A seven-year-old boy has never spent a whole day at school, cannot read or write and can only count as far as 20.
Louie Lee has been waiting years for a diagnosis of his special educational needs and behavioural issues. His mum Michelle Cassemis said she has desperately been trying to get help since he started nursery but her son has been “let down by the system”.
He was only given a statement of special educational needs last year when he was six, years after it was apparent to his teachers and his mother that something was wrong. Michelle, a single mum-of-three, has had to quit her job as a hairdresser to be at home with her son.
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Michelle, from Cardiff, said Louie’s former school St John Lloyd Primary helped him get the statement of special educational needs. She said she had “nothing but praise” for the staff there but he couldn’t cope and she took him out altogether in July 2021.
Without a diagnosis, no suitable school can apparently be found for her son, Michelle said. She is “heartbroken” that her youngest child has no school friends and has been effectively 'denied' the help he needs.
Michelle said her son's anxiety and behavioural problems meant Louie could not stay in school for a full day. She told Wales Online : “When Louie started in reception he stayed at school for 90 minutes a day, then it went down to 60 and then 30."
Louie was sent a private tutor at home but Michelle said "that didn't work either". She continued: "I have been told so many things he might have, but he has had no diagnosis. I have been told he seems to have autism or ADHD. We have been back and forth to the doctors for three years.
"The headteacher of his school was amazing. I can’t say a bad word about her, but she was in a position where it was not possible to keep Louie in school. It became pointless sending him in. He didn’t want to leave the house and has attachment issues. I was struggling to get him in to school. Then after all that he was only in for half an hour. It wasn’t worth the chaos and battle.”
Michelle said the school got Louie one to one help but he couldn’t build a relationship and that failed too: “I have been told so many things but Louie has lost so much. He can’t read or write and has never had any school life at all. He’s not played in the school yard or joined in with PE.”
Michelle said she is "heartbroken" that Louie has been "let down by the system". She continued: "He gets angry, he struggles to share and suffers from anxiety and attachment issues and doesn’t sleep well. I just want some help and someone to listen I am beginning to get so worked up and hurt and there is so much emotion.”
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it was sorry for the long delays in referral that Louie has had. A spokesperson said: “We apologise to Louie and his family for the delays experienced in exploring a diagnosis. The diagnostic process for neurodevelopment is complex and waiting times for access into services is not where we would wish.
“We are working hard to improve this. This includes making changes to the way services are organised based on consultation with a variety of health professionals with expertise in this area and continuing to explore opportunities to increase capacity. Our teams are also working closely with parents and colleagues in the education sector to support the referral process and the collection of the information required by professionals to support diagnostics.”
Cardiff Council said a child’s needs don’t depend on diagnosis. A spokesperson said: “Cardiff Council’s education services will always endeavour to respond to a child’s needs and this is not dependent on a diagnostic process.
“Schools are supported to provide a series of provision to pupils and their families depending on their circumstances and individual needs. This includes providing specialist teaching advice and support, facilitating educational psychology assessment and advice, providing a bespoke wellbeing and nurturing approach to learning and where appropriate, the provision of tuition at home whilst a suitable placement is found.
“Ensuring that the individual needs of each child is met is our priority and work is undertaken with a multi-agency approach to find suitable and sustainable provision which allows the child to thrive and which works for both pupil and family.”
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