A happy post

I seldom post about Mr Ben's additional needs - 
about autism and specific learning difficulties.

I'm not an honest blogger. I don't write about meltdowns and traumas.

I don't write about my worries. I seldom write about battles with the local authority.

This blog is happy. 

This week I got news that makes me very happy - and so I can share it on here.

Mr Ben will be transferring to High School in September - hopefully the school which Miss Megs attends. The thought of this has been panicking me ever since I won the last battle - to get a statement for Mr Ben, with 10 hours of 1:1 support plus 10 hours from school budget.

A few months ago he was seen by an Educational Psychologist who is new to the LA. What a revelation! She was totally clued up about Autism. She understood Mr Ben instantly. She could see how clever he is - she identified his sensory seeking behaviour. She talked to me for over an hour. She met with Mr Ben twice. She re did all the BAS scales and NFER. She told me her report would cover everything - and that she was "imagining what his statement should look like." I was so hopeful.

And then it went quiet. No report. I chased. School chased. It had gone to the LA team who were rewriting Mr Ben's statement for high school. I imagined that all the good stuff would be taken out as too expensive. I waited. The deadline for transitional statements is 14th of February - knowing the usual LA delays I didn't expect anything before then.

And then - on Saturday - a huge padded envelope arrived the post. The EP report. A report from the Autism Specialist Teacher. And a draft transitional statement.

And after all those years of fighting, and all those years of NO, and all those years of settling .... it was good.

"Sets commensurate with his cognitive ability" 

(which is 99th centile for verbal and non-verbal reasoning - GCA of 135!) 

"Daily intensive literacy sessions" 

(5th centile on diagnostic scales - 10th centile and below for reading and writing)

"Pen portraits"

"Small steps"

"Social skills group"

"Time must be provided for OT within the curriculum"

"Home e-mailed home, completed on computer and emailed back"

"Haven of support for unstructured times"

"Activities that will lesson anxiety"

And 15 1:1 hours funded  - with the school 10 hours on top!

Of course there were things I could quibble with.

Of course  I will make comments and ask for things to be tightened up and quantified in places.

And of course I am expecting there to be battles about the delivery of the statement.

But for now - time to be happy!