Friday 23 March 2007

Haven't blogged for a bit.

I really must get back to blogging again. Further updates on our trip to Rome also to follow soon - hopefully before we head off on the first of this year's two trips to Snowdonia.

Not been up to much over the past couple of weeks. Wished a couple of old friends (who are getting older) Happy Birthday - which was cool as we got down to some text and email chat. Found out where they were and what they're up to now.

Red Nose Day came and went. As always, we stayed up for the comedy, got upset by the pictures of people much worse off than ourselves, and bunged off a donation to pay for 10 lifesaving mosquito nets. A few days later I recieved an email to say that our donation had bounced. Being wary of a possible phishing scam I've carefully checked this out, and it looks like they genuinely didn't get my donation, so I'll have to send it off again.

Had the car MOT'd yesterday. I've yet to drop a vehicle off at the garage and have it pass first time, even when I've also requested a full service. Needed a new track rod/bearing joint this time. Went to Nationwide at the top of Penny Lane/Smithdown Place who have been OK in the past. The car is out of warranty now, so there's no point in going back to VW who would charge the same price just for the oil change, without doing any work, say they've taken the wheels off and had a look - without even taking the hubcaps off and then try to charge me for a bottle of "top-up" screenwash fluid - even though the screenwash is full.

Frodo had a major joint assessment yesterday - i.e. he was examined, tested and discussed by his teacher, headmistress, educational psychologist, speech therapist and school doctor and parents. He's making progress, and looks like he will continue to make progress, but really needs to have a boost to assist his language difficulties, which are probably holding back his progress in other areas.

Had to fob off the idiot doctor chairing the meeting who was suggesting the use of drugs to increase his attention - Frodo is not hyperactive so they wouldn't be appropriate. Apparently the drugs have similar effects to cocaine - hmmmm maybe I need to sort out my attention difficulties...

Net result is that it's recommended that Frodo attends a school next year that has a dedicated language unit to help him, with a view to bringing him back to his current school when it's appropriate to do so. The school's that have these resources tend to be in the most deprived areas, so that they can get the funding (the more "free school dinners" you have, the more money you get!). He could go into the mainstream of the school with the language unit, but that would be a school that is 97th in the league tables, whereas his current school is about 4th.

Next we've got to visit a school or two, and have another meeting with teachers, advisory teachers etc - to make sure that we think this decision is OK and see if a place can be sorted for him for next year.

2 comments:

cha0tic said...

Sign Frodo up for the course of drugs. You don't have to let him have them. You could just pass them on to someone else *ahem* :)

darkdwarf said...

The drugs are popular in America. I read on one website that it was common for ADHD kids not to appear not to be getting any benefit from their medication - because they're selling it to other kids in the playground.