This month there has been a flurry of posts about education; good news, bad news, still waiting for news…. so much to say on this topic that I’m sure it’ll be a regular feature. First the good: Mandy from Raising the Rainbows posted about the success of her son starting in High School. Sometimes it’s just a little help and flexibility which is needed. That sounds like it could also be the case for Raisie Bay and her daughter Star who has autism and EDS. Hayley from Downssideup has some great tips for parents of younger SEN children in her post about Transition into School, while Lucie from Our World and Autism talks about her positive experience working on a new EHCP for her boy.
In my own post Does Every Child Matter?, I look at the difficulty of finding that right place at secondary school, especially when suitable provision is so limited. At the same time, Tina from Mothergeek wrote about the lack of a place for her son at any SEND primary school in her area. It frustrates me immensely that these children who have so much to offer, are being failed before they’ve even started.
Another area where I regularly hear of trouble is around transport for children who need to attend a SEND school. In All Too Familiar, Dinky and Me talks about how bad a morning can get when there is anxiety around travelling to school. Looking for Blue Sky talks more about anxiety and the warning signs in her post about School Refusal.
October has been a busy month for me as I helped out at the first ever PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) conference for parents, which was a huge success, and then started my first course training parents on PDA . One question from my group was ‘does PDA always mean a child is violent and aggressive?’ and luckily Tracey from The Creative Pair had already written a perfect post about why PDA is not just anger. There’s a danger that we class every child who is angry and violent as having PDA but that wouldn’t cover either of our girls, and many other girls and boys we know of. This just highlights how important it is that we consider each child’s strengths and needs individually.
On a final happier note, I loved this post from Jenny at Cheetahs In My Shoes about Imaginary Friends. Aren’t all our children amazingly unique?!
Please do link up your posts below; it’s great to have a variety to look at over the course of a month. I predict a Halloween tale or two….
About Steph Curtis
Steph Curtis is mum to two girls and blogs at Steph’s Two Girls. She started blogging over six years ago after her youngest daughter Sasha was given a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (also called ASD or Autism). A buyer of toys and stationery in her pre-children life, Steph has now become a Trainer to help all parents of children with disabilities find support and information. Although ASD was the original diagnosis for Sasha, it is believed that she actually has a specific type of autism known as Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA). Steph is keen to raise awareness of this condition and runs courses for parents to help with strategies for everyday life. Steph is on Twitter as @stephc007 and is a huge Facebook and Instagram fan.
Lucie Aiston
Friday 30th of October 2015
Thanks for the mention Steph. All great posts :) xx
MotherGeek
Friday 30th of October 2015
Another great selection of posts, Steph. Thanks for mentioning mine :) Happy to report Sam has finally been offered a school place - 11 mines from us, but at least it's doable. We are viewing it on Wednesday so fingers crossed my link up for this months's round up will be a happier one!! xx