Welcome to the July SEND round-up, my very first month of doing this for BritMums so please do bear with me and be gentle as I try to find my feet here! Thanks so much to the wonderful Hayley from Downs Side Up who has been keeping us informed for the past couple of years. Her daughter Mia’s post this month describing a Learning Difficulty was such a delight to read.
Thanks to Gym Bunny Mummy who linked up with two great posts last month; first with a very cute video of her son learning along with Mr.Tumble, and then a very useful post noting key stages in child development.
The wonderful team at Special Needs Jungle have come up with several useful posts this month as always. It was interesting to learn of the revised timescales for EHC Plans, and Tania’s 13 Top Tips for surviving the EHCP process are a must-read. There was also great news in the blog Was This In The Plan? about a Supreme Court victory which pronounced taking DLA away from hospitalised children unlawful.
Looking For Blue Sky’s post about whether pregnant mums should fear giving birth to children with special needs is very thought-provoking, and looks at the scary situation with adult services. It was also great to read Jane’s from Our Little Escapades positive post about Sibling Interaction and Autism this month – it’s hard to believe she was told not to have a second child, but sadly this kind of pressure is still out there and we obviously need to continue educating others that all children are unique and wonderful.
After the airing last month of the Born Naughty? programme on television, where for the first time on mainstream television Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) was discussed, there was a programme just this week about Girls With Autism. It featured a special school in Surrey for girls with autism, speech language and communication difficulties and emotional vulnerabilities. Sadly it caused upset in the PDA community as they proclaimed their way of managing PDA behaviours was ‘Tough Love’. In response to this, I wrote my post Challenging Behaviour and PDA: Does Tough Love work? and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts in the comment box below.
On a final note though, I’d like to leave you with news of the wonderful Elliott. Julia who writes over at Me, Myself and PDA, has brought the story of Elliott’s Creations for Donations to blog-land and I think you should all pop over and love them after you’ve left your latest link for next month’s round-up! Alternatively tweet me using the hashtag #SENDBritMums; would be great to find some new and old blogs in the list…
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.
Hayley- Downs Side Up
Tuesday 21st of July 2015
Congratulations on becoming the new SEND Editor for Britmums Steph. I really couldn't think of anyone more dedicated to making a difference in the SEN world, and who really does already support so many other blogs daily. I have greatly enjoyed my three years on the role, but am so happy to see you take on the mantle, and bring a new exciting perspective to the column. I look forward to reading the above collection of posts. What a fab first round-up! Hayley x
Catie
Tuesday 21st of July 2015
Congratulations! A great round up. I also wrote about our sibling link at http://diaryofanimperfectmum.blogspot.nl/2015/07/is-it-ever-acceptable-to-hold-child-back.html?m=1 Can you please add Diaryofanimperfectmum to your round up list? Thanks ;-)