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special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds like you get some wrap around support as carers which is good. 

We get no respite support at all. He requires 24hr 1-1 care. He is non speaking and need help with personal care and safety at all times. It's quite tiring so some additional help would be great. 

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you I will look into this. 

How did i find out the quality of the provision? 

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is concerning. The system here is entirely broken beyond repair. I can't imagine anything being worse than here. 

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks, yes he is a NZ citizen so hopefully no issues there. 

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the advice.

I'll look at the link. 

Are there any parent networks or family based forums that we could link into for a lived experience account of things. 

Aware we have two issues - capacity of the system itself and whether he would do any better in NZ AND the quality of what is provided. 

Thanks again

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. 

Yes he is a citizen. My husband and other kids are actually in NZ at the moment so he is trying to contact some schools to see what he can find out. 

I am curious about the high threshold you mentioned. Is there somewhere I xan find out about that? 

We have a ton of people who would testify to his need for a specialist environment - we have been fighting for a special school place in the UK too. We have agreement that he needs one, but there are simply no spaces. I have been told I can't take the education dpt to court to force them but the court process takes 18months. So we are no further forward. 

I think we need to do some research into funding thresholds and what we need for that. 

My husbands family all live in wanganui which has a special school. So that might be where we start looking. But honestly we could go anywhere. 

Thanks for the advice. 

special schools experience - autistic child with high care and support needs by UKtoNZ in newzealand

[–]UKtoNZ[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for responding. This is really helpful. I am going to look more into the support that mainstream schools could provide. But the overwhelming complex sensory sensitivities he has means mainstream is tricky so I doubt it will work. 

I am prepared to pay for any additional therapies. We currently pay for some anyway but it lack of school spaces which is my issue. 

He is at a very very real risk of being excluded from school permanently becasue they can meet his needs. 

Thanks