Autism, when a child gets diagnosed that’s it, therapy stops, why? Is it because they think a child with autism isn’t worthy of the time? Money? Or that there’s no point?
Before his diagnosis he was getting speech therapy, ok two six week block sessions! He had food play therapy too, that was only two sessions and he started school, we were asked if we wanted to go back about a year later but I know there are children out there who will only eat one type of food so I said no.
Speech and language is in Z’s statement. By law he’s entitled to blocks of speech and language therapy, this was due to be continued at school when he started.
It was there then stopped. I asked why I wasn’t having any updates and was told the local authority didn’t have any therapists. Of course lack of funding. Apparently they were looking for new therapists.
That was last year.
He had three months or so left of the school year left what was the point in me trying to get anywhere with the school holidays approaching?
September comes and goes, October and his statement review arrives so query it, some lady rang me back, explained they couldn’t get any speech and language therapists but it had gone out again and they had shortlisted for an interview and that would be taking place in November, someone would be employed and into school by December.
When I asked could I take him to community speech I was told he needed to be reassessed, obviously a year is a long time and things change. Yup, he couldn’t be reassessed because there was no speech therapists available to go into school. We were going around in circles. I was prepared to take him to community but I couldn’t. I wasn’t expecting it to be schools responsibility so to speak, he’s my child and if there was a way for me to take him I’d have happily done it.
January I ring again, to be told that they were going in soon, I spoke to the head in February who told me she was only then having a meeting and would let me know. Last week, they went in and Z was on that list.
Yesterday he was assessed.
Today speech rang me, he will be starting his first block of speech therapy after half term. She will observe him, get to know him and then go from there.
My homework now is to see if he knows objects from a flash card without writing on, this I don’t know if he can actually do, before today I would have said yes he can name things, today I was asked but does he just read them? Good question. If he’d been having speech this time last year I wouldn’t have been asked that question because no one took me seriously enough that he could read. Then we work on adding ‘I want’ to his requests, so when he says “toast” we’ll be working on ‘I want toast’, I’m hoping he’ll be a quick learner and pick it up quickly.
We start with animals and objects, we tried tonight with some but he just read the colours.
Half term next week, and other than practicing his writing and reading he’ll be telling me what every picture I point to is! Hopefully!
Next up a new eduction psychology report to see how much he’s changed and improved or even regressed since he was 2.5. Hopefully that’s not going to take that long.
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