AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
DESPITE suffering from sensory and social interaction difficulties four-year-old Josh Kerr has been refused a place at Crosshouse Primary's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) base. His furious mum Jennifer fears he will now struggle to cope in a mainstream school.
East Kilbride News
Jennifer Kerr with son Josh (4)
A furious mum has told the News she is appalled her four-year-old autistic son has been refused a place in a specialist base in the town.
Jennifer Kerr, from East Mains, has been told that her son, Josh, will be placed in a mainstream school after the summer holidays instead of the specialist Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) base at Crosshouse.
South Lanarkshire Council are looking to reduce the capacity at the ASD base at Crosshouse to from four to three ASD classes by August 2015 and to two classes by August 2016.
These proposals have sparked a petition by the Crosshouse Parents Group who have children at the base and Jennifer told the News she fears Josh’s sensory difficulties means he will be unable to cope in a mainstream class and will struggle to keep up with other pupils.
South Lanarkshire Council have said because Josh has no “core educational difficulties”, including dyslexia and dyspraxia, he doesn’t meet the criteria to secure a place in the ASD base.
But Jennifer insists that is simply not the case due to her son’s sensory and social interaction difficulties as well as other personal problems.
“More and more children like Josh are being put into mainstream education and they simply can’t cope,” she said.
“Staff at the ASD base at Crosshouse are trained specifically to deal with children with autism and help them overcome sensory and social issues and become fully independent.”
She went on: “However, the council seem to be ignoring the fact bases like Crosshouse were set up for a reason and children like Josh are slipping through the net.
“If we can’t provide these children with the proper education they need how will they ever become fully independent adults and useful members of society?
“I know Josh simply won’t cope in a mainstream set up.
“I have heard of one child who wasn’t coping in a mainstream school so was given two days a week in a specialist base.
“However, he ended up being fully suspended from school and because the council couldn’t find a place for him anywhere else, all he has is two days a week at the base.
“I have also been told there is basically no right of appeal and that my best option is to wait until Josh fails in the mainstream set up and put in a request for a place at the ASD base.
“But why should I have to put him through that? It isn’t fair for any child to be sent from pillar to post like that.”
Jennifer also argues that the training for teachers in mainstream school isn’t adequate to meet youngsters’ specific needs.
“Training for staff is purely voluntary and not compulsory. Surely any teacher teaching special needs kids should have to be trained sufficiently?,” she continued.
“Someone needs to start standing up and fighting for these kids who really don’t seem to matter.”
South Lanarkshire Council refused to comment on an individual case but Jim Gilhooly, executive director for education resources, said: “I want to reassure parents that there are no plans to close the specialist provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder in Crosshouse Primary School.
“There are also no proposals to reduce the current provision for children with autism in this part of East Kilbride.
“In fact, the decision made by the executive committee in November will increase provision for children requiring additional support as demand increases.
“This is being done by expanding facilities, including specialist classrooms, for ASD pupils at Greenhills Primary, which is one mile from Crosshouse Primary.
“South Lanarkshire Council is committed to providing, where possible, a supportive education for children and young people with additional support needs within a mainstream school environment.
“This will continue to be the case in both Crosshouse and Greenhills Primary Schools.”
SOURCE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/mums-anger-autistic-son-denied-5355595
DESPITE suffering from sensory and social interaction difficulties four-year-old Josh Kerr has been refused a place at Crosshouse Primary's Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) base. His furious mum Jennifer fears he will now struggle to cope in a mainstream school.
East Kilbride News
Jennifer Kerr with son Josh (4)
A furious mum has told the News she is appalled her four-year-old autistic son has been refused a place in a specialist base in the town.
Jennifer Kerr, from East Mains, has been told that her son, Josh, will be placed in a mainstream school after the summer holidays instead of the specialist Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) base at Crosshouse.
South Lanarkshire Council are looking to reduce the capacity at the ASD base at Crosshouse to from four to three ASD classes by August 2015 and to two classes by August 2016.
These proposals have sparked a petition by the Crosshouse Parents Group who have children at the base and Jennifer told the News she fears Josh’s sensory difficulties means he will be unable to cope in a mainstream class and will struggle to keep up with other pupils.
South Lanarkshire Council have said because Josh has no “core educational difficulties”, including dyslexia and dyspraxia, he doesn’t meet the criteria to secure a place in the ASD base.
But Jennifer insists that is simply not the case due to her son’s sensory and social interaction difficulties as well as other personal problems.
“More and more children like Josh are being put into mainstream education and they simply can’t cope,” she said.
“Staff at the ASD base at Crosshouse are trained specifically to deal with children with autism and help them overcome sensory and social issues and become fully independent.”
She went on: “However, the council seem to be ignoring the fact bases like Crosshouse were set up for a reason and children like Josh are slipping through the net.
“If we can’t provide these children with the proper education they need how will they ever become fully independent adults and useful members of society?
“I know Josh simply won’t cope in a mainstream set up.
“I have heard of one child who wasn’t coping in a mainstream school so was given two days a week in a specialist base.
“However, he ended up being fully suspended from school and because the council couldn’t find a place for him anywhere else, all he has is two days a week at the base.
“I have also been told there is basically no right of appeal and that my best option is to wait until Josh fails in the mainstream set up and put in a request for a place at the ASD base.
“But why should I have to put him through that? It isn’t fair for any child to be sent from pillar to post like that.”
Jennifer also argues that the training for teachers in mainstream school isn’t adequate to meet youngsters’ specific needs.
“Training for staff is purely voluntary and not compulsory. Surely any teacher teaching special needs kids should have to be trained sufficiently?,” she continued.
“Someone needs to start standing up and fighting for these kids who really don’t seem to matter.”
South Lanarkshire Council refused to comment on an individual case but Jim Gilhooly, executive director for education resources, said: “I want to reassure parents that there are no plans to close the specialist provision for children with autistic spectrum disorder in Crosshouse Primary School.
“There are also no proposals to reduce the current provision for children with autism in this part of East Kilbride.
“In fact, the decision made by the executive committee in November will increase provision for children requiring additional support as demand increases.
“This is being done by expanding facilities, including specialist classrooms, for ASD pupils at Greenhills Primary, which is one mile from Crosshouse Primary.
“South Lanarkshire Council is committed to providing, where possible, a supportive education for children and young people with additional support needs within a mainstream school environment.
“This will continue to be the case in both Crosshouse and Greenhills Primary Schools.”
SOURCE: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/mums-anger-autistic-son-denied-5355595
