News & Mail  Wednesday, November 23, 2016
8 News
Family’s plea to find a
school for autistic boy
Authorities struggle to supply special education needs for Adam,
11, who suffers from pathological demand avoidance syndrome
by Joshua Smith
joshua.smith@trinitymirror.com
A MOTHER is worried that
her disabled son is ‘missing
out on so much’ because
there is not a suitable school
place for him.
After the News & Mail re-
vealed that up to 40 children
in Rushmoor with special
education needs are not
currently in school because
there are no places for them,
Charlie Desmond decided to
share her story.
Miss Desmond, 30, of
Laburnum Road, Aldershot,
has tried to find a suitable
school place for son Adam
Cook, 11, for years, but due
to his pathological demand
avoidance syndrome (PDA) –
part of the autism spectrum –
she has struggled.
Describing PDA, The Nati-
onal Autistic Society says:
“Individuals share difficulties
with others on the autism
spectrum in social aspects of
interaction, communication
and imagination.
“However, the central dif-
ficulty for people with PDA is
the way they are driven to
avoid demands and expec-
tations. This is because they
have an anxiety-based need
to be in control.”
Adam lives with his mum,
her partner Adam Grover, 46,
sister Aimee, seven, and bro-
ther Sebastian, 11 months.
Mr Grover said: “With
PDA, some things have to be
spot on and very particular.
“Once the idea is in his
brain that something’s not
right he can’t be persuaded
to have it, it’s an absolute
impossibility.
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Worried mum Charlie Desmond with her son Adam, 11,
who has special education needs and no school to go to.
“We had to be escorted
by police from Camberley
when he had an outburst in
McDonald’s as his bun was
split at the top.”
The family claims Adam
cannot be placed in Henry
Tyndale School as it focuses
on teaching children with
physical disabilities.
They say he began pre-
school at Deux Chats in
Aldershot, which first raised
suspicions of his PDA, and
he then went to Belle Vue
Infant School but due to his
condition the school strugg-
led to cope. Adam then went
to West End School, which
placed him in part-time edu-
cation while he also attended
The Linden Education Centre
in Farnborough.
The family sought a State-
ment of Educational Needs
for Adam, and through this
process Hampshire County
Council placed him in
Wolverdene Special School,
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Alistair Wilson.
AN164408
in Andover. This caused
problems, though, as Adam
did not like the long journeys
each day as they caused
anxiety and could lead to an
outburst during the trip.
Mr Grover said: “They had
a bus service to get him down
there and the first week or
two was OK but problems
started arising. Adam was
getting very anxious about
the time – he was leaving
here at 7.45am and it’s a one-
and-a-quarter hour journey.
“So we had a taxi just for
him but the problem is the
journey still takes an hour.
“The anxiety goes up and
up and up and he also gets
violent, but he’s very intelli-
gent and he realised that if he
takes his seat belt off the taxi
driver wouldn’t leave. I end-
ed up having to drive him but
if he had an outburst I would
have to control him while
driving, and this could mean
holding all four of his limbs.”
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In a bid to get Adam
placed in a school closer to
home, his last day at
Wolverdene Special School
was in Easter 2015, and he
was deregistered from the
school in the September.
The county council then
tried to give him a residential
place at Lakeside School in
Chandlers Ford, but the
family say after meeting the
headteacher they were told
the school could not cater for
Adam’s needs.
A Rushmoor Borough
Council leisure and youth
policy and review panel
meeting on Monday Novem-
ber 7 heard the borough is
facing a ‘crisis’, with not
enough school places to offer
disabled children.
Now the family is trying to
home school him while they
desperately try to find Adam
a school place, and have ex-
tended their search beyond
the Surrey border.
Miss Desmond added: “He
is missing out on so much, he
can’t go and make friends,
go on school trips, the social
interaction and the routine of
getting up every day to go to
school. It’s making him suffer
and is going to affect him
being able to go to college or
university. It’s such a worry
what’s going to happen to
him. We don’t know where to
turn to.”
A spokesman for the
county council, said: “You
will appreciate we are unable
to comment on the details of
individual cases.
“We will always do what
we can to support families
and work with them to iden-
tify a suitable school place.”
Licensees Kate Hayden and Paul Warriner, whose pub The Snow Goose, in Fernhill Road, Farnborough,
has been named Most Family Friendly Pub in national awards run by Heineken-owned Star Pubs & Bars.
Publicans complete turnaround
with a change in family fortunes
Just a year after re-opening
following a massive revamp,
the Snow Goose in Farnbor-
ough has beaten competition
from pubs around the
country to be named the
Most Family Friendly Pub.
The Fernhill Road boozer
scooped the title in national
awards run by Heineken-
owned Star Pubs & Bars.
Following a £225,000 re-
furbishment of the Snow
Goose, which transformed it
from a run-down unloved
pub into a thriving commu-
nity local, new licensees Kate
Hayden and Paul Warriner
have spent the past year in-
vesting time and money into
making it family-friendly.
The pair have installed a
beautiful and secure chil-
dren’s play area in the large
garden, which also includes a
petting zoo complete with a
snow goose and giant out-
door games such as Jenga.
A separate area has been
created for customers with-
out children, so everyone can
feel comfortable.
The award judges noted
how Kate and Paul have also
added a myriad of thoughtful
touches inside the pub and
launched community-based
events to ensure families
have a relaxed, enjoyable
time while there.
The pub also sponsors
football strips for Rushmoor
Under-7s and Under-13s as
well as kit for the Phantoms
Cold caller alert
after man claims
to have worked
on woman’s roof
POLICE are warning Hart
residents to be on their
guard against cold callers
after a suspicious incident in
Hartley Wintney.
Officers said an elderly
woman was approached
outside her home in Chapel
Row by an unknown man
between 11.30am and noon
last Wednesday.
Hart district PCSO Nick
Greenwood, said the man
told the woman he had
completed some work on the
resident’s roof and she was
expected to pay him £70.
“No work had been com-
pleted on the property and
no money was passed to the
Sean
Dillow.
Girls basketball team.
The judges of the Star Pub
Awards said they were
‘bowled over’ by the warm
welcome customers receive
at the pub.
Kate and Paul received the
prestigious award at a gala
evening in Liverpool from
football pundit and broad-
caster Chris Kamara.
Miss Hayden said: “Having
a pub of our own was our
big dream; to have won this
award is the icing on the
cake. It’s been a real team
effort to relaunch the Snow
Goose – our staff have been
awesome and our customers
have provided endless sup-
port and feedback – we’re all
chuffed to bits.”
man,” he added.
“Incidents such as these
can easily result in the elderly
or vulnerable parting with
large sums of money for
services not finished or not
completed to an appropriate
standard.
“We advise residents to
not purchase any goods or
services at the door.
“Please ensure you re-
main vigilant within your
communities and be aware
of any elderly or vulnerable
persons who may have cold
callers at there door or on
the property. In the event of
any such sightings, please
call the police on 999.”