Louie Lee, seven, has never attended a full day of school, can neither read nor write, and can only count to twenty. He has been waiting for years for a diagnosis of his specific educational requirements and behavioral concerns, with his mother, Michelle Cassemis, yearning for assistance.
The single mother of three from Trowbridge, Cardiff, believes she has been “let down by the system” after his old teachers and mother saw something was amiss. Louie started at St John Lloyd Primary School in the city, but he couldn’t keep up, so Mom pulled him out in July 2021. Michelle has been unable to return to work as a hairdresser since the child has been at home since then.
There appears to be no suitable school for her kid, and Michelle is “devastated” that her youngest child is basically denied the assistance he requires. Michelle’s elder children, ages 17 and 19, had no issues and attended the same elementary school, according to sources.
She claimed that extended delays in assisting youngsters like Louie meant he couldn’t attend school for the entire day due to his numerous behavioral and emotional issues. Michelle stated that when Louie began in reception, he attended school for 90 minutes a day, then 60, then 30. For years, he had been working on an extremely tight schedule.
He did not receive a declaration of special educational requirements until he was six years old, and they are still waiting to see somebody for a diagnostic to determine what is wrong. She has been told countless things he may have, but he hasn’t been diagnosed.
She has been advised that he appears to have autism or ADHD. They have been going to the physicians for three years. His school’s principal was outstanding. She can’t say anything terrible about her, but she was in a position where keeping Louie in school was impossible.
Michelle continued that it became worthless sending him in. He refused to leave the house since he had attachment difficulties. She was having difficulty getting him to school. After all that, he was only there for half an hour. The tumult and fighting were not worth it.
She has been told so many things, but Louie has suffered so much. He can’t read or write and has never been to school. He hasn’t participated in PE or played in the schoolyard.
Michelle stated that everything went worse during lockdown due to Louie’s agitation. She elaborated that she has gone through parenting classes and done all that was advised. She believes the system has failed Louie, and no one has any solutions.
She continued, saying he becomes agitated, has difficulty sharing, suffers from anxiety and attachment difficulties, and does not sleep well. She just needs some assistance and someone to listen. She is starting to feel worked up and hurt, and there’s a lot of emotion going on. She had never dealt with anything like this before. They just require assistance and it’s been a long time.
The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board apologized for the inconvenience. A representative stated that they sincerely apologize to Louie and his family for the delays in determining a diagnosis. The neurodevelopment diagnostic procedure is complicated, and waiting periods for access to treatments are not as short as they would want.
They are working hard to make this better. This involves making adjustments to the way services are organized based on meeting with a diverse group of health experts with experience in this area, as well as continuing to look for ways to expand capacity. Their teams are also collaborating closely with parents and educators to facilitate the referral process and the collecting of data needed by specialists to help diagnosis.
According to Cardiff Council, a kid’s requirements are independent of diagnosis. A representative stated that Cardiff Council’s education services will always strive to react to a child’s requirements, and this is not dependent on a diagnostic procedure. Schools are encouraged to offer a variety of services to students and their families based on their conditions and particular needs. This involves offering specialized teaching guidance and assistance, facilitating educational psychology evaluation and recommendations, giving a personalized wellness and nurturing approach to learning, and, if necessary, providing tuition at home while a suitable placement is located.
The representative further added that their focus is to ensure that each child’s particular needs are fulfilled, and they work with a multi-agency approach to identify suitable and sustainable provision that permits the kid to flourish and works for both pupil and family.
