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SEN

Desperate Mummy of Aspergers son

11 replies

HongKongMummy · 14/10/2012 04:14

I'd REALLY love some advice from any other parents who have Aspergers children and have had them statemented.

We have lived aboard for 12 years and are now wanting to move back home to the UK as we have found a great school for our Aspie son as there is no school where we currently live. Only problem being... THE FEES! There is no way we can afford them so need to find out how to begin to statement our son. Can we start the process from aboard? How long does it take? What documentation do we need to collate? We really are clueless about the process.

Any help or advice? MANY thanks :)

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Pennina · 15/10/2012 18:38

Does your child currently have a statement or an equivalent where you currently live? If so then I'd contact your local authority advice.

Does your son have an official diagnosis? If so then if you liaise with the SENCO at your son's new school they should be able to help you get set up.

If your son doesn't have an official diagnosis then the whole procedure can take a while, let me know if that is the case and I'll give you the benefit(!) f my experience gladly,

Pennina

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ilikemysleep · 16/10/2012 22:05

Hi HongKong Mummy
Whatever local authority you move to will need to assess your son's needs using their ed psych so I don't think you can start the process from abroad, though in the circumstances they might waive the intervention over time at school action and school action plus that is usually attempted before a statement is requested, especially if you have evidence that he has needed something additional to or different from standard differentiation in his current school. In reality unless his needs are very complex and well documented he'll probably have to go to local mainstream school at least during the assessment and even if the local authority agrees he needs a statement and special schooling (which is by no means guaranteed for an aspie kid, most are in mainstream) it's practically guaranteed that they would offer their own local authority maintained special school for children with autism rather than immediately offering to pay private boarding school fees. You'll probably have to go to tribunal to get that. So I'm afraid it's far from a straightforward process. If there is incontrovertable evidence that his needs are really very complex indeed it might be easier but I have to say (for very good reasons, they aren't made of money) local authorities don't tend to fund expensive boarding provision if they provide local provision that can meet the same needs.

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ilikemysleep · 16/10/2012 22:07

Sorry , I see you haven't said boarding - however the info is the same, if they have equivalent state provision the local authority won't pay private provision without a fight.

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SchnitzelVonKrumm · 17/10/2012 14:53

I don't think a statement will get your private school fees paid.

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twolittlemonkeys · 17/10/2012 15:01

I agree with PPs, a statement will not enable you to get private school fees paid, especially as most children with Asperger's can be accommodated fairly well in mainstream schools. Many state schools have autistic units attached/ provision for pupils with ASD.

Even getting a statement is not guaranteed for a child with Aspergers - it's hard to get them for children who don't have very complex needs and require one-to-one assistance. My son has Aspergers and the school won't entertain the idea of getting him statemented - it comes down to cost. Unless a child needs over 16 hours a week one-to-one to function in school, the school has to fund the cost of a TA, whereas if they need more than that (which is fairly unlikely as Aspergers is generally on the high functioning end of the Autistic Spectrum), the LEA funds it.

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catsinthegarden · 21/10/2012 13:09

My DS has Aspergers and has private school fees funded by the LA through a statement. It's not a special school, but it has a significant proportion of pupils with SEN. It was a long fight, it took 2 years to get his statement and another year to get the placement via a tribunal. It cost us about a year's fees in total to pay for the legal help, evidence etc, but he will be at the school for at least six years so it was worthwhile.

DS is high functioning and it's true that most pupils with Aspergers attend mainstream schools; many don't have statements. But he needs a lot of support and high levels of anxiety. We had to show that none of the local state schools could meet his needs - this meant visiting all the schools, some with our private Ed Psych, who wrote a report setting out why they were unsuitable.

You need to be in the UK with a UK address to deal with all this, you'll have to do lots of chasing up and have meetings so I can't see how it could be done from overseas.

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bionicmother · 09/02/2013 20:47

I am looking at the moment for a good school for my son who is 12. He is very bright and needs challenging place. The LEA is hellbent to send my son to special school and we are opposing it. He has a very good SEN statement and we can get funding for TA. We live in Ealing. Any advice?

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DeeCee64 · 21/02/2013 23:33

Ealing is great unless you have a child with SEN. Ealing have fab provision for kids & teens who are severely impacted by their autism, and they'll be ever so quick to tell you so, too. For mid-to-high functioning autism, however, Ealing stinks. Our experience is Ealing base their statements on the provision they happen to have available whether or not it's actually applicable to the child. Our statement bore no resemblence to our child's needs. Ultimately, we moved to a borough which was able to accommodate our child's SEN (Atypical Autism/Asbergers) and all without being made to feel we were an imposition. Amazing how much progress DD has made since she's had the support she needs. Best move we ever made.

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windsoldier · 13/03/2013 10:36

Hi

I am brand new here :0) to cut a story shorter: I have a son with a diagnosis of High Function Autism, he was in mainstream education - it was terrible was bullied mercilessly by teachers and pupils alike, could go on, is now permanently excluded and being homeschooled and attending a key centre where he is doing sooo well - (small groups and one to one - not rocket surgery! ) anyway - I believe the best school for him going forward is actually a private school very local to us, for many reasons( special interest in AS, small class, school/ head's ethos of kindness and tolerance, walking distance from home, the only school to offer this round here etc.) I am about to embark on what I believe will be a bit of a fight with the LA for funding. I have the professional support of his CAMHS clinicians and the staff of the centre he is currently attending for the move to this school, but have been advised to look at other cases ( and site them specifically) of children with the same or similar diagnosis being granted funding for private education, to strengthen my case. would anyone be interested in allowing me to share their specific experience to assist our case?

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windsoldier · 13/03/2013 11:56

@ HongKong Mummy: First point of call could be your SEN Assessment and Review Service (SENAR?) which should be part of your City council or Local Authority and request a statement of Special Educational needs for your son - you can do this you dont have to wait to for anyone else. Do get in touch with Parent Parnerships - who can help you through the process, but you must know that you have to be really proactive and fight this fight for your child! I was quite overwhelmed at first, and then totally beaten down, and then 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' and my boy has spent 3 years in a mainstream school that had no interest in supporting him, while occasionally paying lip service. dreadful sitch that I hope he can recover from!

Do get your GP to refer him to CAMHS if you can, they have been wonderful for us - his Psychiatrist has known him since he was 5 and has His best interest at heart!

My son has an above average IQ and academic ability - and difficulty with anxiety and social situations. He should not be in our local special school, he should be in the right main stream school with support, ( state or private) where he is nurtured and can FLY - That is just absolutely it. period.

Good luck with your journey - please ask me anything and I will try to help you by sharing my experience:)

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alisoco400 · 01/06/2013 10:35

My son is 14 diagnosis of AS with no statement in a main stream school (who have now broken him) complete breakdown and has not left the house since the 18th of march, he is high functioning no specific learning difficulty but his anxieties are through the roof, he has the usual range of issues including vomiting and diarrhoea - He is being offered a place at the local pupil ref unit they are good but not trained specifically in AS and will not offer the correct exams 5AC at GCSE I understand a change in the equality law in SEPT 2012 gives him the right to full time education in the correct setting he is signed off by CAMHS as medically unfit to attend a mainstream school setting how do I go ahead and get a statement any one in the same boat?

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