General Chat

How difficult is it to get one? My 8 year old dyslexic lad is classed as 1 in 100 kids who have a large discrepancy between his IQ and literacy ability, the school keep fobbing me off about his statement, do you think he has a chance and am i right in thinking i will really have to fight for it? Thanks, Caz xxx

I have been trying to get my son assessed for something - long story . Anyway I asked the SENCO would there be any chance he could be statemented &she replied I wouldn't have a chance as there was a boy in Juniors who has been diagnosed as Autistic since reception & is still not statemented!! Not sure how hard you would have to fight. Has he been seen by the Ed Psycologist (sp)?

The sooner he has a statement the better - see if you can get your GP to back you as well. Schools are reluctant to 'label' children but the sooner they get extra help the more likely they are to learn to cope with their problems.. Gwynne

Hi Carol, I work with pre-school children and it is very hard for us to get a statement arranged if we think one of the children requires it - but not impossible. Keep pushing the school, make appointments to see their special needs co-ordinator and ask what they are doing to help you and your son, follow everything up and if all else fails you could always arrange to have your son privately assessed to judge his level of need. Don't give up as the sooner he receives help the better it will be for him. Wishing you well, Helen xx

Sorry to say but unless you have good teachers YOU will have to fight..... My husbands nephew is ADHT (or something) and his sister has fought for 8 yrs to be recognised even down to her daughter has had to be put on the 'at risk' register. My sister has a child who tho' not dislexic (sp) has something similar where all his words flow in to each other, and as a young child he was so hard to under stand. He is now 12 but only diagnosed in the last 2 years, when pushed( as our step mum is was a teacher for the impaired). So fight and good luck Jac ps pm me if you want more info

Hi Penny he had ed psych report nearly a year ago and she classed him on the severe side of dyslexia, as did the literacy specialist teacher, gwynne, my GP is going to refer him to special dyslexia centre in manchester, and hope the NHS will fund, Helen,he does need the help so much, he goes to a small village school which is lovely but i feel isnt meeting his needs, his IQ is a year ahead but his reading age is 5! Tanks, Caz xxx

Did the Ed P not suggest he should be statemented?

Thanks jaqui I will PM you, yes penny she did but the school said we'd have more luck on the behaviour route as he was traumatized with his dad ging to Iraq! Still nothing! Caz xxx

HI Caz It is generally getting harder to get a statement these days. You will have more chance if the school backs you and, even better if the EP does too as they carry a lot of weight. You are entitled to request a statement from the Local Authority and they do have to consider your request and respond to it. Although a statement can be helpful in identifying specific needs and emphasing the severity of the problem what is more important is are his needs being met within the school - it sounds as though they matbe aren't. Do the school have any knowledge of dyslexia and/or access to a specialist teacher for dyslexia to come in and advise them, what strategies do they have in place. A lot of schools and some authorities are trying to be 'Dyslexia Friendly' which is great. A school which understands and empathises with a dyslexic child can be really effective. You may find it helpful to contact the British Dyslexia Association as they offer a lot of information and support for parents. Hope this is helpful. Pm me if you like - I've got quite a lot of experience with dyslexia Kate

hi caz as you know my son has high functioning aspergers as soon as he was officially diagnosed with it , he was statemented. I wasn't aware people had problems getting it, but then i didnt know it exsisted till he was statemented if you know what i mean . hope you get the help you need.

Hi Caz It is incredibly difficult to get statements now - have been trying for one of the children in my class for the last 4 years. You do need your GP on side, and although I hate to say it, the more a parent is able to push, and fight for their child, the more it is likely to happen. Unfortunately the parent of the child in my class has severe learning difficulties of her own, and has been unable to fight her child's corner. To a certain extent, the school is very limited as to what they can do, and SEN budgets are being slashed all the time. Good luck with the battle - don't give in. Sharon xx

would i be right in thinking it depends on where you live and funding, i can see ive been very lucky, and my son without it he wouldnt be where he is now about to sit his gcse

If you are having problems getting a statement push the school and education board and the LEA they will help you don't sit back and you can even as for a Educational Phycologist to see him as that will help also

Hi From my experience working in schools with SEN children, the parents that make the most noise get the most help(rightly so). You need to keep pushing . A lot of the problem now adays is that unless the child is given 20hrs support it has to be funded from the school budget. The process for getting a statement is very long winded and lots of evidence needs to be collected to support the schools claim and even then it can be thrown out by the powers that be. It is really hard to get the hours for support. Have you asked if they have had someone in to give advice to the staff on how best to support your child ?such as doing work sheets on different coloured paper, (some colours are better then others it depends on the individual) does he have a coloured overlay to help when he is reading? There are some work schemes designed to help dyslexia, ask the school if they have any.?

Thanks Caz for raising this issue as it has helped me reading all of the replies. I am going to try and get my son statemented with the full backing of his school. He can't read a word and is nearly 7 , in fact he can't do enough to assess for dyslexia. My nephew was statemented at age 9 for dyslexia and came on in leaps and bounds. Tracey x

Hi Tracy, It is deeply frustrating isnt it and awful to see your child struggling so much, my lad of 8 was like yours, he could barely read enough to be assessed. I am trying through the NHS to get help for Will as it was an avenue that was suggested, I had to take all his reports to our GP, Good luck with your lad and please PM me any time you want, Caz x

its so hard to get a child statemented because the education department then has to pay the school more money to teach the child that's why most statements come back UN approved

Thanks Caz and Joy The SENCO did say the parents who push the most are the most successful. I have an appointment with the ed. pyschologist in about 3 weeks so that is the first step. Tracey x

I have a colleague at work who has first hand experience. One of the problems today is too many people trying to jump on the band wagon the minute their child shows behavior problems. An increasing number of parents are trying to get their children statemented when in reallity what they need is a sharp kick up the backside, both kid and parent. This means that the children who really need help are not getting the attention they should and suffering as a result.

Thanks Joy, good luck with the ed psych Tracy, Peter I had an older child with behavior problems but didnt try the statement route as their work was ok, Will is a bright kid who is being severely hampered by dyslexia, did your workmate have success in the end? Caz x