My son is incredible. He is a bright, funny autistic kid with anxiety and depression.
He loves stars, the universe, music and playing games. He loves to help others and learn. ✨
He has overcome so much, he tries so hard everyday to stay safe and not cause harm to himself or others.
That was a different picture 18 months ago.
He reached such a low point we feared for ours and his safety everyday. We had to take a lot of precautions - including CAMHS intervention and taking time off work to supervise him closely.
The primary cause of these behaviours and decline in mental health were due to pretending to be able to cope better than he was at school for years.
Cody stimmed and had meltdowns at school - sometimes hurting others which led to shame and fear.
School became a very unsafe place for Cody and it got harder for him to engage, he was terrified of it. His behaviour escalated at home and it would take hours to support him to go past the office and into the school environment each day. I was told it would get better if we kept bringing him to school. It didn’t.
Cody has not been able to attend school for 18 months. He is incredibly isolated and has minimal social contact. The LA still believe he can cope in a mainstream school.
Cody’s Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) is not reflective of his needs and the provision to address this has been denied. CAMHS, hospital school and his current secondary school agree with this. But it is not enough to change the SEND teams mind about his needs.
Despite these challenges, Cody being out of school has improved his mental health. Cody can now tolerate 2 x 1hour tutor sessions a week. However he desperately needs a specialist school more than other. This is also repeatedly denied to him.
Cody is suffering as a result, the longer he is away from education - the harder it will be for him to go back.
Cody needs a new Educational Psychology assessment - however the Local Authority will not pay for it. This is a common issue faced by parents with kids with SEN. It is a cost saving method and not reflective of the child’s actual needs. We have appealed the current EHCP sections B, F & I and the date for the tribunal is January 2026.
This is another year without school or opportunities to make friends.
The private Educational Psychology assessment Cody requires to evidence mainstream school cant meet his needs is £2,500.
*update* the current named school have agreed to fund Cody’s SALT assessment and Parent In Need (PIN) have given us a grant of £750 towards EP costs!! 🥳 so all we need is £1750 left to raise!!
I have never asked for support in this way, however my son is too important not to try and get what he needs to have the best chances in life to thrive in this world with the right support and provision.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story, any way you may be able to help would mean the world to us and most importantly to Cody.
*1/03/2025* UPDATE: thank you so much for everyone’s donations, support, shares and advice! 💖🥳🥰
Please note we have contacted IPSEA, SENDIASS, Re:mind, Solicitors, Hampshire Autism Society who all said a private EP assessment is our best chance for Cody.
We also contacted Parents in Need (PIN). PIN have agreed to fund £750 pound of assessment (THANK YOU) anything extra we make will go towards assessment costs for OT sessions and SEN tutor input! Thank you!!🙏🏻