Aspergers syndrome

[miffy63]

My friend's son has Aspergers Syndrome. Thinking, at the time, that it was the right thing to do she sent him to the local secondary school. This hasn't worked out, the school hasn't helped him to fit in, nor have they used their �30,000 grant for a one to one for him. He had an awful time, bulling mainly, which all ended in near tragedy when he, at 12yrs old, tried to hang himself at school. The school implied that he was attention seeking and was just naughty.
So, since just before Christmas he hasn't attended school. The LEA are saying that he must go back to the school or his parents risk arrest but surely there's something more that can be done.

Can anyone suggest anything his mother can do to, maybe a support group or someone who has been through a similar situation could help.

[cazzz1975]

I would look at getting him into a school that has suitable approaches for a child with aspergers syndrome, his behaviour is a cry for help, he is not happy and rightly so.

If the school is receiving funding to help him and they are not then they are failing him, does he have IEP meetings?

for his sake his parents need to make their voices heard, I would be looking for a more suitable school in which he can flourish. the negative behaviour would disappear overnight

[Ice.Maiden]

I agree with cazzz. An IEP should've been set up throughout the child's primary school days - assuming that the condition'd been diagnosed at that stage - and continued at secondary school. Most schools also now have a Special Needs unit, or SEN teachers, and if these are in place yet nothing's been done, your friend needs to speak with the head teacher and others, urgently. A report should've also followed from the child's primary school, outlining problems. A letter from the paediatrician might help. My own child suffers with AS Syndrome & manages well in mainstream school because of all the support, but in your friend's case, it may well be best to have the boy removed. The poor child sounds very unhappy & needs far more help than he seems to be getting - x.

[josie48]

Was he assessed properly miffy63? Your friend must see their gp who can refer the lad for an assessment. Your friend should also contact MIND, This comes over as a case of neglect on the schools part. How did the son get a grant from the LEA? My son is High fuctioning asperger and was assesses over a 6 week period at infant school. He then attended 2 special schools but neve had a grant of any sort though he does still get DLA. That lad needs much more help via your gp. Good luck to him/

[cazzz1975]

sadly as well there are secondary schools that have these facilities but they do not have good enough pastoral care or properly trained staff,

my brother who has aspergers went to a secondary school that had a special needs unit and he was bullied and treated very badly. even his teacher mocked him in class, you have to be very involved in what is going on with your childs life and education to make sure they are getting the right type of help.

[Ice.Maiden]

Absolutely. It's up to the parents to make sure that their child is receiving the right kind of support and learning. This means being forever one step in front of things, and constantly being in touch with his or her school. To help my own, as well as others in his position, I put in a few voluntary hours when required.

[puss_boots]

I know nothing of Aspergers Syndrome but I feel very strongly about these kids who need help and just end up being bullied. Its about time teachers approached their resposibilities with the attitude that they have a vocation and teaching is not just a job, any teacher who is not sympathetic to all their pupils and to get it into their heads that some kids need a bit of special care should not be in the job.

[josie48]

I 2nd that cazz, Before my son was assessed he was laughed at and when he went to the 1st special school he was put in a class with 3 ADHD boys. Not that they did it purposely but they used to hit my son and one actually jumped on his back when my son was lying on the grass. We had to take him to casualy for x rays which showed very bad bruising on his spine. The head took no notice so we fought to get our son into another special school and after weeks of hassle we succeeded and he never looked back.

[froggequene]

Unfortunately, although it is government policy to include special needs children in mainstream school where possible as your friend's son's experience demonstrates it doesn't always work. Since they haven't supplied a teaching assistant, I'm assuming he doesn't have a Statement of Special Educational Needs.

Under the law of the land children under the age of 16 must attend school and while I'm sure the Education Welfare Office is sympathetic they are obliged to enforce the law. If the child's GP were willing to sign him off sick it might get them some breathing space while they consider their options.

They should try to make contact with their local parent partnership group, they provide help & support for parents of children with special needs
http://www.parentpartnership.org.uk/Templates/ map.htm

Information for parents of children with special educational needs:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Schoolslea rninganddevelopment/SpecialEducationalNeeds/DG _10016184

also try making contact with the National Autistic Society, they should be able to put you in contact with a local support group
http://www.nas.org.uk/

If your friend's son isn't coping with mainstream secondary, it may be worth exploring whether or not there are local special schools where he would fit in.

The mainstream school as it stands can avail of a number of services provided by the Authority - the Educational Psychology Service for one (parents can also contact the EP directly & ask for assessments), they should be able to assess him, there may also be an Autism Adviso

[froggequene]

(continued)
ry Team. Contact the Special Educational Needs section at you Local Authority - they should be able to provide you with advice on the services available to schools and/or parents. Also ask about initiating a Statutory Assessment of Special Educational Needs.

As a last resort the parents may wish to consider home educating, your Education Welfare Officer should be able to tell you who you need to contact to get information on registering for home education.

[froggequene]

Just out of curiosity, can I ask where this figure for a grant 30,000 came from?

[daffy654]

Each child who has a Statement of Special Educational Needs is assessed for funding.This is supplied via a system of banding,each band is allocated a different amount of cash.That is how it was explained to me when my son was assessed. At no time did they mention a grant,just that the school my son was changing to would receive the funding to supply a Special Support Assistant for him.He had previously attended a special school where this obviously didn't apply as they are funded direct anyway. I would also like to know where the figure of �30,000 came from.

[aschealthcare]

As soon as we meet a person we make judgements about them. From their facial expression, tone of voice and body language we can usually tell whether they are happy, angry or sad and respond accordingly. People with Asperger syndrome can find it harder to read the signals that most of us take for granted. This means they find it more difficult to communicate and interact with others which can often lead to high levels of anxiety and confusion. Asperger syndrome is described as a pervasive developmental condition that falls within the autistic spectrum. It is a lifelong condition, affecting about 1 in 200 people and is more commonly found in men than women.

You can get more information @ http://www.aschealthcare.co.uk/about-autism/asperger-treatment-for-adults/