Transition mainstream to specialist
You have fought your way through the system to access a specialist school placement or maybe you don't know which your child would be best suited at? Your in the right place!
As a parent to 4 neurodiverse children. 2 currently in mainstream and 2 in specialist i can safely say there are benefits of both. What I've learnt is obtaining specialist is a thorough process that takes time. So giving mainstream a chance can be so beneficial for so.mamy children. For example in auroras case mainstream she truly struggled with despite the incredible amount of support and specialist intervention. After nearly completing her primary school years, we have just had specialist agreed. Although it's a long 4 week transition period I'm finding the slow build up is definatley working in auroras favour. Her PDA symptoms are recognised which is so rare to find with her new teacher approaching me with the question, erm is she pda? With that smile on his face. As previously stated auroras needs are extremely clear, no second guessing her symptoms. Unfortunately until formally assessed by a professional we cannot say for sure other than adhd which is privately diagnosed. She was accepted onto leicestershire and rutland community pediatric waiting list March 2020! I have since 2022 been fighting tooth or nail for intervention to no avail.
In our case personally her new medication change has had a big impact on controlling her hyperactivity which I can't imagine doing without. Pre medication aurora was daily self harming, lashing out and rollercoastering all day everyday. Normal sensory stimulates where unbearable and although this i still a struggle it no longer controls her life. The downfall is managing her medication for adhd alone is costing us sometimes up to £350 per month! This isn't a choice nor should it even be one. This is due to the shared care agreement staying a child has to be stable for a minimum of 3 months before the care is shared with GP. Even then this doesn't cover routine check ups with fees of £185 each. Persciptions plus another £75🙄 then the additional for the actual medication for 1 month costing £85. This financial hardship forced onto disadvantaged families is unacceptable. The impact its had on my own mental health constantly banging the same drum with nobody turning. I cannot believe that as a born and bred British citizen my family cannot access basic healthcare. 1q months and still going with Leicestershire ICB response to the difficulties raised rwger back to shared care agreement.policy. it protects those who financially benefit but it does not support the service user as policy states. Please consider signing my petition to promote a amendment to the shared care agreement to protect its users better
Diagnosis and treatment has hugely helped with regards to managing roras adhd. Mainstream with send provision can offer just as much support and interventions as specialist in my opinion. And for children like fifi (my 3rd born) she masks so well in mainstream and although has TICS and suspected adhd/autism she 'copes' with just reasonable adjustment and no ehcp. Every child truly is different. This is why we are referenced as under the 'spectrum' or ' umbrella'.
Eith the older 3 now transitioned/Transitioning into specialist. It has given us all security she will atleast access a education in a setting that suites her needs. She's a super smart cookie and often this isn't seen behind the behaviours.
Specialist has been a absolute life changer not just for her but the rest of the family not to mention relieving the school (although they never once complained and always gave her their everything). To think I was so upset when the LA named this school for our youngest. 2 years later I truly eat my own words and cannot thank them enough for their support with the crazy family.dynamics. don't tell them this but I kind of miss their faces, the coffee over ehcp reviews and overall support. Being roras key workers they truly got to know her amazing character. They became a extended part of the family for sure. Now obtaining their support through our youngest now asd and epilepsy pathway investigations they have shown true love and dedication to finn.
Although we plan to have discussions on specialist due to finn being academically held behind a year and regression still in full force it's unclear if he can continue to thrive without specialist intervention so that urgent review is happening next week.
Point of the post is mainstream or specialist only.you know what's best for your child's needs to thrive. Trust.your instincts. Have a good look around. Observe the students. My motto is if I see students fidgeting at the time reading their English book barefoot. They got that shizzle 👏 always a positive when i found myself looking. Trust yourself ❤️