Monday 16th July

D’s anxiety yesterday over school was very much in evidence this morning. Lots of “I don’t want to go to school” and at several points she turned round and started walking back.

Some persuasion, a little bit of bribery got us to the entrance and then …. complete refusal.

Not even the sight of the Headteacher with the Olympic torch that D’s classmate’s mum had carried would coax her in. She had this little imaginary barrier that was the door strips along the carpet and she just wasn’t budging.
So reinforcements were called from the classroom. I was given the most dirty look imaginable from D and off she went, meekly with her teacher.

I did have a hold of the torch, heavier than I imagined it would be and really quite nice! There are two layers of the holes all around it and a tiny little space for a gas canister. It made me wonder who had the poor job of making sure that yes, there were 8000 holes in the torch.

A TA dashed after me to give me the completed questionnaire for D’s CAMHS appointment. It made for very depressing read (see previous blog today) but like everything else, unless it’s negatively put, you don’t get the assistance for your child that they need.
The tick that indicated that she is “being picked on or bullied” was really upsetting but (again taking a positive spin) we now have proof that it happens and can have discussions with her new teacher promptly in the new term.

A very tired looking D came out at the end of the school day and instantly wanted a cuddle. She said as we were walking away that another child had interrupted her in the “quiet area” and told her to leave the area forcibly. The other child did get “told off” by the staff.

The TA did say that last week had been a very “out-of-routine” week for both staff and pupils and agreed that it was bound to have affected her. Roll on Friday (I think!).

She had a meltdown virtually as soon as we got home, pent-up emotion from her day I think.

Once that was out of the way, she was more visibly relaxed and even gave us all a sing-song in the bath of songs from the concert that she was too anxious to perform in on Friday.

So…that’s us, one day closer to the summer holidays. I hope everyone’s had a good day. Comments/RTs as ever welcomed, thanks for reading Jx 😘

The sunglasses are going on…

D got diagnosed 3.5 years ago – its been a very long 3.5 years but a productive time.

She’s been statemented, been in her SN school for just over 2 years, learn to read (albeit by memory as opposed to phonics) and learnt to write her name *proud grin*

She’s able to walk to the school hall in her SN school and sit there (sometimes unwillingly) for assemblies and generally “move about school” – in mainstream she was often too anxious to enter the classroom, way too much noise & sensory overload.

We are due to go to CAMHS in the summer holidays for the first time, as meltdowns and anxieties for D have increased since Christmas. I was sent questionnaires that both ourselves (as parents) and school had to fill in.

I received school’s completed questionnaire today. It’s very hard reading that “certainly true” is ticked for:
Often unhappy, downhearted or tearful
Picked on or bullied by other children
Gets on better with adults
Many fears, easily scared
And overall “severe difficulties”.

I knew all this from previous knowledge, intuition and little things that D is able to tell me, so why has it hit me so hard seeing it written down?

Putting a positive spin on it, the fact that school have been so honest will hopefully mean that the meeting will enable D to receive the help (and us the guidance) that she needs.

Until then and certainly for the majority of today, the sunglasses are on irrespective of whether the rain stops or not.

Thanks for reading Jx 😘