It's been a busy week for lots of special needs mum bloggers - as you'll see there are some fabulous, thought-provoking posts from Claire at A Boy With Aspergers and Deb and Aspie in the family, as well as a couple from Lynsey at MummaDuck. I love reading their posts, they're always interesting, sometimes moving and are a reminder that resilience and strength can be found even at the darkest and most difficult times.
I've changed the format this week to give a little taster of what you can find if you click the link and I hope you do, because these articles and blogs are all well worth taking the time to read.
There will be no round up next week as I will be in Sweden talking social media at a meeting of Europe-wide limb difference organisations. It'll be a chance to meet lots of new people who will all have their own perspective of what it's like to live with physical disability in different parts of the world.
So make these stories last, if you can! You can also subscribe to this blog via email or on your kindle. Even better now they have new types of Kindle just out or if you have the Kindle app for smart phone or tablet. Enjoy!
Lots of our children have difficulty with laces, especially if they are dyspraxic, and Youngest , for one, has developed his own, somewhat unique, style of doing his shoes up. These days it’s easier with velcro straps, but sometimes, such as with trainers or football boots, it’s just not possible. Plus, as they get older, velcro isn’t very cool...
Children who suffer emotional neglect may have a higher risk of chronic cerebral infarction as adults, an observational study found...
I have indicated in previous posts that things have been getting tough with J1 in ways other than his physical disabilities. I do not mean for J1, but for me...
Epilepsy occurs at a much higher rate in children with the diagnosis of autism. I have a 7-year-old son with the diagnosis of PDD-NOS. After hearing Michael Chez, MD, speak about the high rate (about 66%) of abnormal EEGs in children on the spectrum, I got my son tested...
I don’t think anyone would argue with the fact that our present understanding of autism, with all its heterogeneity, elevated risk of comorbidity and slightly more fluidic expression than perhaps originally thought [1], still remains quite limited...
Despite the success of the London Paralympics, new research has revealed that 86 percent of disabled people who responded to a recent survey think the UK travel industry is still not providing sufficient information about disabled access and facilities...
A few months ago, Special Needs jungle ran an article about Pathological Demand Avoidance by Deborah Rourke There was an incredible amount of interest in this article, written from Deborah’s experience. In November, the National Autistic Society is to hold another conference on PDA...
So the draft legislation has been out a few weeks now and one of the biggest changes that has stood out most to me is that of Compulsory Mediation. As things stand at the moment, A parent can lodge an appeal to the first tier tribunal as soon as the local education authority (LEA) has written to the parent setting out a child’s proposed provision in the form of a draft statement...
My son is continuing to receive home tuition provided by the local authority. For 4 days a week he receives about an hour of tuition a day covered by two tutors. It doesn’t sound a lot but this is all he can cope with at the moment...
I begin with my own high point of the month over at Downs Side Up which sent me dashing to my Mac with tears in my eyes, the kind of blog post that is written in 20 minutes because the emotion is so crystal clear...
Rather than David Laws, who took over Sarah Teather’s ministerial job, and much to the relief of many I expect, the SEN portfolio will be managed by Edward Timpson MP who is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (children and families). Mr Timpson has sat on the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee and the Joint Committee on Human Rights. Until his ministerial appointment he was also chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Adoption & Fostering and Looked After Children & Care Leavers, vice chairman for the Runaway & Missing Children group...
The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a consultation on who is eligible for the Blue Badge Scheme when Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is replaced by the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This is due to happen for people aged between 16 and 64 from April 2013. They are seeking views on three different options...
Tania is an experienced broadcast and print journalist & author. She also runs a PR, web & social media consultancy, SocialOro Media.
Tania is a rare disease & chronic pain patient advocate with Ehlers Danlos syndrome.
- Ombudsman report says councils are “standing in the way of support” by failing to offer personal budgets during the EHCP process - November 24, 2023
- 10 reasons the Change Programme might fail, by experts from across the SEND sector - October 27, 2023
- For children with SEND and their parents, a compassionate teacher is key - October 20, 2023
Hi , I ‘ve read your blog and know that you are involved with Pathfinder groups .Are these groups formalised,did the government help set them up ? I live in Wales and we have had a few pilots running but trying to find any information relating to the trials is something of a Holy Grail.It almost seems that the conclusions have been assumed .Please if you could give any advice I would really appreciate it as we are trying to inform parents here in Wales Thanks Naomi Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:44:09 +0000 To: naomizmunro@hotmail.co.uk
Hi Naomi
The SEN pathfinder authorities are all in England – find out more here: http://www.sendpathfinder.co.uk/pathfinder/ The best way to get involved with what the Welsh Assembly might be doing is to join your local parent-carer forum for your county. You might also want to look at this page: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/education/senframeworkconsultation/?lang=en “Forward in partnership for children and young people with additional needs: Proposals for reform of the legislative framework for special educational needs” The Welsh Government is seeking views on proposals to reform the legislative framework for special educational needs (SEN). The consultation ends on 19 October and there are several consultation events, both next week, one in the North and one in the South, so you’ll have to be quick. Find out more here: http://s5.newzapp.co.uk/gtp.aspx?LID=OSwyOTk4NDE2MDgsMw==