General Chat

Thanks Peter, Dawn thanks, I need to PM you as have been involved with cams team myself, too much to put here so will PM tomoz, Caz xxx

Caz, Sorry I should have said. Yes he did but is was a lot of hassle. Because of the time wasters it took so long that he almost gave up. His son was eventually found a place in a specialist school but his parents had to pay something towards it. He is now going on 17 and at a college who are sympathetic to his needs. Regards, P

You need a good senco and what they tell the parents and what they tell other people in the profession that are involved are two different things. 5 Years in we dont seem to be any nearer getting laddo sorted in fact it seems school has given up on him. They dont expect him to get anything in his Sats but dont seem too interested in helping him get help. Ask to be referred to CAMS (Children and Adult Mental Heath Services) to get that I had to break down in the Dr surgery and then he got Health Visitor and School Nurse involved and they both referred him straight away. I was lucky as my health visitor knew me from having tiddler and I had asked her advice before with his eating and she referred him then so knew I wasnt pulling a fast one. Now I am waiting again for him to be assessed for autism and also to get a neirolical assessment as he has no short term memory but it is over 4 months now since we saw Cams and a couple since I sent forms back saying he could be assessed. Good Luck its not a walk in the park . d xx

Just shows you the power of going high up doesnt it Sharleen? I need to fight more, Caz xx

its as difficult as finding rocking horse sh*t My friend sent a video of her son to the PM as she spent 5years trying and when he saw it the child was given a full statement and still has it 9years on!!!

Thanks Carol Caz x

Thanks Carol, I have read some of it and will read the rest later as must get son into bed! It's not dark!! Tracey x

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

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 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

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

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

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 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.?

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

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

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

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 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

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