How IPSEA helped Naz*

Naz is twelve years old. He has Down syndrome and persistent pervasive disorder (a type of autism). Here, his Mum tells us what a difference IPSEA’s help has made to Naz:

“At Primary School, Naz had one visit each term from a speech therapist. When he was 10 years old, we were told that this would not continue when he moved up to secondary school, so I contacted the Down Syndrome Association for advice. They referred me on to IPSEA.

My IPSEA adviser was incredibly helpful. She supported me through the steps that I needed to take to prove that Naz needed extra support to meet his needs - such as taking Naz to see an independent speech therapist.

The independent speech therapist recommended weekly speech therapy for Naz. “We went to Tribunal to push for this. Naz was awarded 6 hours of speech therapy per term to take place at school. He was also given 2 hours per term of occupational therapy!

I could never have achieved this without IPSEA's help. The process was too complicated. I wouldn't have had the time to research court judgments or find the right information.

My IPSEA advisor explained how to make a working document. She checked everything that I wrote and made suggestions on how to improve it. She helped me prepare my case, quoting relevant pieces of legislation and court judgments.

I have been recommending IPSEA to my friends already!”

* Names have been changed.