West Lynn key worker’s struggle to find support for her son who has ADHD

A West Lynn key worker and mother has shared her experience of trying to secure support for her son who has a severe neurological disability.

Simone Danielle, 27, feels she may have to quit her job as a nurse to accommodate for her seven-year-old son, Harry, who was diagnosed with severe ADHD in February 2020.

The mother-of-one has said she has been unable to access extra-curricular activities after school for her son which she has requested so she can finish her shifts.

Her son, who attends South Wootton Junior School, has an Education, Health and Care Plan in place but Miss Danielle says she feels let down.

“Everything is just so messy trying to get the right support,” Miss Danielle said.

“Awareness needs to be raise and the system needs to be relooked at to become more of a priority because it is the next generation and we are setting them on the wrong foot when they really need it most.”

South Wootton Junior headteacher Georgie Earl said the school is hugely grateful to all key workers and are working hard to ensure these children can attend school so that their parents can work.

She added: “We’re working hard through the pandemic to provide education for every child at South Wootton Junior school, whether that’s through on site learning for critical worker and vulnerable children or remote learning for children at home.

“We’re committed to doing everything we can to support every child, but the impact of staffing shortages, safety concerns and government regulations means that there are limits to what we’re able to offer at this time.”

Mrs Earl continued: “We can’t comment on individual circumstances for our children, but we will consider the individual needs of each child and what works best for them in planning how we support their education.

“This applies whether schools are open as usual, or closed because of the pandemic. We would ask parents and carers to contact us directly if they feel that the current arrangements aren’t suitable for their child.”

But Miss Danielle has highlighted this is an ongoing issue which she encountered years before the pandemic.

She said she first noticed there were problems when her son was two-and-a-half-years-old and recalls him being excluded multiple times for his behaviour when he was at nursery.

The West Lynn mother said: “ I approached the school, my health visitor, social services and GP more times than I can count but referrals were met with constant rejections and nobody seemed to take us seriously.

“I was so severely depressed watching my little boy suffer and be dealt constant rejection, I decided I needed to do something about it and decided to pay for a private assessment from a neurodevelopmental paediatric consultant with savings.”

She said this has helped her son to control his impulsive behaviour.