Wednesday 8 May 2013

ECDP Cut Backs - Getting An Assessment

It seems that getting an assessment done isn't as easy as I would have thought.

The problem lies in the fact that children aren't usually 'verified' at such a young age.  Usually special needs kids are verified near the end of prep year (when they are between 4 1/2 and 5 years old).  The Queensland Department of Education defines this as:

     Verification is the process of confirming that a student’s identified impairment 
     and the associated educational impact which require significant education 
     adjustments meet DET criteria. The verification process involves data gathering 
     on both the impairment and the educational impact.

Since I can't get a proper verification done I'm trying to get our ECDP guidance officer and Connor's therapists to do ABAS and screening tests to give me some idea of what he is capable of and what he really needs.  Unfortunately no one is keen.  The kind of testing I need really isn't designed for non-verbal 3 years olds.  Connor's speech therapist thinks Connor will bomb using the testing methods available, but he also thinks Connor is a smart little cookie who isn't interested in playing the game and following test rules.

An ABAS was done that showed Connor doesn't fit the mould.  It's not immediately apparent that he needs Special School, but they still have no idea what he does need.  His speech therapist has let me schedule a meeting with him next week to see if we can do some sort of meaningful test.  So that is something at least.

Qld Ed have really put parents in an impossible situation.  Our kids are too young for us to understand what they need and where they should be educated (special school or supported main stream school), but we have to make the decision before they are ready because now there is no support and no help.  And we have to put them into schools that are under resourced and unprepared for kids as complex as our kids are.  This situation is not going to go well.  They are failing our kids and they are failing us.

My stress levels are certainly going up, but I'm still making phone calls and trying to push forward. 

Wednesday 1 May 2013

Connor's Little Steps

Connor has his own way of communicating with the world and showing affection.

He has always loved cuddles but he doesn't put his arms around another person he just leans on you. This afternoon he came and sat beside me on the couch, took my arm and put it around him and snuggled in.

He's just recently started doing kisses too. Every-now-and-then he'll actually use his lips and give me a kiss.

It's just so beautiful seeing him starting to reach out more and more. I think Kindy is helping him a lot in this area.

One of the little girls in his class seems very fond of him. She spotted him and called out the other day when we were picking Merry up from day care. When Connor saw her he ran right to her up and smiled. She reached out and touched his face and then he reached out and touched her face back! I just about started crying on the spot. I wish I'd been able to video it.

ECDP Cut Backs - Main Stream School

Andrew and I took Connor down to our local school yesterday to meet the HOSES and see what it was like. It's a lovely school and all the staff were very friendly and seemed nice. They have their own ECDP (which I didn't know about) and of course an SEP (special education program) which is why we were there.

In short I think they were a bit worried by the level of support Connor will need. While they said they would of course take him if that's what we wanted, they are very interested in the assessment results and more importantly what the special school say. I think they are hoping he will be going there instead.

The teachers are only just starting to find out about the ECDP cut backs, the fact that some teachers and aides will be sacked, and that there are policy and procedure changes being put in place to cater for it all. Most families still haven't been told. The HOSES have a meeting with Qld Ed on the 7th of May where all is to be revealed.

My plan is to wait until then, get all the information I can from all my sources and then launch my email and petition campaign. I have been talking to a variety of people to get an overall picture and I hope that other families will also send in their stories, to try and get some exposure on the real impact this all has.

I find the hypocrisy of all this truly amazing. As they make cutbacks that directly impact the education and well being of children with disability they are waxing lyrical about NDIS and Gonski. I have to question how much they really care and understand, and how much of it is a desperate ploy to garner votes in the upcoming election. And if that is true, then what will truly be delivered...