Hi,

My son is 10 and is going into Y6 when he returns back to school - but he has small mental problems and learning difficulties and is at least 3 years behind a normal 10 year old.

The thing is he wasnt going to be accepted into a "normal" primary school but i pushed and pushed until they would take him and i know that by doing this it has brought him a long way - he wasnt talking until he was 5 - and now hes well on his way.

The thing is i also want him to go to a "normal" secondary school but i think to bring him a little more up to speed - i want him to have some extra learning after school.

No-one seems to help hes not in a catergory so theres no further help even though he is on the Disability Register - But hes not properly disabled hes just a little behind other kids.

Please if anyone knows anything let me know!!

I will be so grateful!!

Kind Regards,

Kellyanne

kelly, i think you need to speak to the education dept in the council. im not sure if this can help, but my good friend who works in manchester, visits children each day to assess what problems a child may have with their education as well as social issues, and advises the education dept on what is best required for these children. as you say, quite often, keeping a child within a 'normal' school is soo much better than sending them to a school for specific learning difficulties if your child doesnt really have these.

suggest you speak to education dept first, if no joy, speak to citizens advice and take it from there.
good luck

Have you spoken to his school about it? They may be able to identify areas where your son needs some extra help or put you in touch with someone who can help you. Then there are things like Kumon but they do cost money. In the meantime you can help him out at home using workbooks, games etc. You can get the workbooks for slightly younger children to help him catch up.

Theres a place by Tesco on infirmary road called Centenary house which works with childrens development. i think its run by the nhs but i no lots of youngsters who attend.

The Education Authority (the council) should be able to help. See http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/education/information-for-parentscarers/sen/sen-faq

There is a voluntary organisation called the Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA) which may be able to advise you.

Hi Kellyanne ,
Does your son have a statement of special needs ?
Karen x

Hi,

Thanks everyone for your help i will have to look into everything everyone has said im so grateful.

He doesnt have a statement no - they have said hes not in a "cetergory" and i dont like how he is just another statistic on there database - hes just a boy who needs extra help for his learning and development i dont want him to feel like hes done anything wrong.

hes not under developed in any other way - hes quite tiny but arent most kids - but he still needs hugs and everything - although hes 10 and gets treated like a 10 year old because i feel its the best way to bring him forward - and its obivously working due to the difference in him since been 5 has been amazing.

Its just that although going to a normal primary school has helped him he still plays with some of the younger kids but he does seem to be the subject of some bullying - not much its just occasional.

Thanks Again everyone!

Hi Kerryanne,
I work with children with special needs and i know how frustrating it canbe when you need extra help with your childs education. Try speaking to you sons new teacher, the are always willing to help. You may also consider contacting Ryegate Childrens Center in Sheffield. It may be a good idea if the school gets in contact with the learning support services to see if they can offer you any adive and support.

I think it sounds like he hasn't really been assessed. Has he been assessed at the Ryegate centre. Your school has a special needs coordinator who you should talk to. Also ask the class teacher for some suggestions of things you could do to help. Even without a statement the school has to fit what they teach to each pupil. If you don't feel he is progressing you should talk to his class teacher or the head.

When my son was 6 it was quite clear there was a problem with his learning .He really couldnt read and could not write his name at all . I told his teacher my concerns at the opening evening and she said the same .She said she'd tell the head her concerns and see what could be done to help him.
Nothing was done and i made him an appointment to see a doctor who specialises in learning difficulties only to get a letter saying as the school had not refered him the doctor wouldnt see him !!
I was fuming , in the meantime some of the other kids in his class had picked up on the fact that he couldnt read and write and really started bullying him .He used to come out of school and scream that he hated me because i sent him to school and i knew that he was being picked on and bullied , it was heartbreaking . I kept going to the head and saying things were getting out of control but he never did a thing about it .
He kept saying that i was just comparing my son to my daughter who is bright as a button and has been reading and writing since she was about 2 , and that "no 2 children are the same"
We moved house just after that and moved schools .
As soon as we moved schools they said straight away that he had a problem. His behaivour was terrible by now , he said everyone hated him , found it hard to make friends and called himself stupid because thats what all the other kids said , and if anyone looked at him he'd scream at them as he thought they were going to pick on him , this makes other kids wind him up because they liked to see the reaction they got .
The special needs co-ordinator got straight onto the education board to put a statement of special needs in order . He has seen lots of specialist doctors , educational phsycologists , behaivoral specialists to name but a few .
It has taken 3 years of heartbreak and hard work and he has just been awarded the statement because he is dyslexic , has severe behaivioral problems due to the fact that it has taken so long to diagnose his problems , he has autistic tendencies and a v low self esteem.
He is such a loving little boy, and like your son he loves playing with kids younger than him because he has more in common with them , he likes playing there games and they are on the same reading books as him .
Get in touch with your schools special needs co-ordinator and if that dosnt get you anywhere go straight to the head of education yourself .
It is a lot harder to get anything done when children are in secondary school , one of my sons teachers told me that , so get the ball rolling now .
It is hard work getting people to listen to you , but it is your sons right to get a full education , and it can take a long time to get something done but it will be worth it in the end and you know your son will be getting the best education he can .
If you need any more info Pm me .
Lots of luck and lotsa luv Karen xx

Kelly,
Firstly well done for trying to sort all of this out. If you get in touch with you local LEA then they should be able to help you.

I was 20 when they finally found out i have sevear dyslexia. And my mom always pushed for me to go to "normal School" I got through my GCSE's and A Levels, and my first to years of Uni without any help. And i still have a reading age of a 10 year old at the age of 22....

But i do now have a degree.... Help is out there, i know its hard to find, and as i didnt go to school round here nor university i dont know of any contacts. But my best advise is to contact ur LEA and they should be able to help you.

But dnt give up :)

My son has coordination and learning difficulties due to a rare condition. I know how frustrating it is when your child obviously needs help but they don't fit into one of the categories that the education authorities like to file children under.

There are several conditions that seem to press the right buttons, such as autism, and ADHD, but if your child doesn't have one of those then it's a nightmare trying to get help.

We had no progress with getting help for our son until we were lucky to get a referral to the Ryegate centre, and since then have had a proper diagnosis, and he now gets DLA and is statemented at school, which has helped him tremendously.

So don't give up, and try to get help.

Edit: I've found the Details of D.I.S.C. - An information service that helps families with childen with disabilities. This is an excellent service, and well worth giving them a ring for advice.

http://dagda.shef.ac.uk/help_yourself/full_search_new.asp?name=DISABILITY+INFORMATION+SE RVICE+FOR+CHILDREN+AND+YOUNG+PEOPLE+%28DISC%29

Just one thing the average waiting time for the Rygate Centre is 18 months to 2 years.

Hi Everyone,

All i can say is thanks so much for everyones help!! this has helped so much.

Hes always been behind the other children but recently its getting really bad - its not only in his learning but his general everday life - he still cant grasp how to tie his laces and hes 10 - he learnt and then the next day he couldnt do it again - he still cant button his shirt properly - so normal things can be a total nightmare - but hes a brilliant kid - honestly everone comments on how good he is and sweet - i just want the best for him as does everyone with there own.

Thanks again everyone and hopefully i can get him a statement and get some more checks done on him!

Thanks!!!

xxx

Hi Kellyanne,

I totally agree with all the brilliant advice you have been given here, the best place for your son to be seen would be Ryegate, But as duckweed says there may well be a 2 year wait for him to get an appiontment, in the mean time contact Centenary house you can self refer, so no need to wait for school/GP ect. However you can apply for a statement without a diagnosies (sp?) you would need a very strong case, but its is worth a try !!

take alook at this site

http://www.ace-ed.org.uk/advice/booklets/GettingStatement.html


Hope this help and Good Luck xx

I've moved this thread to the Disability and Carers group to get the opinion of other parents of children with learning disabilities- I'm afraid I can't offer you much help personally, but I hope you get some support for your little one.

I suggest you get in touch with the Sheffield Parent Partnership scheme. The support worker has helped us greatly. Highly recommended.


Parent Partnership Service
The Sheffield Parent Partnership Service provides impartial information, advice and support to the parents and carers of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). Parent Partnership can offer advice over the telephone or in person.

When might you want to contact Parent Partnership Service

You might want to contact Parent Partnership Service if:


* School has told you that they think your child needs some extra help in school
* School has suggested that your child should see ‘someone from STEPS’ or an Educational Psychologist or a doctor or a nurse or some other professional
* Someone has suggested that your child needs ‘a statement’
* You are concerned that your child is not getting enough support in school
* Your child is undergoing ‘assessment’
* You don’t understand the terms being used to describe your child
* You don’t understand the letters and documents that you have received about your child
*
You are unhappy with or are having problems with school or the CSA
* You feel that no-one is listening to or understanding you


Parent Partnership Co-ordinator
Bradway Suite
Blades Enterprise Centre
John Street
Sheffield
S2 4SU


Telephone: 0114 2922161

Email: ed-parent.partnership@sheffield.gov.uk


http://www.sheffield.gov.uk/education/information-for-parentscarers/conciliation-services/parent-partnership

hth

Are there any homework clubs in your area? They can help kids keep up or catch up with others.

Parent partnership mentioned above is fab. Peter Dickson is the man who helped my son and I can't speak highly enough of his successful help.

thanks everyone,

Once the weekend comes and im not working im going to be looking into each and every single one - thankyou so much, if anyone does have anything else then please let me know.

I just want the best for him - its what every kid deserves at the end of the day and i will make sure its in my best interest to make sure he receives everything he is eligable for!

Thanks!!

xx

As a teacher with daughters with dyslexia I understand some of the issues. In my exeprience getting your local GP involved often works well. But is a matter of consistent work and daft as it sounds as a parent you will get a refferal quicker to STEPS than the school. A talk with the SEN co-ordinator can help and pushing in terms of litigation regarding your child's needs is always a last resort - does get secondary schools working.

As a teacher with daughters with dyslexia I understand some of the issues. In my exeprience getting your local GP involved often works well. But is a matter of consistent work and daft as it sounds as a parent you will get a refferal quicker to STEPS than the school. A talk with the SEN co-ordinator can help and pushing in terms of litigation regarding your child's needs is always a last resort - does get secondary schools working.

When we first realised my son had a problem we were told by school to go to our local doctor,we told him about my sons problems and he turned round and said "what do expect me to do about it , its a problem to do with education and im a doctor not a teacher " , i was speachless , school were saying take it up with your doctor and the doctor was saying take it up with school !!. i was just going round in circles .

I understand that you have been getting the run around, few people at schools are trained to deal with these issues, the closest is the SEN Coordinator and they probably teach full time as well. The issue is funding ahs been greatly reduced, where have we heard that before, so there is a need to have a bank of evidence to provide them. Drag together any details of doctors, health workers visits along with school reports and discussions at school. That will give you a clear outline of your sons issues and what if any intervention has taken place.

Your doctor can do things for you, he can write a leter outlining his assessment of you sons ability to communicate (this can be forwarded to the school the LEA and the PCT), he can refer him directly to Ryegate, he can organise a health worker visit and assessment.

My experience was I had to act like a petulant boy to get my way, which was realistically too late for my youngest daughter. Stamp your feet, refuse to take no as an answer!

I don't know what these are like but researching something else I came across this service: Sheffield Citizen Advocacy 0114 276 3110
Sheffield Citizen Advocacy offers individual advocacy support to people with learning disabilities. Speaking Up For Action is an advocacy organisation which offers individual and group support to people with learning disabilities.
May be worth a call.

You may also want to try an organisation called Education Otherwise which is primariy for home educators but I've heard of people who've had kids who had difficulty with ordinary school arrangements using their facilities.

One word of warning is to beware or some outside organisations that offer assessment and tuition for a fee. My husband as a teacher has come across people with no training or qualifications who offer to assess for dyslexia and charge a fee. Their advice has actually turned out to be bogus and often makes things more difficult for the school to get the right assessment as parents are convinced by these quacks that they have a dyslexic child.
My child was very slow to tie shoe laces and many other physical stages were late compared with the average. She had poor balance and coordination as far as p.e and running etc.. She turned out to be dyspraxic but that is only a lable not a diagnosis. Every child is different. My daughter was so bright her other problems were overlooked and she wasn't assessed till she was 11. The physio gave her a group of exercises which improved her balance and coordination so well that it isn't such a big problem now. She still has problems with organizing herself and has no concept of time but it gets better day by day. Stick with it. Things will get better when you have the right help.