Special Needs Children

[j.barton1]

Hi All, I've just read all the threads...what inspiration XX

 

My youngest son had thyroid cancer a couple of years ago, he had his thyroid removed, had radiation and hopefully...things are okay. However he has learning difficulties...mainly lack of concentration, difficulty working in groups which is affecting his reading skills, writing etc. He also has hearing problems but as yet his ent has'nt a solution. He copes by lip reading really well..but when teacher has her back to him...doesnt help!!

His medication that he is on also affects him...he can get really tired easily but also over stimulated too.

 

I think he needs extra help at school..he is already registered disabled..at the moment he has a little 1 to 1 for reading maybe 2 hours a week. I think he would benefit from more 1 to 1, would i be able to get a statement for him?

Any idea's would be great, I've just quit my full time job to work school hours as i felt i was failing him, my other 2 children work really well and do help their little brother too.

 

Thanks Jenny xx

[Bookworm]

Jenny, you need to start initiating a Statutory Assessment. They are for establishing the special needs for every child who has educational difficulties. (It so happens that the ones on the autistic spectrum tend to be the ones with more difficulties with the system, as they often have less visible problems, and you might think that Stat Assessment was made for them only! )

 

Statutory assessment is a detailed investigation of a child's special educational needs and the special help needed. It is carried out if the child's school or early education setting cannot provide all the help a child needs.

 

Whether he will need to be statemented or not is further down the road, and will depend on the result of the Stat Assessment, so get that ball rolling, and don't hesitate to holler for help if you get confused or stuck, the system is not particularly layman-friendly.

 

Is he on School Action/School Action +? Does he have an IEP?

 

Thing to bear in mind for anyone who reads this: A child who is registered disabled is not necessarily going to be statemented or even on SA/SA+. A child who is statemented does not automatically qualify for disability benefits. I know of umpteen parents who get turned down for DLA on a regular basis even though their child has a full SoN.

[j.barton1]

Thanks Bookworm,

 

It this what i need to do first?

Dear Sir or Madam,

(Child’s name)(date of birth)

Request for formal assessment

I am writing as the parent of the above child to request an assessment of his special educational needs under the 1996 Education Act.

.......... attends ................ school.

I believe that (child’s name)’s special educational needs are as follows:

XX

My reasons for believing that the school cannot on their own make the provision required to meet my child’s needs are:

XX

I understand that you are required by law to reply to this request within six weeks and that if you refuse I will be able to appeal to the Special Educational Needs Tribunal.

 

" Is he on School Action/School Action +? Does he have an IEP?"

 

Not sure what these are so it must be a no. The school says that he is behind, he has trouble communicating etc...but thats it...they dont offer any advise. He has guided reading for 30 mins each day but thats it.

 

Thanks for the help,

 

Jenny xx

[Bookworm]

Yes, that's the one.

 

Try to approach the school 1st, it is always easier if they're on your side (especially as a SoN would mean that they then get help with the budget for your child's needs instead of it coming out of their total SEN budget), and the SENco can prove invaluable (although that veries widely from child to child), and they may well offer to get the request done themselves.

 

Meanwhile, it might be a good idea to go to your GP and get him to refer you higher up so that you can start having a whole raft of up-to-date specialist reports to back you up. (depending on when the last lot were done)

[j.barton1]

thanks BW, I'll let you know how i get on.

 

Jenny xx

[mariejader]

" Is he on School Action/School Action +? Does he have an IEP?"

 

 

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"!!!