Special Needs Round-up: Individual differences and education

Some months an unexpected cluster of blog posts pop up around a certain topic, and this month education , resources, flexibility and children’s individual differences have been at the forefront of our minds.

For the last academic year we have flexi-schooled Natty, who is in year 1 and has Down’s Syndrome. This option has been open to all children with a statement of SEN, allowing a mix of home and school to suit. We took Wednesdays at home, it gave Natty a quieter day to recharge her batteries so that she was less exhausted by a Friday. We had fun doing activities that she enjoyed together to back up the topics covered in school. Natty is a kinesthetic learner, so lots of sensory activities and music and movement were involved. We also made time for plenty of life skills such as making shopping lists, buying groceries, making soup or baking, sorting laundry and doing simple household chores for these are the things that will secure the future independence of a child with a learning disability. We even found time to go for a swim each week and Natty is now swimming unaided at 6 years old. You can read more about our Activities at Home at Downs Side Up here.

Not bad I thought. But then the government decided that it didn’t like the clumsy way flexi-schooling left its registers and budgets, and so the education plan that suits so many, that others were planning having read how successful we had found it, is to be stopped. You can sign the online e-Petition here if this affects you.

Lindsey The Mother Duck writes here in The Disability Diaries: Doing it Our Way, about her struggle to get the equipment so needed for her son to enjoy his life to the full. It shouldn’t be a struggle should it?

Tania Tirraoro over at the essential Special Needs Jungle site, has written a concise and clear review of the Rough Draft SEN Code of Practice which I for one found invaluable. I urge you to read to inform yourself of the proposed changes to SEN provision in our schools.

Steph at Stephs Two Girls writes so honestly about the questions and choices she is facing in planning for her daughter’s transition into secondary school in Different Not Less. Does she head for mainstream secondary chool or a private special school?

My dear friend Kate Davies-Holmes aka Kateonthinice explains how children don’t have to have Statement of SEN to have temporary additional needs at school. These can be emotional and they need addressing in exactly the same way. Read Adapting to Secondary School here.

Mama Owl and A Boy with Aspergers have written about the subject of children being illegally excluded from our schools this month. A shocking story that must stop. And no, we will not keep our children out of school on the day of an OFSTED inspection! Read about it in It’s Time Ofsted put a Stop to Illegal Exclusions of Children with Special Needs from A Boy with Aspergers and Mama Owl’s Guardian article here.

Looking for Blue Sky tells us of the worrying experience of the first exam. Happily the outcome was a positive one in His First Exam #Aspergers.

Sleep is so vital for us all, not least a child in order to develop and learn. But it’s not as easy as it sounds for many of our children. Karen at Woman Wife and Mum tells of her decision to give the hormone Melatonin a go in Why I Chose to Medicate my Son. I look forward to her updates.

Claire T at Life, Ninja Killer Cat and Everything Else has written a wonderful post Having a Natural Childhood reminding us of the importance of leading as natural a childhood as possible, getting outside, taking risks and learning through exploration and so on, despite the hurdles.

And I’ll leave you with some wise words from Dr Seuss and Katie at The Life and Times of Team Kitchen: Being a Mum. Not always easy, but always worth it. And similar sentiments from Everything But The Kitchen Sink in Complex. We simply wouldn’t have our children any other way.

Please do join our linky below for a chance to be included in next month’s round-up and to share your wonderful posts with others. Oh, and we do love a bit of comment love.

H x

About Hayley Goleniowska

A former language teacher and voice-over artist, Hayley is now the Mum of two gorgeous girls, the youngest of whom, Natty, has Down’s Syndrome. She blogs, speaks and writes articles on the subject for all who will read or listen. Through Downs Side Up she aims to both offer support and encouragement to new families with a diagnosis, and gently change perceptions of Down’s Syndrome from within hearts through beautiful words and photos. Her daughter Natty is a clothing model and an amazing ambassador for children with disabilities everywhere. She has appeared in The Sun, Mail Online, Bella Magazine and on ITV Daybreak. You can find Hayley on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

• Mail
|
• Web
|
• Twitter
|
• More Posts(34)