on CAG something like this:- Prince Charming required for Princess Kia Applications are required in writing I am sure Queen T could draft a good advert

Hi and welcome as Bigmac has said read read and then read again, there is so much information on here and a whole bunch of us who have been through the process already willing to help you with your claim.

Wow a promotion to "Princess Kia"