| The British government has promised that "a child with special educational needs should have their needs met" (sec. 1.3, SEN Code of Practice, 2001). This is a pretty rash thing to promise; since there is no way that they have the resources to back this up. However, there it is, in black and white!
So, how do you make sure that your child with special needs gets the help they need in school? First, understand how your school is set up. Second, even with governmental promises, there is still a limit to the resources. You need to develop a good working partnership with your school so you can state your concerns and be confident that they will be resolved.
Typically, a child's educational needs can be met in the normal classroom (commonly called mainstreaming). If it does become evident that the child is not making progress as expected, the school has the responsibility to take some action. Progress delays are evaluated in the following areas:
a. communication problems, such as a problem with social interaction with others or speech problems (examples include: autism, Asperger's Syndrome) b. processing problems, such as a delay in thinking and learning (examples include: poor memory, poor concentration, low IQ, dyslexia) c. emotional/behavioral and social development, physical disabilities or sensory processing problems (examples include: deafness, paralysis)
If you have concerns about your child, discuss them with your child's teacher and/or the school's SEN Co-coordinator. If they are in agreement with your concerns, they may place his or her name on the Special Educational Needs Register. In fact, they may have already done so.
The normal way to do this is to draw up an individual education plan (IEP).
Certain target goals are spelled out on the IEP. The targets are then reviewed about every six weeks. They could be academic, like reading and writing, or behavioral. An example of behavioral would be to teach the child to raise her hand when she wants to ask a question. Social goals could include learning to interact well with other children. Physical goals would pertain to physical or medical disabilities or needs.
On this IEP certain targets are identified and worked on, with these targets being reviewed every six weeks or so. These targets might be academic such as reading or writing, or there may be behavioral such as putting a hand up to ask a question, they might be social such as getting along with other children at play time or indeed they may be physical if the child has any particular physical or medical needs or disabilities.
Parents should normally be invited to take part in the process of drawing up and reviewing these IEP targets. Indeed, you will best help your child if you are fully involved in the process, as there may be things you can do at home that would support what the teachers are doing in school.
Occasionally it will become apparent that the school alone does not have sufficient resources to solve the problem. In that case, outside experts are brought in to assist. Often times this will consist of an educational psychologist or some other type of professional. These experts may extend their advice to the school, which is called "School Action Plus".
Sometimes when the child's needs are severe, the intervention by school is not enough. In those cases, you may apply for a Statutory Assessment of SEN, which is usually conducted by the Local Education Authority (the county council). If the Authority's assessment agrees that the needs are severe, they may issue a Statement of SEN which further documents what the needs are, and what the school (and others) are legally required to do to meet those needs. Should the LEA refuses to complete a statutory assessment or issue a statement, you have rights (as the parent) to appeal their decision.
Just because the LEA grants a statement, that doesn't necessarily mean that the school will receive any extra money to do provide the services as indicated in the statement. The school will continue to be put in an awkward position of determining how to divide up their limited cash amongst all the SEN children in their school.
This is why close co-operation between home and school is essential The school is not your enemy, so fighting with them is unlikely to get your child the help she needs. Do try to be polite and friendly, and listen to what they say about your child. At the same time, don't be afraid to speak up if you are worried that something is being missed or not dealt with. After all, if you don't speak up for your child, who will?
Hopefully, with a properly developed education plan to meet the child's needs, your child will find school a fun, stress free environment. If your child is happier at school
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