Fighting The System For Sen Support by Lisa Lloyd

Combating The System For SEN Help by Lisa Lloyd

Lisa Lloyd is a mum of two neurodivergent kids, and is the co-founder of SEND Reform England. She raises consciousness on the truth of hidden disabilities and the realties of elevating neurodivergent kids, providing help and group to these on the same journey.

Her debut guide ‘Raising the SEN-Betweeners’ revealed by Ebury at Penguin Random Home, is out now.

It charts the highs, the lows and the delightfully neurospicy – this guide is for each guardian elevating the ‘in-between’ kids in a neurotypical world. You possibly can be a part of Lisa Lloyd on the rollercoaster journey of elevating neurodivergent kids who don’t match the mainstream however aren’t thought of ‘extreme’ both. Lisa has been there and is able to inform all – from the confusion of the early years and discovering your baby is neurodivergent, to navigating a college system that doesn’t appear to suit, and the day by day frustrations of selecting your battles (and dropping most of them).

Ever questioned what would occur for those who took your autistic three-year-old on a haunted ghost experience? Or what your response could be in case your seven-year-old grabbed a stranger’s backfat within the altering rooms? Marvel no extra! Elevating the SEN-Betweeners is a really trustworthy information for all these mother and father in comparable sneakers, navigating the challenges, joys and hilariously unpredictable moments on daily basis. If that’s you, this guide will make one factor very clear: you aren’t alone.

It’s a brilliantly frank, informative and importantly, supportive guide, and it’s an honour to have Lisa share extra of her experiences on my weblog in her visitor put up under. Over to Lisa!

For individuals who don’t know me, I’m Lisa, often called ASD with a G and T on social media and the creator of Elevating the SEN-Betweeners. I’ve two autistic kids and have just lately been identified with autism myself.

Elevating my kids has proven me what a battle it’s to get any help when you will have a toddler with further wants. It may possibly typically really feel like us mother and father are being ignored and just like the world is towards us, which is among the causes I created my pages online- I needed a secure house for individuals to return with out feeling judged. 

After my son’s prognosis, I assumed we’d get numerous help however, sadly, I used to be mistaken. We had one other battle on our fingers: to show that he wanted extra help in school. 

Many people SEN mother and father are already working on no sleep, following strict routine schedules and battling to maintain our youngsters’ garments on. After I inform you we now have little or no time left to – basically -train ourselves as attorneys and combat the system for help, I imply it. 

The issue is that your baby often has to fail as a way to get the precise help. We would have liked an EHCP (Training Well being Care Plan), however we have been refused the primary time because the native authority wouldn’t even come out to evaluate him. 

So, we needed to collect extra proof and present them that he wasn’t progressing with out the EHCP. Despite the fact that he was verbal and had low care wants, he nonetheless was unable to handle in his mainstream college. The noise was an excessive amount of, and he wanted fixed motion breaks in addition to help with the work being set. 

However, too many instances, the choice on whether or not to grant an EHCP or not comes all the way down to how the kid is performing academically. It hardly ever issues in regards to the baby’s psychological well being and wellbeing, so long as they’re reaching of their work. 

The irritating factor is, our kids might probably obtain a lot extra and accomplish that nicely academically, in the event that they got the proper help within the appropriate setting for them to study. Discovering the precise setting for the SEN-Betweeners is extremely laborious. 

I name them the SEN-Betweeners as a result of they’re those who wrestle to slot in anyplace. They’ll’t address mainstream education however should not thought of extreme sufficient for a SEN college. These kids discover themselves left within the center someplace, often caught in mainstream, however left within the corridors – excluded from class. 

Do I blame the lecturers for this? Completely not. I believe that almost all lecturers are simply as annoyed as us mother and father are and need that extra might be completed for our kids. However with so little funding, it’s unattainable for faculties to fulfill the wants of all their particular person kids. 

So, what might be completed? Whereas ready for an EHCP to be determined, we should be asking the colleges to make cheap changes. Cheap changes don’t value the college any cash and even the smallest of adjustments can assist our kids to handle higher. Faculty uniform for instance, can create a variety of upset for youngsters who’ve sensory points. Permitting kids to have a extra relaxed uniform – as a way to make them extra snug – will imply that the kid is just not so distracted by their discomfort all day and is ready to study higher. 

The federal government have just lately been speaking about how vital college attendance is, and faculty avoidance may be very excessive with SEN pupils. We have to begin making college a extra neurodivergent-friendly setting for our kids and these cheap changes are one of many first steps in making this occur. 

I additionally imagine each mainstream college ought to have a SEN provision inside it- a spot the place the kid can go to take a while away from the mainstream setting. A spot the place they will be happy to stim (arm, hand flapping and many others.) and transfer. A spot that’s outfitted with sensory tools to assist them regulate once more. How do I do know that these provisions assist? As a result of I’ve seen this with my very own baby, Finley. Earlier than he was allowed to attend this SEN provision at his college, he was having meltdowns on daily basis and was more and more falling behind together with his schoolwork. As soon as he was capable of attend the specialist provision, he was a lot happier and started progressing once more. 

So, my message to any mother and father on the market who could be studying this, is please preserve combating. I do know it’s laborious, however our kids need to have an training appropriate to their wants they usually definitely need to be completely satisfied. There have been many instances that I felt like giving up and felt utterly remoted on this journey, however I promise you, you’re not alone. There are some mother and father simply at the start of their journey, parenting neurodivergent kids, some on the finish and many people proper within the thick of it… And I’m a kind of within the center heading face first into the ‘horrible teenage years’. Please ship assist! 

Keep robust guys and preserve combating.

You should buy Lisa’s guide here.

Images credit score: Andrew Hayes-Watkins.