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Nick Soapdish

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1 hour ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Yes, my 11yo has an EHC so she'll be continuing too, unless the school closes off its own back. This is why I've been irritated by arseholes on Twitter calling for ALL schools to be closed, forgetting there are different circumstances for a number of students, who rely on school for a number of reasons. If she's at home, she's going to want to be taken out all the time and there's fuck all open and half the public transport has been taken off, and she'll go mad. As will I. Her school is a really safe and enclosed environment. Try telling it to these Twitter twats though.

We’re waiting to hear from the school, but we have a moderate school in the area who are still advise those with major health issues to not attend, but with autism to still attend.

My daughter has been sobbing tonight because she absolutely adores school and understands all that is going on, but obviously my son doesn’t. But it will be great for him to be able to continue his routine

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Just discovered 11yo will be at school and transported next week, which I'm pleased about, but I'd be amazed if they don't end the term a week early after that and maybe take at least one week extra the other side of Easter too.

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2 hours ago, Devon Malcolm said:

Just discovered 11yo will be at school and transported next week, which I'm pleased about, but I'd be amazed if they don't end the term a week early after that and maybe take at least one week extra the other side of Easter too.

Yeah I’m unsure how the holidays will work out. And will there still be summer holidays?

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7 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Yeah I’m unsure how the holidays will work out. And will there still be summer holidays?

I assume so. Obviously it's dependent on what's happening by then anyway, but I reckon they will try and get the school calendar back to normal as soon as possible as many students and teachers rely on it for numerous reasons. I don't think they'll scrap half term either because it's a long term - however, if this break extends into May, they probably would.

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Mrs Onyx is a teacher. She's having to go in a few days a week on a rota to cover the key worker children. Her school are still discussing what happens with the Easter break and Essex Authority haven't told them yet. There's also talk that the bank holiday will be a school day too. 

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3 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

Mrs Onyx is a teacher. She's having to go in a few days a week on a rota to cover the key worker children. Her school are still discussing what happens with the Easter break and Essex Authority haven't told them yet. There's also talk that the bank holiday will be a school day too. 

That’s a good point as key workers are still going to need to work on Bank Holidays but this is such a weird scenario right now. I wish her the best

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In utter madness, 1/3 of the children at her school are claiming key worker status and need care for their children (to be clear, schools are offering childcare, it's not proper schooling). This includes one fruit loop who said "as an accountant I can't get any work done while the kids are around." 

I'll remind you of the government statement:

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

 

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I refused the offer as im at home anyway. 

Lots of parents are doing the right thing at my sons school, however a few are starting issues in the facebook group accusing the school of behaving stupidly by being open........

I shit you not even when i explained they are open so fucking nurses can go to work and save lives they respond "children safety first"

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How are you, or your Autistic kids coping with the Lockdown?

My wife has tried to keep things structured for my son who had been told he could continue at school on Friday, but decided at the end of Monday they had too many kids and not enough staff. He's been coping pretty well so far. Thankfully as the sun has been shining hes been able to spend some time in the garden.

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I decided to have yesterday as 11yo's last day until after Easter. Not because any of us have had symptoms but because she suffers really badly with allergies, I'm worried about missing a symptom in her and her spreading it at her school. I'd be mortified if that happened because her school are absolutely wonderful. They've left her a place open and have said I can send her in whenever I want if she struggles at home, and her transport have said they will get her if she needs to go back, so it's a nice fallback to have. They're also keeping in daily touch with me which is nice of them too.

Her main thing is that she likes to go on buses, trains and trams. She's not really bothered about where she goes, she just likes the motion. If I can limit her to one or two trips out (we'll say we're going to Tesco or something) then I reckon we'll be alright, and like with your kid, Scorch, she's been playing out a lot more in our yard so hopefully that'll quench her fresh air thirst a bit. If it does, and I can keep getting the bits of shopping for her bland buffets, and some Fruit Pastille lollies in, then I reckon we'll be alright and we can treat it as an extended Easter holiday. I'm aiming to have her back in the first day they're due back in.

13yo, meanwhile, is playing Pokemon Sword 16 hours a day.

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11 minutes ago, Devon Malcolm said:

I decided to have yesterday as 11yo's last day until after Easter. Not because any of us have had symptoms but because she suffers really badly with allergies, I'm worried about missing a symptom in her and her spreading it at her school. I'd be mortified if that happened because her school are absolutely wonderful. They've left her a place open and have said I can send her in whenever I want if she struggles at home, and her transport have said they will get her if she needs to go back, so it's a nice fallback to have. They're also keeping in daily touch with me which is nice of them too.

Her main thing is that she likes to go on buses, trains and trams. She's not really bothered about where she goes, she just likes the motion. If I can limit her to one or two trips out (we'll say we're going to Tesco or something) then I reckon we'll be alright, and like with your kid, Scorch, she's been playing out a lot more in our yard so hopefully that'll quench her fresh air thirst a bit. If it does, and I can keep getting the bits of shopping for her bland buffets, and some Fruit Pastille lollies in, then I reckon we'll be alright and we can treat it as an extended Easter holiday. I'm aiming to have her back in the first day they're due back in.

13yo, meanwhile, is playing Pokemon Sword 16 hours a day.

That's awesome. My wife was in floods of tears on Monday when she got told. He is very clingy and if anything being in a school she knows treat him well, she get's a bit of respite. However, they sent through his usual schedule, songs and videos they watch, and he's been brilliant. And like yours the school have been in touch every other day to see how we are doing. He has started using a training bike (one of the ones with no pedals, a balance bike) and we have gone out for a 20 minute walk and he has really enjoyed that. I suppose it is just finding things that work and are making sure we are isolating.

Speaking of bland buffets, The only panic buying we did was grab an extra bag of chicken nuggets when we went out. So we now have about a month's supply rather then our standard 2 weeks. 

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1 hour ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Speaking of bland buffets, The only panic buying we did was grab an extra bag of chicken nuggets when we went out. So we now have about a month's supply rather then our standard 2 weeks. 

11yo isn't that bothered with chicken nuggets but she doesn't mind some unbreaded chicken. She generally prefers stuff with some crunch to it for sensory reasons, so I have to make sure I have packets of crispy bacon in especially. And crisps obviously. Got a freezer full of Fruit Pastille lollies as well.

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I really need some more advice. I was supposed to start with some therapy for anxiety and depression today. All over the phone stuff and emailed documents. We were talking about my history and notes that had been made etc. She then mentioned that because there was a strong case for being autistic or having aspergers the treatment will not really work because if there is an underlying problem treatment will not work because you have these outside factors, or if it works, it is more like putting a plaster over a wound. I cannot get a diagnosis where I live because they do not refer adults. She said I could pay for one privately, but she also suggested you can pretty much self diagnose. Now, I have done the NHS test, that is what led me approaching the doctor last year, which led me to this call. But I don't know what to do.

I don't want to say I am Autistic because a test said so. But paying for a test seems my only option, and I won't get any help it would seem (I don't mean financial, I just mean from a support point of view). For me it is just clarity and trying to understand triggers/how to cope. Or do I just ignore that, get them to send me the material and hope that it does help with my issues?   

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In case this is useful, this community section of the National Autistic Society’s website is really helpful. I’d highly recommend people sign up and engage in the community - a useful resource and sounding board: https://community.autism.org.uk/?Redirected=true

I was diagnosed when I was quite young. At 31 now, it’s been both a blessing and a curse at times, but experience does help. I’m quite lucky in that I’m relatively low functioning, however there are times where it still presents challenges. Food has always been a big issue for me for instance and there are other personality traits I have I just can’t really get my head around. 

But, and I hope this is the case for all of you on the same train as I - I’m not in any way ashamed. For the strife it does cause, it can also be a gift in many respects, and in times where you’re reflecting on a tough day, a tough social scenario you’ve been in, try to think of the times where it’s been a good thing or served you well, i.e how it’s aided your compassionate side or how you’ve processed an encyclopaedic knowledge of something. 

And to the parents on here, from what I’ve seen your kids are incredibly lucky to have you as their guardians. It takes the patience of a saint and when they reach my age, they’ll look back and be immeasurably grateful (though I’m sure they are already) for everything you’ve done for them, and they’ll be thanking you in their memoirs when they’ve gone on to do great things as a result of your efforts. 

@Hannibal Scorch Silly question, would it be possible to do both? So for instance, get the materials the people can provide you already, then you could see how things play out and then potentially pay to take the test? If the materials initially provided to you do help, even in a small way, there could potentially be some benefits in there that you can take from that later on when you get more specialised help once you’ve paid for the official diagnosis, and the materials you then get from that. It might not help the issue completely but you’re gradually and effectively building up a good bank of knowledge you can pick from. Autism or not, different people respond well to different coping strategies, so try a few of their different techniques out and find out which one works best for you. Be interested and inquisitive - not afraid - of trying the different strategies out. 

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@Fatty Facesitter thank you for such an informative post. I wanted to take the materials but the person assigned to me basically said it would be a waste of that was the case. But because I don’t know it is, nor did she, it seemed weird to dismiss it straight away, because it could help. I have a follow up call next week, so I will say I want to proceed. If it helps, it helps. She just really confused me with it really. Surely if it didn’t help, then we could possibly look into why. 
 

thank you again. I’m going to look at the link over the weekend as well

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