Teaching teachers and parents about social media safety
This post isn’t specifically about special needs, but it’s for all teachers and parents everywhere to help you stay safe on social media. Yes, not your kids. You. My day …
Category: parenting
No sleep, no school, need suggestions!
As you know, SNJ is a parent-driven site and we share your challenges of raising children and young people with SEN or disabilities. We know from experience the frustrations, anxieties and …
Are you prepared for Adulthood?
Over the last few years, like many parents, we have been focussing on the forthcoming Children and Families Act. We’ve been busy keeping you updated and looking at the implications …
The school that builds hope, self-esteem and futures
The marquee had an extension for Founder’s Day this year. Our first end of summer term Prize Day came in July 2008, (I wrote about one of our early ones here, …
Not warriors, but hopemongers
Warrior Mum ♦Parent Activist ♦ Campaigner These are phrases frequently applied to SEN parents, you might even label yourself this way. I’ve had the titles attached to me over the years, by bloggers, …
Staying sane in special needs parenting: Finding 15 minutes a day to be “just me”
When your family includes a member with special needs or disabilities, there is so little time for you, the parent carer. Almost none. Of course, parenting all young children can …
How to build self-esteem in your special needs child
[Tania’s note: We are welcoming Hayley from today as an SNJ co-writer as well as a columnist and we hope all our columnists will be starting to contribute through the …
The Positive Power of Assessment – finding the right route
What is it that is so interesting about children? It seems a simple question. Parents know their own children well – or so they think. Then the child does something …
Getting back to paid work when your child has special needs
Hannah Postgate gave up her career to care for her daughter, Rosy who has special needs. When she wanted to try to find some part-time work, it was so difficult …
The Uniqueness of the SEN Parent
Columnist Hayley Goleniowska writes: Last month, in my first column for Special Needs Jungle we explored the preconceptions that strangers have about our children, how their swift judgements make us …
Exposing quotes that reinforce Down’s syndrome myths: The Truth
And now for a bit of mutual admiration as we introduce our third new columnist. We love the DownsSideUp blog by Hayley Goleniowski, and when we were thinking about who …
A Parenting Course? How dare you!
Today marks the first column from Angela Kelly one of our four new columnists. The parent of two special needs sons and a trainee psychologist as well, Angela is Tania’s ‘co’ …
No change please! ASD Youngest and the hair tong dilemma: Can you decide?
Tania writes: Yesterday it was my birthday and I was very pleased to receive some wave-making hair tongs to bring a spot of variety to my poker-straight locks. I gave …
Catch your kids being good with help from Maya Angelou
Tania writes: “Catch them being good” is the oft-repeated advice to help encourage positive behaviour in children. And it’s good advice. But when your child has a behavioural disorder such …
Dr Tony Attwood’s views on Asperger’s and girls
Tania writes: I was recently lucky enough to attend a conference given by both the world-renowned expert in Asperger Syndrome, Dr Tony Attwood and Dr Carol Gray, the inventor of …
A personal take on depression: Would you recognise it in your child?
Tania writes It’s Depression Awareness Week, although with the state of the economy and the weather, it wouldn’t surprise me if most of the country was painfully aware of feeling …
Special Needs Jungle named in The Times “Top 50 Sites To Make You Smarter”
Wowzer! Special Needs Jungle has been named in the The Times (yes the UK national newspaper) as one of its “Top 50 Websites To Make You Smarter”. How amazing is that? …
Research backs Emma’s FACS battle
One of my fellow special needs mums, whom I met over Twitter, Emma Murphy, is spearheading a campaign highlighting the emerging dangers of taking the Epilepsy drug Sodium Valproate (Epilim) …
Storytelling Week
My colleagues over at NetBuddy have an article in The Guardian about Storytelling week and how to engage your children, especially those with special needs, in the wonder of a …
A morning with Monty, a very special boy.
My good friend Angela, who is my ‘co’ in co-chair at Family Voice Surrey, always has an air of unflappability. I’m not quite sure how she does it. As well …
