The Life and Times of Old Bat and Her Family

Well, September arrived and Sunbeam started his new school.  He was there for a day and then had the following 2 days off due to a very heavy cold!!  Here we go again I thought!  So we started the next week afresh and he’s been there all week!  He’s had a great time according to the photo’s I’ve seen although I think he so likes to wallow in his despair that he doesn’t like to admit that he’s had a good time!  At one stage he said he didn’t want to go in because he had experienced one of the other pupils at the referral unit.  This other pupil has shown severe behaviour problems in the past and Sunbeam just can’t cope with him.  However, they are together for one of the lessons and Sunbeam walked into the room and went and stood by the other boy without a murmour!!  He still get very anxious at night and gets all his overwhelming thoughts but I hope that these will go in time.  The other night he started to get quite tearful as I tucked him in bed (he’s now over 6′1″ and coming up to 15 years of age and he still has to be tucked in at night!).  When I asked him what the matter was he told me about a boy who had pinched his rubber and had threatened to write all over it.  Sunbeam got really upset but this was an incident that had happened at his old school and he hasn’t been there in about 18 months! 

One thing that was interesting is that I have heard that the LEA have acknowledged to another party that the system have let Sunbeam down very badly and they now realise that children like him need support much earlier and that they need to take a diagnosis of AS or similar very seriously if they are to avoid boys breaking down.  They seem to acknowledge that just because a child doesn’t show outward signs of difficulties or are lagging behind in their educational abilities that they don’t need help. 

I can’t tell you how that made me feel when I heard that.  I had hoped that at the beginning of all this that as well as getting Sunbeam the support he needs and deserves we might also make it a little easier for other children who follow and it seems it has.  A very good friend of mine has a son exactly like Sunbeam and he is experiencing the same problems and they are already streets ahead of where we were at the same stage (if you get wot I mean!!).  Her son stands a very good chance of getting the right support before his mental health becomes a real concern.

I’ve had my first “normal” week in two years and I’m feeling so optimistic for the future for all of us. 

For those going through absolute hell and turmoil, please take heart, keep going because what you achieve helps those who follow. The tide is definitely beginning to turn and it’s due to our perseverance throughout the country and raising awareness.

Tally Ho!